Woman kept faith as 7 sons joined armed forces
They call her The Colonel, and for good reason. Bernice Leavitt Jackson has presided over a lot of troops.
By SHAWN VESTAL
The Spokesman-Review
DAVENPORT, Wash. —
They call her The Colonel, and for good reason. Bernice Leavitt Jackson has presided over a lot of troops.
Jackson, a fast-talking Roman candle of memories who's "going on 80," has never served directly in the military. But her passion for honoring those who do comes from a deep well of personal contribution: Her husband served in the Army during World War II. Seven of her eight sons served, including David, an Army staff sergeant serving his second tour of duty in Baghdad. Their photos hang on the living room wall, surrounded by every variety of patriotic expression imaginable, from flags to personal letters of thanks from a member of Congress, governor and secretary of the Air Force.
All of which is to say nothing of her brother and brothers-in-law, who fought in some of the major battles of World War II. Or her father and uncles, who served in the First World War. Or her grandfather, who fought and died in the Civil War.
read more here
Woman kept faith as 7 sons joined armed forces
Friday, July 1, 2011
NBA Owners Donate Millions to Vietnam Memorial Project
NBA Owners Donate Millions to Vietnam Memorial Project
By: Shauna Wright
NBA team owners Michael Heisley of the Memphis Grizzlies and Peter Holt of the San Antonio Spurs have made the largest private donations toward a project that will honor the 58,000 veterans killed during the Vietnam War and be located on the site of the Washington, D.C. memorial.
NBA Owners Donate Millions to Vietnam Memorial Project
By: Shauna Wright
NBA team owners Michael Heisley of the Memphis Grizzlies and Peter Holt of the San Antonio Spurs have made the largest private donations toward a project that will honor the 58,000 veterans killed during the Vietnam War and be located on the site of the Washington, D.C. memorial.
NBA Owners Donate Millions to Vietnam Memorial Project
Vietnam Vet wins right to fly flag
Fourth of July Victory: Vet Can Fly Flag
By ALAN FARNHAM
July 1, 2011
An embattled U.S. Army vet in Macedonia, Ohio, has won the right to fly Old Glory from his home's flagpole.
Fred Quigley, 77, who lives in the Villas at Taramina, served with honor as a U.S. Army chaplain in Korea and in Vietnam. He has had bullets nip his ear, he says, and has had enemy rockets (duds, luckily) land right at his feet.
But the kind of fire he had to endure from his local homeowner association over his right to fly his U.S. flag, he says, was unlike any he'd had to face before. "I'm in emotional distress," he said. "My eyes are watering."
Now that fight is over. The association has decided to stand down and to let Quigley run Old Glory up his pole. Its decision came in the form of a letter hand-delivered to Quigley Thursday night.
read more here
Vet Can Fly Flag
Original report
Vietnam Vet called rouge homeowner for flying flag
By ALAN FARNHAM
July 1, 2011
An embattled U.S. Army vet in Macedonia, Ohio, has won the right to fly Old Glory from his home's flagpole.
Fred Quigley, 77, who lives in the Villas at Taramina, served with honor as a U.S. Army chaplain in Korea and in Vietnam. He has had bullets nip his ear, he says, and has had enemy rockets (duds, luckily) land right at his feet.
But the kind of fire he had to endure from his local homeowner association over his right to fly his U.S. flag, he says, was unlike any he'd had to face before. "I'm in emotional distress," he said. "My eyes are watering."
Now that fight is over. The association has decided to stand down and to let Quigley run Old Glory up his pole. Its decision came in the form of a letter hand-delivered to Quigley Thursday night.
read more here
Vet Can Fly Flag
Original report
Vietnam Vet called rouge homeowner for flying flag
Vietnam Vet finally gets award from Congressman
Bishop awards Vietnam vet
Posted: Jun 29, 2011
By Jennifer Emert
ALBANY, GA -
A Vietnam Veteran who should have been honored for his service years ago finally got the recognition he and his unit deserved.
Clyde Bartlett served as a Staff Sergeant in an artillery battalion during the Vietnam War. Today Congressman Sanford Bishop pinned on the Presidential Unit Citation approved for his unit in 2007.
Bartlett said the men in his unit didn't know they were eligible for the citation. He says even now, it's tough to talk about the war and his fellow soldiers who didn't make it home.
Bishop awards Vietnam vet
Posted: Jun 29, 2011
By Jennifer Emert
ALBANY, GA -
A Vietnam Veteran who should have been honored for his service years ago finally got the recognition he and his unit deserved.
Clyde Bartlett served as a Staff Sergeant in an artillery battalion during the Vietnam War. Today Congressman Sanford Bishop pinned on the Presidential Unit Citation approved for his unit in 2007.
Bartlett said the men in his unit didn't know they were eligible for the citation. He says even now, it's tough to talk about the war and his fellow soldiers who didn't make it home.
Bishop awards Vietnam vet
Several announcements from the VA
VA Awards 14 Major Technology Contracts
Setting the Stage for Long-term IT Solutions to Serve Veterans
Washington, D.C. (July 1, 2011) - Fourteen major contracts to transform
information technology in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have
been awarded for an estimated program ceiling of $12 billion. The
Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology program, known as T4, will
consist of 15 prime contracts, including seven awards reserved for
service-disabled Veteran small businesses and Veteran-owned small
businesses.
"This five-year program will help VA transform into a 21st century
organization and enable us to deliver the high-quality health care,
benefits, and services Veterans have earned," said Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "In addition, it opens an opportunity for
Veterans in business to grow and claim a share of VA's business."
Calling the program T4, VA awarded 14 prime contracts together as a tool
to close gaps in acquiring IT services to integrate systems, networks
and software. A fifteenth contract is pending resolution of a protest
filed with the Government Accountability Office. The companies
selected will have a fair opportunity to compete for work under T4 over
five years. Their services and products may cover the life cycle of a
computer system, and include program planning and management, systems
and software engineering, cyber security, operation and maintenance, and
support to facilities.
One of VA's main goals is to provide timely access to benefits and
high-quality health care to Veterans over their lifetimes, from the day
they enter military service until the day they are laid to rest. T4
will be a major tool enabling VA to meet those goals by closing gaps in
transforming programs.
The combined contracts will allow the most efficient use of technology
to reduce the backlog of benefit claims and deliver real value to
America's taxpayers.
The T4 program will be a single focal point for managing the multiple
contracts; give VA access to the best industry capabilities without the
traditional long acquisition lead time; and help the department meet its
Veteran small-business goals.
Unsuccessful competitors will be notified once the fifteenth, final
award is made. They will be given the opportunity to receive a
debriefing about their respective proposals and learn how they might
improve their future submissions.
VA Issuing First Payments to Caregivers
WASHINGTON (July 1, 2011) - The Department of Veterans Affairs will send
out more than $430,000 in stipend payments to nearly 200 Family
Caregivers of Veterans in July. These Family Caregivers were the first
to complete their Caregiver training under the program of Comprehensive
Assistance for Family Caregivers. The first payments to 96 recipients
were issued today.
"This is a long-awaited day for many Family Caregivers who diligently
worked to achieve this landmark legislation to enhance services for
Family Caregivers," said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. "I am proud VA
can now offer direct support to the loved ones who give the Veterans we
serve a greater quality of life by allowing them to remain at home
surrounded by family and friends."
Family Caregivers will receive an average $1,600 in monthly stipend
payments. The initial payments will average $2,500 because the first
stipend checks are retroactive to the date of application. The amount
of the stipend is based on the condition of the Veteran and the amount
of care they require as well as the geographic location where the
Veteran resides. An additional 80 stipend payments will be released
from the U.S. Treasury on July 8 bringing the total to 176 Family
Caregivers receiving the stipend in July.
"We continue to process and approve applications on a daily basis" said
Deborah Amdur, VA's Chief Consultant for Care Management and Social
Work. "It has been profoundly gratifying to receive messages from Family
Caregivers about the value of this program."
Since May 9, nearly 1,250 Caregivers of Veterans who were seriously
injured in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, have applied
for the Program. A core caregiver training curriculum is a required
component of the program. This comprehensive training, which was
developed by Easter Seals in collaboration with VA clinical experts, has
received many positive comments from Family Caregivers. In addition to
the training, eligible Family Caregivers can also access mental health
services and are provided health care insurance, if they are not already
entitled to care or services under a health plan.
Veterans may review the criteria for eligibility and download the Family
Caregiver program application (VA CG 10-10) at www.caregiver.va.gov.
The application enables the Veteran to designate a primary Family
Caregiver and secondary Family Caregivers if needed. Caregiver Support
Coordinators are stationed at every VA medical center to assist with
coordinating the training or assist Caregivers in locating available
services.
Support for all Caregivers is also available via the national Caregiver
Support Line at 1-855-260-3274. Caregivers of Veterans from all eras are
encouraged to use the Website and Support Line to learn about more than
two dozen supportive services VA offers to Family Caregivers.
VA Begins Implementation of Open Source Program
TIAG Selected to Build Custodial Agent
WASHINGTON (June 30, 2011)- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
today announced that it has begun the implementation of an open source
community based on its electronic health record (EHR), selecting The
Informatics Applications Group (tiag) to create the Custodial Agent that
will serve as the community's central governing body. VA will contribute
its current EHR, known as VistA (Veterans Integrated System Technology
Architecture), to seed the open source effort.
"Our EHR is central to the quality of care we provide to Veterans," said
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "As we continually
advance the health care we deliver, so too must we advance the
capability of EHR software. Moving to an open source model invites
innovation from the public and private sectors. It is an important
element of our EHR collaboration with the Department of Defense and an
important part of our strategy to ensure that VA clinicians have the
best tools possible, and that Veterans receive the best health care
possible."
In April, VA announced its intent to establish a Custodial Agent (CA) to
serve as the central governing body for an open source community. The CA
will provide important communication, organizational, and administrative
functions that enable community members to share information and
software and to collaborate on the improvement and the use of EHR
systems. tiag, an innovative technology services company, has been
selected to design and launch the Custodial Agent.
"We have a tremendous opportunity to create the next generation of EHRs,
which is so important to our EHR collaboration with DoD and to many
current and future users of electronic health records," said VA Chief
Technology Officer Dr. Peter Levin. "In order to achieve the highest
level of utility and safety, we must engage as broad a base of EHR users
and developers as possible. We are working closely with tiag to design a
robust Custodial Agent that enables this level of community engagement."
VA expects the Custodial Agent to launch in August and to commence full
operation in the fall. For more information, see today's entry on VA's
VAntage Point blog (blogs.va.gov) and the Open Source EHR Custodial
Agent website (www.osehrca.org).
Setting the Stage for Long-term IT Solutions to Serve Veterans
Washington, D.C. (July 1, 2011) - Fourteen major contracts to transform
information technology in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have
been awarded for an estimated program ceiling of $12 billion. The
Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology program, known as T4, will
consist of 15 prime contracts, including seven awards reserved for
service-disabled Veteran small businesses and Veteran-owned small
businesses.
"This five-year program will help VA transform into a 21st century
organization and enable us to deliver the high-quality health care,
benefits, and services Veterans have earned," said Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "In addition, it opens an opportunity for
Veterans in business to grow and claim a share of VA's business."
Calling the program T4, VA awarded 14 prime contracts together as a tool
to close gaps in acquiring IT services to integrate systems, networks
and software. A fifteenth contract is pending resolution of a protest
filed with the Government Accountability Office. The companies
selected will have a fair opportunity to compete for work under T4 over
five years. Their services and products may cover the life cycle of a
computer system, and include program planning and management, systems
and software engineering, cyber security, operation and maintenance, and
support to facilities.
One of VA's main goals is to provide timely access to benefits and
high-quality health care to Veterans over their lifetimes, from the day
they enter military service until the day they are laid to rest. T4
will be a major tool enabling VA to meet those goals by closing gaps in
transforming programs.
The combined contracts will allow the most efficient use of technology
to reduce the backlog of benefit claims and deliver real value to
America's taxpayers.
The T4 program will be a single focal point for managing the multiple
contracts; give VA access to the best industry capabilities without the
traditional long acquisition lead time; and help the department meet its
Veteran small-business goals.
Unsuccessful competitors will be notified once the fifteenth, final
award is made. They will be given the opportunity to receive a
debriefing about their respective proposals and learn how they might
improve their future submissions.
VA Issuing First Payments to Caregivers
WASHINGTON (July 1, 2011) - The Department of Veterans Affairs will send
out more than $430,000 in stipend payments to nearly 200 Family
Caregivers of Veterans in July. These Family Caregivers were the first
to complete their Caregiver training under the program of Comprehensive
Assistance for Family Caregivers. The first payments to 96 recipients
were issued today.
"This is a long-awaited day for many Family Caregivers who diligently
worked to achieve this landmark legislation to enhance services for
Family Caregivers," said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. "I am proud VA
can now offer direct support to the loved ones who give the Veterans we
serve a greater quality of life by allowing them to remain at home
surrounded by family and friends."
Family Caregivers will receive an average $1,600 in monthly stipend
payments. The initial payments will average $2,500 because the first
stipend checks are retroactive to the date of application. The amount
of the stipend is based on the condition of the Veteran and the amount
of care they require as well as the geographic location where the
Veteran resides. An additional 80 stipend payments will be released
from the U.S. Treasury on July 8 bringing the total to 176 Family
Caregivers receiving the stipend in July.
"We continue to process and approve applications on a daily basis" said
Deborah Amdur, VA's Chief Consultant for Care Management and Social
Work. "It has been profoundly gratifying to receive messages from Family
Caregivers about the value of this program."
Since May 9, nearly 1,250 Caregivers of Veterans who were seriously
injured in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, have applied
for the Program. A core caregiver training curriculum is a required
component of the program. This comprehensive training, which was
developed by Easter Seals in collaboration with VA clinical experts, has
received many positive comments from Family Caregivers. In addition to
the training, eligible Family Caregivers can also access mental health
services and are provided health care insurance, if they are not already
entitled to care or services under a health plan.
Veterans may review the criteria for eligibility and download the Family
Caregiver program application (VA CG 10-10) at www.caregiver.va.gov.
The application enables the Veteran to designate a primary Family
Caregiver and secondary Family Caregivers if needed. Caregiver Support
Coordinators are stationed at every VA medical center to assist with
coordinating the training or assist Caregivers in locating available
services.
Support for all Caregivers is also available via the national Caregiver
Support Line at 1-855-260-3274. Caregivers of Veterans from all eras are
encouraged to use the Website and Support Line to learn about more than
two dozen supportive services VA offers to Family Caregivers.
VA Begins Implementation of Open Source Program
TIAG Selected to Build Custodial Agent
WASHINGTON (June 30, 2011)- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
today announced that it has begun the implementation of an open source
community based on its electronic health record (EHR), selecting The
Informatics Applications Group (tiag) to create the Custodial Agent that
will serve as the community's central governing body. VA will contribute
its current EHR, known as VistA (Veterans Integrated System Technology
Architecture), to seed the open source effort.
"Our EHR is central to the quality of care we provide to Veterans," said
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "As we continually
advance the health care we deliver, so too must we advance the
capability of EHR software. Moving to an open source model invites
innovation from the public and private sectors. It is an important
element of our EHR collaboration with the Department of Defense and an
important part of our strategy to ensure that VA clinicians have the
best tools possible, and that Veterans receive the best health care
possible."
In April, VA announced its intent to establish a Custodial Agent (CA) to
serve as the central governing body for an open source community. The CA
will provide important communication, organizational, and administrative
functions that enable community members to share information and
software and to collaborate on the improvement and the use of EHR
systems. tiag, an innovative technology services company, has been
selected to design and launch the Custodial Agent.
"We have a tremendous opportunity to create the next generation of EHRs,
which is so important to our EHR collaboration with DoD and to many
current and future users of electronic health records," said VA Chief
Technology Officer Dr. Peter Levin. "In order to achieve the highest
level of utility and safety, we must engage as broad a base of EHR users
and developers as possible. We are working closely with tiag to design a
robust Custodial Agent that enables this level of community engagement."
VA expects the Custodial Agent to launch in August and to commence full
operation in the fall. For more information, see today's entry on VA's
VAntage Point blog (blogs.va.gov) and the Open Source EHR Custodial
Agent website (www.osehrca.org).
Major League Baseball and McCormick Foundation grants $4 mil to veterans
Major League Baseball and McCormick Foundation grants $4 mil to veterans
Cathy O'Brien,
Celebrity Charity Events Examiner
July 1, 2011
Major League Baseball Charities and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation announced yesterday that they have granted $4 million through Welcome Back Veterans to university hospitals which are working hard to develop programs and creating centers which will specialize in treating military veterans and their families who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Allen H. (Bud) Selig, baseball Commissioner: “Major League Baseball recognizes that our men and women in the military make significant sacrifices in serving our nation every day. We are honored to show our gratitude by committing resources to organizations that provide veterans and their family members’ services to treat symptoms of PTSD and TBI. I want to thank McCormick Foundation and the Clubs for supporting these four grant recipients.”
There are also individual baseball teams supporting their local university hospitals. The Detroit Tigers are supporting the efforts at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Emory University in Atlanta is receiving support from the Atlanta Braves. The Boston Red Sox supported their own charity foundation, the Red Sox Foundation and UCLA is receiving support from the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. To date, Major League Baseball Charities and the McCormick Foundation have given about $11 million in grant funds to programs which serve veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Continue reading on Examiner.com - National Celebrity Charity Events | Examiner.com
Major League Baseball and McCormick Foundation grants $4 mil to veterans
Cathy O'Brien,
Celebrity Charity Events Examiner
July 1, 2011
Major League Baseball Charities and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation announced yesterday that they have granted $4 million through Welcome Back Veterans to university hospitals which are working hard to develop programs and creating centers which will specialize in treating military veterans and their families who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Allen H. (Bud) Selig, baseball Commissioner: “Major League Baseball recognizes that our men and women in the military make significant sacrifices in serving our nation every day. We are honored to show our gratitude by committing resources to organizations that provide veterans and their family members’ services to treat symptoms of PTSD and TBI. I want to thank McCormick Foundation and the Clubs for supporting these four grant recipients.”
There are also individual baseball teams supporting their local university hospitals. The Detroit Tigers are supporting the efforts at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Emory University in Atlanta is receiving support from the Atlanta Braves. The Boston Red Sox supported their own charity foundation, the Red Sox Foundation and UCLA is receiving support from the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. To date, Major League Baseball Charities and the McCormick Foundation have given about $11 million in grant funds to programs which serve veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Continue reading on Examiner.com - National Celebrity Charity Events | Examiner.com
Major League Baseball and McCormick Foundation grants $4 mil to veterans
First lady speaks to Vt. guardsmen, families
First lady speaks to Vt. guardsmen, families
Burlington (Vt.) Free Press
Posted : Thursday Jun 30, 2011 17:21:27 EDT
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. — First lady Michelle Obama spoke to military families here on Thursday, telling them that Americans stand ready to support them.
“We have you in our hearts, we have you in our prayers, we have your back,” she said.
Obama was in Vermont for a fundraiser for President Obama.
Veterans and military families were invited to the event at the National Guard Aviation Support facility. Michelle Obama expressed support to military families for their service.
Last year, 1,500 Vermont National Guard members deployed to in Afghanistan for a year. It was the largest deployment since World War II.
read more here
First lady speaks to Vt. guardsmen, families
Burlington (Vt.) Free Press
Posted : Thursday Jun 30, 2011 17:21:27 EDT
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. — First lady Michelle Obama spoke to military families here on Thursday, telling them that Americans stand ready to support them.
“We have you in our hearts, we have you in our prayers, we have your back,” she said.
Obama was in Vermont for a fundraiser for President Obama.
Veterans and military families were invited to the event at the National Guard Aviation Support facility. Michelle Obama expressed support to military families for their service.
Last year, 1,500 Vermont National Guard members deployed to in Afghanistan for a year. It was the largest deployment since World War II.
read more here
First lady speaks to Vt. guardsmen, families
Military suicides rise in San Antonio
Military suicides rise in San Antonio
Reported by: Melissa Garcia
SAN ANTONIO -- The military is fighting a war to combat suicides. Nationally, the numbers are staggering. News 4 WOAI has uncovered suicide information from San Antonio military installations. There were 5 suicides out of Lackland Air Force Base last year alone. Suicides at Fort Sam Houston have also risen within the last several years, compared with the first part of the decade.
We spoke with a combat soldier about his own suicidal thoughts when he returned from war in Iraq.
"As a soldier, we have a creed: 'I will never accept defeat,'" explaned Joshua McCoy. But defeated is exactly how he felt, when he came back from war physically injured, and emotionally traumatized. Almost overnight, he went from being self sufficient, to having to move back in with his parents at the age of 32.
"That's extremely humiliating," explained McCoy.
Chronic pain and anxiety required heavy prescription narcotics. The stress tore apart his marriage and almost cost him custody of his young daughter. In fact, things got so bad, McCoy even contemplated suicide.
read more here
Military suicides rise in San Antonio
Reported by: Melissa Garcia
Nationally, the number of potential suicides among active duty soldiers jumped from 16 in April to 21 in May.
SAN ANTONIO -- The military is fighting a war to combat suicides. Nationally, the numbers are staggering. News 4 WOAI has uncovered suicide information from San Antonio military installations. There were 5 suicides out of Lackland Air Force Base last year alone. Suicides at Fort Sam Houston have also risen within the last several years, compared with the first part of the decade.
We spoke with a combat soldier about his own suicidal thoughts when he returned from war in Iraq.
"As a soldier, we have a creed: 'I will never accept defeat,'" explaned Joshua McCoy. But defeated is exactly how he felt, when he came back from war physically injured, and emotionally traumatized. Almost overnight, he went from being self sufficient, to having to move back in with his parents at the age of 32.
"That's extremely humiliating," explained McCoy.
Chronic pain and anxiety required heavy prescription narcotics. The stress tore apart his marriage and almost cost him custody of his young daughter. In fact, things got so bad, McCoy even contemplated suicide.
read more here
Military suicides rise in San Antonio
Tell congress to stop hurting veterans while funding wealthy
by
Chaplain Kathie
This is really that simple. They whined, moaned, stomped their feet and held their breath until President Obama caved in on the tax cuts for the wealthy but have you ever heard any of them fight that hard for veterans? For congress to do anything against the 1% serving this nation, risking their lives in order to keep funding the wealthy 1% we have lost any moral ground we ever had.
Some folks (you know what group) have been going after everyone needing jobs, saying tax cuts for the wealthy create jobs, but we haven't seen proof of that. As a matter of fact, most of us have seen jobs vanish. Our troops come home after they served this country and they can't find work to support their families. They cut back on what people need but they also cut back on what the veterans need more. Tell a National Guardsman that when he comes home without a job after he served in Iraq or Afghanistan that the wealthy deserved tax cuts more than he deserves a job. Look him in the eyes and tell him he is not worth as much as the wealthy.
Less than 10% of the population have put on their boots to stand up for this country. While congress uses their mouths to "take a stand" for what they believe in, our veterans used their lives to stand up for everyone in this nation. Some in congress want to cut benefits instead of making sure we honor the debt we owe them after they wrote that blank check with their lives.
When it comes to the wounded veterans, by body or mind, we have let them down and now this insult to their service continues by going after the weakest among them. Homeless veterans wander the streets looking for a place to sleep and depend on the kindness of strangers to give them a couple of bucks to eat. Most of them have untreated PTSD but while they depended on alcohol and drugs to numb their pain, we view them as "low life's" not worthy of our care. If we cannot take care of them, especially when some in congress speak of the needs of the wealthy, we no longer deserve to use the term "from a grateful nation" when we hand over a folded flag from their coffins.
Chaplain Kathie
This is really that simple. They whined, moaned, stomped their feet and held their breath until President Obama caved in on the tax cuts for the wealthy but have you ever heard any of them fight that hard for veterans? For congress to do anything against the 1% serving this nation, risking their lives in order to keep funding the wealthy 1% we have lost any moral ground we ever had.
Some folks (you know what group) have been going after everyone needing jobs, saying tax cuts for the wealthy create jobs, but we haven't seen proof of that. As a matter of fact, most of us have seen jobs vanish. Our troops come home after they served this country and they can't find work to support their families. They cut back on what people need but they also cut back on what the veterans need more. Tell a National Guardsman that when he comes home without a job after he served in Iraq or Afghanistan that the wealthy deserved tax cuts more than he deserves a job. Look him in the eyes and tell him he is not worth as much as the wealthy.
Less than 10% of the population have put on their boots to stand up for this country. While congress uses their mouths to "take a stand" for what they believe in, our veterans used their lives to stand up for everyone in this nation. Some in congress want to cut benefits instead of making sure we honor the debt we owe them after they wrote that blank check with their lives.
When it comes to the wounded veterans, by body or mind, we have let them down and now this insult to their service continues by going after the weakest among them. Homeless veterans wander the streets looking for a place to sleep and depend on the kindness of strangers to give them a couple of bucks to eat. Most of them have untreated PTSD but while they depended on alcohol and drugs to numb their pain, we view them as "low life's" not worthy of our care. If we cannot take care of them, especially when some in congress speak of the needs of the wealthy, we no longer deserve to use the term "from a grateful nation" when we hand over a folded flag from their coffins.
Homeless Veterans Should Not Be "On the Table"
Posted: 06/30/11
Judge H. Lee Sarokin
Retired in 1996 after 17 years on the federal bench
In respect to efforts to reduce the debt and the deficit, members of Congress constantly insist that "everything is on the table." Of course, that is not true. Republicans oppose any increase in taxes, and those that subscribe to the Norquist No-Tax Pledge also oppose any reduction or elimination of deductions or subsidies.
* Republicans have proposed a $75 million reduction in vouchers for homeless veterans. There is a dispute as to whether or not this proposal adversely affects homeless veterans now or in the future, but there is no question that Republicans have put this subject on the table as one of the ways to reduce spending.
I expect that this is another example of the "trickle-down" theory. By permitting the very rich to maintain their tax cuts, they can buy expensive art work. A multi-millionaire can buy a Picasso, the gallery earns a commission, someone is paid to box the painting, someone is hired to deliver it, the driver buys a cup of coffee after the delivery and he drops his change in the cup of the wounded veteran lying on the sidewalk in front of Starbucks. Ergo---"trickle down" at work.
read more here
Homeless Veterans Should Not Be On the Table
Westboro protestors a no-show at soldier’s funeral
Westboro protestors a no-show at soldier’s funeral
Jun 30, 2011 6:01 PM
By Tom Plahutnik, Web Editor/Producer
By Liz Gelardi, TV5 Reporte
HARBOR BEACH, Mich. -
A Mid-Michigan soldier was laid to rest Thursday after giving his life in service to his country. Now there's some relief for family and friends of 21-year-old Army Pfc. Brian Backus as it appears a controversial church group did not protest outside the service.
The Westboro Baptist Church originally planned to picket, but apparently they failed to show up.
TV5's Liz Gelardi reported that the situation seemed like a publicity stunt and that members of the Patriot Guard motorcycle group say this has happened before when the church claimed it would show up, and then failed to do so.
read more here
Westboro protestors a no-show at soldier’s funeral
Jun 30, 2011 6:01 PM
By Tom Plahutnik, Web Editor/Producer
By Liz Gelardi, TV5 Reporte
HARBOR BEACH, Mich. -
A Mid-Michigan soldier was laid to rest Thursday after giving his life in service to his country. Now there's some relief for family and friends of 21-year-old Army Pfc. Brian Backus as it appears a controversial church group did not protest outside the service.
The Westboro Baptist Church originally planned to picket, but apparently they failed to show up.
TV5's Liz Gelardi reported that the situation seemed like a publicity stunt and that members of the Patriot Guard motorcycle group say this has happened before when the church claimed it would show up, and then failed to do so.
read more here
Westboro protestors a no-show at soldier’s funeral
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)