'Tis the Season...

[rolanni]

Jack Chalker is very ill: congestive heart failure and other complications. Details at Eva Whitley's blog. The family is accepting donations via PayPal.

As it turns out that the call for phone cards from Walter Reed Hospital is a sort of semi-hoax -- see Snopes. However, as it also turns out, the VFW has had since 1996 a program in place to get phone cards to active-duty soldiers and to hospitalized veterans. For more information, or to make a donation, check out Operation Uplink.
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It was snowing earlier this evening, silver motes blowing in the light of the three-quarter moon. Down to zero, headed for five below. I do believe I'll put another blanket on the bed.

Galleys went into the FedEx box first thing this morning, orders were mailed, gym happened, groceries were gathered, more orders were packed, and I'm slowly reading what's written of Crystal Dragon to rise it to the surface, now that Crystal Soldier is done, Done, DONE.

Comments

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the pointer to information about the phone card situation. I wouldn't call it a "sort of semi-hoax." These patients DID need phone cards. The hospital has a large supply of such phone cards, now. But it’s not because the military is finally being adequately funded, and paying attention to all the details of how they take care of wounded soldiers. (It would be great if they did. But that kind of care is expensive in money and people and time, and the US government is clearly not willing to invest in it.) It’s not even because some big defense contractor doing telecom is letting patients call home for free, as a PR gimmick (though I expect it would be fabulously effective in building brand loyalty among patients and their families.) The hospital finally has enough phone cards BECAUSE individuals responded to the appeal on the internet.

We’re talking about the US military and the war in Iraq. There’s enough deception going on nearby that I’d rather save words like “hoax” for when they’re really needed.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the pointer to information about the phone card situation.

You're welcome.

I wouldn't call it a "sort of semi-hoax."

That is, of course, your prerogative.

We're talking about the US military and the war in Iraq.

That may be what you're talking about. I'm talking about getting phone cards into the hands of people who really need them, through a system which is in place to deal with that very thing, without overwhelming already overworked staffers at Walter Reed, to whom the phone card biz has obviously got to take second place to other things.