Joe Biden: Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans

Joe Biden spoke to an audience of veterans in Virginia Beach, VA on September 4, 2008.




Purple Heart Bandages Last Time

This time the strong on National Defense GOP 'Spit' on a Veteran of Iraq using their False Patriotism Chants!

Senator McCain, This is Walter Reed

It's no wonder the 109th GOP Congress and Administration, in their rush to War with the Drums beating Louder and Louder, didn't take Military Care and once again the Veterans Care, Wars Makes, into consideration and Pass Legislation and Funding, They Couldn't Find The Facilities, and still can't!!

John McCain may not be able to find the right Walter Reed, but we sure can. Watch this new video from Americans United for Change.



*** Media Advisory for Saturday, September 6th @ 11AM EDT at Walter Reed Army Medical Center ***

IRAQ WAR VETERANS TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE OUTSIDE OF WALTER REED TO REMIND JOHN MCCAIN WHERE IT IS, CALL MCCAIN OUT FOR TURNING HIS BACK ON AMERICA'S VETERANS

McCain Campaign Gaffe Involving Walter Reed Underscores McCain's Shameful Veterans Record

Washington, DC – Veterans will meet outside of Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Saturday, September 6th at 11 a.m. to discuss John McCain's shameful record on veterans health care, the GI bill, his suggestion to ration care to only the combat wounded, and other veterans issues. The press conference comes just two days after John McCain's campaign mistakenly used an image of Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, CA instead of an image of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The gaffe symbolizes how McCain, like President Bush, has not provided America's veterans and service members at Walter Reed and around the world the attention and care they need and deserve.

WHO: Brian McGough, a U.S. Army Veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division

Kayla Williams a U.S. Army Veteran who served in Iraq and is the Author of "Love My Rifle More Than You:Young and Female in the US Army"

Other veterans - TBA

WHAT: Press Conference in front of Walter Reed Army Medical Center


WHEN: Tomorrow, Saturday, September 6 at 11 a.m. EDT


WHERE: Main Gate of Walter Reed

Intersection of Georgia Avenue NW and Elder Street NW

Washington, DC

-30-

McCain’s Disappointing Record on Veterans’ Issues



McCain Record Opposing Healthcare for Veterans



McCain Has Voted To Cut, Eliminate, or Gut Veterans Health Care Funding At Least 27 Times. [HR 4939, Vote #98, 4/26/06; SCR 83, Vote #70, 3/16/06; SCR 83, Vote #67, 3/16/06; SCR 83, Vote #63, 3/16/06; SCR 83, Vote #41, 3/14/06; HR 4297, Vote #15, 2/13/06; HR 4297, Vote #7, 2/2/06; S 2020, Vote #343, 11/17/05; HR 2863, Vote #251, 10/5/05; HR 2528, Vote #242, 9/22/05; HR 2361, Vote # 165, 6/29/05; HR 2361, Vote # 166, 6/29/05; HR 2361, Vote # 168, 6/29/05; HR 1268, Vote #90, 4/12/05; HR 1268, Vote #89, 4/12/05; SCR 95, Vote #40, 3/10/04; S 1689, Vote #379, 10/14/03; SCR 23, Vote #81, 3/25/03; S 2168, Vote #185, 7/7/98; S 936, Vote #168, 7/10/97; HR 3666, Vote #276, 9/5/96; HR 3666, Vote # 275, 9/5/96; HR 2099, Vote #466, 9/27/95; HR 4624, Vote #256, 8/4/94; HR 1335, Vote #97, 4/1/93; S 2884, Vote #226, 8/4/90; HR 2519, Vote #132, 7/17/91]



· McCain Was One of 13 Senators To Vote Against Increase In Veterans’ Healthcare. In 2006, McCain was one of 13 senators to vote against an amendment to add $430 million for outpatient and inpatient health care and treatment for veterans. Amendment passed 84-13. [HR 4939, Vote #98, 4/26/06]



· McCain Voted To Cut Funding For Veterans’ Healthcare. In 2006, McCain voted against an amendment to strike a provision in the 2007 Budget that will hold farm programs, veterans, Social Security, and Medicaid hostage to rising health care costs by creating automatic cuts once an arbitrary level of spending is reached in the Medicare program. The amendment failed 50-50. [SCR 83, Vote #70, 3/16/06]



· McCain Voted Against Increasing Veterans’ Funding By $10 Billion. In 2006, McCain voted against an amendment to eliminate a tripling of fees for veterans in the TRICARE health care program by raising the discretionary spending limit by approximately $10 billion. The provisions would have been fully offset by eliminating certain corporate tax breaks. The amendment failed 46-53. [SCR 83, Vote #67, 3/16/06]



· McCain Voted Against Veteran’s Healthcare Program. In 2006, McCain voted against an amendment to make veterans’ health benefits a mandatory program, spending $104 billion over five years. The funding would have been offset by closing corporate tax loopholes and rolling back the Bush tax cuts for millionaires. Amendment rejected 46-54. [SCR 83, Vote #63, 3/16/06]



· McCain Voted Against A $1.5 Billion Increase In Healthcare For Veterans. In 2006, McCain voted against an amendment that increased the discretionary spending limit by $1.5 billion to $874.5 billion to provide an increase in funding for veterans’ medical services. It would be offset by ending certain corporate tax breaks. Amendment rejected 46-54. [SCR 83, Vote #41, 3/14/06]



· McCain Failed To Vote To Support Healthcare For Veterans In Lieu of Tax Breaks For Millionaires. In 2006, McCain failed to vote on a motion to instruct conferees to insist that the tax reconciliation conference report includes funding to support health needs of veterans and military personnel in lieu of an extension of capital gains or dividends tax breaks for individuals with incomes of more than $1 million. Motion failed 40-53. [HR 4297, Vote #15, 2/13/06]



· McCain Voted Against $19 billion For Military And Veterans’ Hospitals. In 2006, McCain voted against an amendment that provided $19 billion for military and veterans’ hospitals, offset by limiting the dividend and capital-gains tax rates to individuals earning less than $1 million. Amendment failed 44-53. [HR 4297, Vote #7, 2/2/06]



· McCain Voted Against Mental Healthcare For Veterans. In 2005, McCain Voted against an amendment that provided an additional $500 million per year for the next five years for mental health services for veterans. The funding would be offset by deferring tax cuts for those making $1 million per year. Amendment rejected 43-55. [S 2020, Vote #343, 11/17/05]



· McCain Voted Against Considering Inflation In Veterans Funding Formula. In 2005, McCain voted against an amendment that would establish a future funding formula for health care for former members of the Armed Forces takes into account changes in population and inflation. Amendment failed 48-51. [HR 2863, Vote #251, 10/5/05]



· McCain Voted Against A $10 Million Increase In Readjustment Counseling for Veterans. In 2005, McCain voted against an amendment that would provide an additional $10 million for the Readjustment Counseling Service, offset with a $10 million reduction in the HealthVet account. The amendment failed 48-50. [HR 2528, Vote #242, 9/22/05]



· McCain Failed To Vote For A $1.5 Billion Increase In Veterans’ Healthcare. In 2005, McCain failed to vote for an amendment that would add $1.5 billion of funding to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for medical services provided by the Veterans Health Administration. Amendment passed 96-0. [HR 2361, Vote # 165, 6/29/05; HR 2361, Vote # 166, 6/29/05; HR 2361, Vote # 168, 6/29/05]



· McCain Voted Against $1.9 Billion In Emergency Funding For Veterans’ Hospitals. In 2005, McCain voted against an amendment that designated $1.9 billion in emergency funding for veterans’ hospitals. The $1.9 billion provided for the VA by the underlying amendment will help the VA to cover the costs of caring for these new veterans, and ensure that the VA is able to provide them with the care they deserve. The amendment failed 46-54. [HR 1268, Vote #90, 4/12/05]



· McCain Voted Against A $2 Billion Increase In Veterans’ Funding. In 2005, McCain voted against an amendment that would increase funding for the Veterans Affairs Department by $1.98 billion and designate it as emergency spending. It would stipulate that $840 million be used for veterans’ regional health networks; $610 million be used to address the needs of service members deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan; and $525 million be used to provide mental health care and treatment. Amendment failed 46-54. [HR 1268, Vote #89, 4/12/05]



· McCain Voted Against Creating A Reserve Fund For Veterans’ Health Care. In 2004, McCain voted against an amendment that would create a reserve fund to allow for an increase in veterans medical care by $1.8 billion, the amount determined by Veterans’ Affairs Committee to meet existing needs; and is fully offset by closing tax loopholes. Amendment rejected 46-51. [SCR 95, Vote #40, 3/10/04]



· McCain Voted Against A $1.3 billion Increase In Veterans’ Health Benefits. In 2003, McCain voted to table an amendment that included a $1. Billion increase in funding for health benefits. The amendment would reduce the amount provided for Iraqi reconstruction by $5.03 billion, and redirect that funding for domestic programs, including $1.8 billion for veterans’ health benefits, $1 billion for school reconstruction, renovation and repair and class size reduction, and $1.5 billion for capital improvements for federal highways. It also would express the sense of the Senate that Congress should consider an additional $5.03 billion in funding for Iraqi reconstruction during the fiscal 2005 budget and appropriations process. The motion to table passed 59-35. [S 1689, Vote #379, 10/14/03]



· McCain Voted Against Increasing Veterans’ Health Care Program. In 2003, McCain voted against an amendment that would increase spending on the TRICARE program by $20.3 billion over 10 years to give members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families greater access to the health care program. The increase would be offset by a reduction in tax cuts. Amendment rejected 46-51. [SCR 23, Vote #81, 3/25/03]



· McCain Voted Against Increasing Veterans’ Health Administration By $1 Billion. In 1998, McCain voted against an amendment that would add $1 billion for Veterans’ Health Administration Medical Care. The funding would budget neutral and would come from the termination of the space station program. The amendment failed 33-66. [S 2168, Vote #185, 7/7/98]



· McCain Voted Against $400 Million In Veterans’ Funding. In 1997, McCain voted to table an amendment that would permit $400 million in DOD funds to be transferred to Department of Veterans’ Affairs to provide health benefits under laws administered by Secretary. Motion to table agreed to 58-41. [S 936, Vote #168, 7/10/97]



· McCain Voted Against Covering Spina Bifida For The Children of Veterans. In 1996, McCain voted against the germaneness of an amendment that would extend veterans health care and related benefits to the children of Vietnam Veterans suffering from spina bifida, a spinal cord birth defect that causes neurological damage. The amendment was judged germane 62-35. [HR 3666, Vote #276, 9/5/96]



· McCain Voted Against Preventing Cuts In Veterans’ Healthcare Funding. In 1996, McCain voted to table an amendment that would prohibit the Department of Veterans’ Affairs from reducing funds to any state for health care facilities in fiscal 1997 below the fiscal 1996 funding level. Motion to table passed. [HR 3666, Vote # 275, 9/5/96]



· McCain Voted Against Increasing Veterans’ Healthcare Funding By $511 Million. In 1995, McCain voted against an amendment which would increase the funding for veterans’ medical care by $511 million; and offsets the cost of this amendment by limiting any tax cut to families with incomes of less than $100,000. Amendment failed 51-49. [HR 2099, Vote #466, 9/27/95]



· McCain Voted To Restrict Funding For Veterans’ Care Facilities. In 1994, McCain voted against tabling an amendment that the amendment would prohibit the construction of three inpatient facilities, located in Hawaii, California, and Tennessee. The projects in Hawaii and California will provide access to acute care for large numbers of veterans in the areas to be served, without which they would not have access to VA inpatient services. The project in Tennessee involves the correction of serious seismic deficiencies in the Memphis VA facility, which is located in a dangerous earthquake area. Motion to table passed 62-36. [HR 4624, Vote #256, 8/4/94]



· McCain Voted To Cut $25 Million From Veterans’ Health Programs. In 1993, McCain not to table an amendment that transferred $25 million of veterans’ health funding to programs for the Veterans Department to occupation conversion and employment training programs for veterans. Motion to table passed 57-43. [HR 1335, Vote #97, 4/1/93]



· McCain Voted Against Increasing Veterans’ Healthcare & Research Funding By $431 Million. In 1991, McCain voted against an amendment to increase veterans’ program funding by $378 million for medical care and $53 million for medical and prosthetic research. Amendment failed 35-64. [HR 2519, Vote #132, 7/17/91]



· McCain Voted Against $200 Million For Veterans’ Healthcare. In 1990, McCain voted to table an amendment that transferred $200 million to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs medical account. The money would be transferred from the Strategic Defense Initiative. Motion to table passed 54-43. [S 2884, Vote #226, 8/4/90]



McCain Record Opposing Funding for Veterans’ Programs



McCain Voted To Gut, Eliminate, or Cut Funding for Veterans Programs At Least 18 Times. [SCR 21, Vote #114, 3/23/07][SCR 18, Vote #55, 3/16/05][HR 2673, Vote #3, 1/22/04][SCR 23, Vote #74, 3/21/03][S 2400, Vote #136, 6/23/04][HR 2861, Vote #449, 11/12/03][SCR 23, Vote #83, 3/25/03][HR 2620, Vote $334, 11/8/01][HR 2620, Vote #269, 8/2/01][HR 4635, Vote #272, 10/12/00][HR 2684, Vote #328, 10/15/99][SCR 57, Vote #115, 5/16/96][HR 2099, Vote #470, 9/27/95][HR 2099, Vote #465, 9/27/95][SCR 13, Vote #226, 5/25/95] [S 1, Vote #76, 2/22/95][S 869, Vote #259, 11/20/91][HR 4624, Vote #306, 9/27/94]



· McCain Voted Against A $3.5 Billion Funding Increase For Veterans’ Healthcare. In 2007, McCain voted against the 2008 Budget Resolution that included at $3.5 billion increase in funding for veterans’ healthcare programs. The bill passed 52-47. [SCR 21, Vote #114, 3/23/07]



· McCain Voted Against Increasing FY 2006 Veterans’ Health Care Funding By $2.8 Billion. In 2005, McCain voted against an amendment that would increase funding for veterans health care by $2.8 billion for fiscal 2006 and reduce the deficit by $2.8 billion. Amendment rejected 47-53. [SCR 18, Vote #55, 3/16/05]



· McCain Voted Against $62 Billion In Funding For Veterans Affairs. In 2004, McCain voted against an appropriations bill that would provide $62 billion for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The bill passed 65-28. [HR 2673, Vote #3, 1/22/04]



· Two Days After Iraq Invasion, McCain Voted Against A $1 Billion Increase In Veterans’ Programs. Two days after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, McCain voted against an amendment that would increase spending on veterans’ programs by approximately $1 billion and put the same amount toward deficit reduction. The amount would be offset by a decrease in tax cuts. The amendment failed 49-51. [SCR 23, Vote #74, 3/21/03]



· McCain Voted Against Modernizing Retirement Packages For National Guardsmen And Army Reservists. In 2004, McCain voted against an amendment that would reduce from 60 to 55 the age at which certain members of the National Guard and Army Reserves could receive retirement benefits. Motion rejected 49-49. [S 2400, Vote #136, 6/23/04]



· McCain Voted Against $122.7 Billion For Department of Veterans’ Affairs. In 2003, McCain voted against an appropriations bill that included 122.7 billion in fiscal 2004 for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and other related agencies. The motion failed 44-49. [HR 2861, Vote #449, 11/12/03]



· McCain Voted Against A $13 Billion Funding Increase For Veterans’ Programs. In 2003, McCain voted against an amendment that would provide an additional $13 billion for veterans’ programs. The substitute amendment would reduce all tax cuts in the resolution by $1.24 trillion, fund President Bush’s proposed $75 billion war supplemental bill, and increase homeland security spending by $80 billion, spending for a Medicare prescription drug benefit by $194 billion, spending on veterans’ programs by $13 billion and spending on transportation and infrastructure by $71 billion. The amendment failed 43-56. [SCR 23, Vote #83, 3/25/03]



· McCain Voted Against $51 Billion In Veterans’ Funding. In 2001, McCain was one of seven senators to vote against the adoption of the conference report to provide 51.1 billion for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs; $30.1 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development; $7.9 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency; $3.1 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and $14.8 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The conference report was approved 87-7. [HR 2620, Vote $334, 11/8/01]



· McCain Voted Against $51 Billion For The Department of Veterans’ Affairs. In 2001, McCain was one of five senators to vote against approval of a bill including $51.1 billion for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs; $31.0 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development; $7.8 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency; $14.6 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and $3.2 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The bill passed 94-5. [HR 2620, Vote #269, 8/2/01]



· McCain Failed To Vote For $47 Billion In Veterans’ Funding. In 2000, McCain failed to vote for a bill that would appropriate $47 billion to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs as well as $23.6 billion for the Energy Department and Army Corps of Engineers, and other independent agencies. The bill passed 85-8. [HR 4635, Vote #278, 10/19/00]



· McCain Voted Against $47 Billion In Funding For Department of Veterans’ Affairs. In 2000, McCain was one of eight senators to vote against an appropriating bill that provided $47 billion for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. It included $453 million for new rental assistance vouchers and language that incorporates a slightly amended version of the fiscal 2001 energy and water appropriations bill. The bill passed 87-8. [HR 4635, Vote #272, 10/12/00]



· McCain Voted Against $44.3 Billion For Veterans’ Programs. In 1999, McCain was one of five senators to vote against an appropriations bill that provided $44.3 billion for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, $26.0 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, $7.6 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, $3.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and $13.7 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The bill passed 93-5. [HR 2684, Vote #328, 10/15/99]



· McCain Voted Against A $13 Billion Increase In Funding For Veterans’ Programs. In 1996, McCain voted against an amendment to increase veterans’ spending by $13 billion in fiscal 1997-2002 to be offset by closing corporate tax preferences and reinstating expired taxes. Amendment Rejected 45-53. [SCR 57, Vote #115, 5/16/96]



· McCain Voted To Underfund Department of Veterans’ Affairs. In 1995, McCain voted for an appropriations bill that underfunded the Departments of Veterans’ Affairs & Housing and Urban Development by $8.9 Billion. The bill passed 55-45. [HR 2099, Vote #470, 9/27/95]



· McCain Voted To Withhold Benefits From Mentally Disabled Veterans. In 1995, McCain voted against an amendment striking the provision that withholds benefits to mentally incompetent veteran who does not have spouse, children, or dependent parents, and has estate valued in excess of $25,000. Amendment failed 47-53. [HR 2099, Vote #465, 9/27/95]



· McCain Voted Against Closing Tax Loopholes To Increase Veterans’ Funding By $74 Million. In 1995, McCain voted against an amendment eliminating tax breaks and closing tax loopholes in order to provide revenue to restore some of the proposed cuts in Veterans’ Affairs spending. Amendment failed 45-55. [SCR 13, Vote #226, 5/25/95]



· McCain Voted Against Protecting Veterans’ Benefits From Budget Cuts. In 1995, McCain voted to table an amendment to exempt current veterans’ benefits from cuts required by the balanced-budget amendment. Motion to table passed 62-33. [S 1, Vote #76, 2/22/95]



· McCain Voted Against Funding The Department of Veterans’ Affairs. In 1994, McCain was one of nine senators to vote against appropriating $90,118,186,061 in budget authority for the Veterans’ Affairs and the Housing and Urban Development departments. The bill passed 90-9. [HR 4624, Vote #306, 9/27/94]



· McCain Voted Against Providing Automatic Cost of Living Adjustments To Veterans. In 1991, McCain voted against an amendment to provide automatic annual cost of living adjustments (COLA) for certain veterans’ benefits. Amendment failed 24-71. [S 869, Vote #259, 11/20/91]



McCain Has Failed To Support Expanded Benefits For GIs



McCain Has Refused to Endorse Webb’s GI Education Bill. According to the Politico, “Yet the former Navy pilot and Vietnam POW makes himself a target by refusing to endorse Webb’s new GI education bill and instead signing on to a Republican alternative that focuses more on career soldiers than on the great majority who leave after their first four years.” [Politico, 4/30/08]



· Webb’s GI Bill The Top Legislative Priority For Veterans Groups. According to The Hill, “Webb’s bill is the top legislative priority for several veterans’ groups, including the nonpartisan Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). Its projected cost to the federal treasury is about $4 billion per year.Webb has argued his bill is necessary because the current GI bill cannot pay for today’s cost of higher education. [The Hill, 4/22/08]



· Current GI Benefit Woefully Inadequate to Meet Educational Needs of GI’s. “The most a veteran can receive now is approximately $9,600 per year for four years. Those who served combat tours with the National Guard or Reserves are eligible for even less — typically just $440 per month, or $5,280 a year. By contrast, the College Board reports that the average four-year public college costs more than $65,000, or about $16,250 a year, for an in-state student. A private university costs on average about $133,000 for four years.” [The Hill, 4/22/08]



· McCain Missed Vote Passing Webb’s GI Bill. The Iowa Independent reported that Webb’s version of the GI Bill passed 75-22. Despite his “concerns that Webb’s bill would persuade service members to leave the military early and pursue higher education,” McCain “was AWOL on the day of the vote, reportedly raising money in California for his presidential bid.” [Iowa Independent, 6/20/08]



RHETORIC: McCain Favored Troop Retention Over Benefits For Veterans. In response to the CBO analysis of S. 22, Senators Graham and McCain released a joint statement in which McCain commented: “Congress must enact legislation that will increase education benefits, aid in recruitment and, importantly, encourage continued service in the military… As our armed forces fight a war on two fronts, we must do everything we can to maintain and encourage reenlistment…Unfortunately, S. 22 could greatly harm retention rates in our All Volunteer Force.” [McCain Press Release, via States News Service, 6/17/08]



· McCain Against GI Bill Based On Fears Of Retention Loss. CNN reported: “McCain has defended his opposition to the bill that would expand education benefits for veterans, saying it would hurt the military that he hopes to lead… McCain, a former Navy officer and prisoner of war during Vietnam, says the bill would hurt military retention by 16 percent and be a disincentive for service members to become noncommissioned officers, which he called ‘the backbone of all the services.’" [CNN, 6/10/08]



REALITY: CBO Found That Benefits Would Increase Recruiting 16 Percent. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that “while the better benefits [of the GI Bill] might lure 16 percent of experienced soldiers out of the service…it would be so attractive to civilians that it would increase recruiting by 16 percent” completely offsetting the loss in retention. [U.S. News & World Report, 6/23/08]

The above Media Advisor is brought by Americans United for Change

More Will Be Coming

From Vote Vets I would guess as the two Veterans listed above to speak, with more to be added, are members of Vote Vets.

Brian McGough presently has a Front Page post over at Vet Voice you might want to read, covering the same extreme misstep by the GOP but not the McCain Record, Brian was cared for at Walter Reed.

They, Vote Vets, also don't have anything up at their site as yet that I could find, but I'm sure more Vids will be coming and possibly ads as well.

Anyone wanting to use the information in the Advisor, on the bills etc., feel free to do so.

The DC Press Conferance, Walter Reed

Washington, DC – Despite terrible weather, Iraq War Veterans gathered outside of Walter Reed Army Medical Center today to discuss John McCain's shameful record on veterans health care, the GI bill, his suggestion to ration care to only the combat wounded, and other veterans issues. Participants included: Brian McGough, a U.S. Army Veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division; Kayla Williams a U.S. Army Veteran who served in Iraq, the Author of "Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the US Army” and wife to Brian McGough; and Neil Riley, Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran and Va. State Captain for VoteVets.org. *See full remarks below.



The event came just two days after John McCain's campaign mistakenly used an image of Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, CA instead of an image of Walter Reed Army Medical Center while the Senator delivered his acceptance speech at the National Republican Convention. The gaffe symbolizes how McCain, like President Bush, has not provided America's veterans and service members at Walter Reed and around the world the attention and care they need and deserve. *See below for John McCain’s disappointing record of turning his back on veterans, having voted at least 27 times to gut Veterans Health Care Funding. More on the gaffe: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/213806.php

Remarks from Brian McGough, a U.S. Army Veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division:

In October of 2003 I was wounded by an IED in Iraq. I was sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for care for my wounds, the same Walter Reed Army Medical that you can see behind me. Two days ago John McCain accepted his parties nomination in front of A Walter Reed, but it was not this one. It was Walter Reed Junior High School in North Hollywood, CA. This mistake shocked and outraged me. As shocked and outraged as I was, I was not surprised. This is just another example of Sen. McCain's lackluster record when it comes to Veterans issues.

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has given McCain a 'D' on his voting record. Disabled American Veterans has given McCain a 20% approval rating. These are not grades that reflect a great compassion for his fellow veterans.

Sen McCain has voted 29 times against veterans benefits. In April of 2006 Sen. McCain joined only 13 other senators in voting against an amendment that would increase funding for the dept of veterans affairs in order to provide outpatient care and treatment. Earlier that year in February, Sen McCain voted against a bill that would increase funding to military AND veterans hospitals. That would have been money that could have been spent here at Walter Reed. These are just 2 examples out of 29.

Sen McCain has suggested that he would like to ration health care to only those soldiers that were wounded in combat. He said and I quote" We need to concentrate our efforts to handle those wounds and disabilities that are directly the result of combat." That is not an acceptable solution, in fact it is trying to solve a problem by cutting corners. This would shortchange countless numbers of veterans, including combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans who were injured in the line of duty, but did not happen to be in a combat zone at the time. This plan would break the promise that our government makes to those who put on the uniform by denying care to soldiers not injured in combat. This hospital behind me treats all military personnel, regardless of where they were located when they got sick or hurt, the VA needs to do the same once their active service is complete.

Sen. Webb introduced a new gi Bill earlier this year. This bill passed both the house and the senate and is now a law. This law will ensure that thousands of veterans can afford to go to college without worrying about the skyrocketing cost of education. Sen McCain called this bill too generous and tried to introduce his own bill, a bill that would have made a small increase to the woefully outdated Montgomery GI BIll. McCain's bill was quickly voted down in the Senate because the majority of the people in this country and their representatives agreed that the Webb-Hagel was the best. When the Webb-Hagel bill came to the floor for its final vote Sen. McCain did not even bother to show up for the vote, but that didn't stop him from trying to take credit for the bill once it was signed by the president, who also opposed the bill till the end and claimed credit on passing a bill that he promised to veto.

I'm standing out in front of this Walter Reed because THIS IS THE Walter Reed we need to concentrate on. The people inside are people we need to care for; from the servicemembers inside inured in Iraq or Afghanistan to the servicemembers inured or fallen ill stateside to the families standing by the beds of their loved ones and the doctors and nurses who work tirelessly to ensure that their patients recover.

Kayla Williams a U.S. Army Veteran who served in Iraq and is the Author of "Love My Rifle More Than You:Young and Female in the US Army":

When I saw the poor care my husband received after being released from Walter Reed initially, I was shocked and appalled. He was still recovering from the Traumatic Brain Injury he received in Mosul, Iraq, and had only begun the long journey of recovering from his psychological wounds. However, the Army had no system in place to help him, and I had no idea what to do. We foundered for nearly a year before he was sent back to Walter Reed - where I was horrified to see him in put up in a shabby, under-equipped apartment with holes in the walls. Still active duty myself, I did not know how to help him and was myself trying to cope with the aftereffects of war.
Over the past three years, we have tried to forge a new life together. Sadly, repeated news stories have shown that our own struggle was not unique, and that my husband's experience was representative of larger systemic problems: the military was simply unprepared to deal with the volume, severity, and complexity of injuries in its wounded warriors. Thankfully, the Army has made great strides in rectifying these problems, though improvements still need to be made.
However, I have been deeply dismayed by the lack of support that John McCain has shown to the problems we and others like us have faced. Although he may feel some degree of personal compassion rooted in his own experiences, John McCain's voting record on veteran's issues has been abysmal. Senator McCain has repeatedly voted against increased funding for veterans' healthcare needs, even as those needs have increased dramatically as a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
My family struggled to cope in the face of inadequate care and support. We are willing to speak out to ensure that others receive the care and treatment they need. It is wrong to assume that all veterans support Senator McCain merely because of his military service. While I respect McCain's service and sacrifice, I feel betrayed by his history of voting against increased funding for the care that my husband and our fellow veterans need.

Brave New Foundation: In Their Boots Episode 10

War Scar
Ever since Jerry Cortinas was seriously injured in the line of duty, his wife Celina has helped him slowly readjust to civilian life.
Originally aired on September 3rd, 2008



Topic: Transition to Civilian Life After Medical Discharge - War Scar - Chapter 2

Jerry Cortinas
Army Veteran

Celina Cortinas
Army Wife

Brenda Kecskes
Assistant National Service Director
Disabled American Veterans

Jerry Cortinas
Jerry Cortinas served as a Green Beret in the U.S. Army Special Forces from 1997 to 2004. The focused and challenging work of a Green Beret was what he knew and what he loved. While operating a rocket propelled grenade in Afghanistan in December 2002, the device malfunctioned and exploded, taking his left forearm and hand. Jerry could no longer do his job. He felt like an outsider in his own hometown. And every day, as a husband and father of two girls, he was reminded of his limitations. Until, that is, he got on a snowboard.

Celina Cortinas
Celina Cortinas, Army wife and mother of two, was baking Christmas cookies in her Brownsville, Texas home when she got the call. The colonel on the other line gave her the news. Her husband of 12 years, Jerry, had been injured in Afghanistan. As a wife of an Army Special Forces soldier, she always knew it could happen, but wasn't prepared for how much her life would change when her husband returned home with his right hand and forearm amputated. She would now face the challenge of helping her husband adapt to civilian life and supporting him as he returned to his role as husband and father.

GOP Campaign Themes

These people have No Self Worth, I'm talking about those that just hang to this imaginary, once proud, Republican Tag. Even still calling themselves Conservative!


They allow themselves to be led around like the robots they've become, and frankly some on the Democratic side are just as willing, but the fall into line and march in lockstep Falls Souly on the GOP!


They've been Silent and Accepting of the Lies that led our Troops into Occupations and All that has come about because of that, the torturing, the no-bid contracts, the corruption, the deaths and maiming' s................................................, and oh so much more!


They've been Silent and Accepting as our Freedoms have been slowly stripped away, and Accepting of Rule by Executive Branch Alone ignoring the fact they have hired others to Represent Them!


They also find it Very Easy to Condemn those that give Service to Their Lives and Freedoms!


Last election cycle they Laughed at and Mocked the Military Service of one of the Presidential Candidates who Served This Country In Vietnam, just as I Did, and being in the same service branch, the U.S. Navy, they Spit on my Service, All my brother and sister Naval personal who served In-Country, and All the other Service Personal, but most of All, All Those Who Have Served This Country and Received It's Highest Honor For That Service, The Purple Heart!!!






I was waiting to see how they would Slam their Fellow Americans this year. Well they started early, peppering their talking points with the words needed, leading up to their Convention, and Let Both Barrels Go, Loud and Clear!!


They went after Anyone who 'Volunteers', everyone who run those Volunteer Organizations, to Help Others, you know that Christian and Human Ideology They Claim seemingly as their own as they Slam those who are following the same teachings but not Their Views!


I'm to Royally Pissed, as a Veteran, an Activist, and an Advocate to really go deep into All they've 'Spit' on, others have already started these Long Lists, you can read one Here as well as Here and Here.


There will be Plenty more I'm sure, especially as the Advocate, Volunteer, Community realizes what they've been subject to.


And Yes It's Spitting On That Which You Do as An American As Well As All Others Who Share This Planet With Them!!!!!!!


By the way, did Anyone hear anything mentioned on what these candidates and this so called political party are going to do for this Country, Our World Standing {not creating more hatreds and enemies} and Leadership, Our Constitution, Our Democracy, Our Freedoms, and will we tonight??

Election Toolkit 2008

Upfront: I'm not attached to nor have anything to do with the group below, except as an Old Voting Adult.

Yesterday I received a little booklet in the mail, I'm sure many others have as well. In case you hadn't I thought I'd pass on who sent it and how you can get one.

If you can't make it out this booklet comes from Black Box Voting.org who have been, along with others these last few years, been doing a stellar job on getting information and passing it along about this Countries Broken and Breaking Election Process.

ABOUT BLACK BOX VOTING
Black Box Voting is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan elections watchdog group.
Contact information: 425-793-1030 (office line);
206-335-7747 (mobile phone - Director, Bev Harris);
206-354-5723 (backup line)
E-mail: Black Box Voting

When you go to the site you'll find allot of information on what they've been doing these last years and actions/reports now.

You'll also find, in the upper left hand corner of your screen, the link to get this little booklet, about the size of a paperback but only 3/16th thick.

On the front page now is this:

"MY BALLOT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS." CONSTRUCTION WORKERS DISCOVER THEIR SECRET BALLOT INVADED (VIDEO)

The first county in the USA to do away with the secret ballot is San Juan County, Washington.

This is a true story. A construction worker who lives in a small cabin in the woods discovers that his ballot -- not the envelope for the absentee, but the ballot itself -- is being traced. This began a three-year odyssey which has led to litigation, local news coverage, and the successful fight to block removal of the secret ballot in million-voter King County. This video -- just two ordinary guys telling a story, is a riveting example of American citizenship. A must see and a cautionary tale for anyone who thinks absentee voting is cool.

The Five Things in the booklet are:

**1. Get Involved


**2. Hook Up With Experienced Groups


**3. Protect and Defend Against Deceptive Practices


**4. Protect and Defend Voter Lists


**5. Voting Machines: Protect and Defend the Vote Counts



Under each of the above you are given a Host of Information, that which couldn't be added, to keep it as a booklet, you are given url's back to the site for that which would be covered under each topic.

I've been doing abit of reading and some glancing through and it's a very informative useful booklet.

Take a visit over to the site to see what they offer and if you might be interested.

As they are a small operation, operating on a shoestring, you might also consider dropping a few of those campaign duckets into their coffers to cover their costs and help out.

Lower 49 Meet Wasilla Alaska

A Photo Safari of Wasilla, Alaska - Home of Sarah Palin.

In the last couple of days many have found a blogger from Alaska that does a bang up job writing about his state and it's politics, he was thrown into the politics of the Presidential Campaign much like Senator John McCain threw out his running mate Sarah Palin, I can only guess, but I doubt his site and writings were seen by many outside of Alaska, they are now.

Yesterday, on a trip back home, he and his wife shot some photo's of Wasilla Alaska, where Sarah Palin is from and was mayor of for a few years.

Under the above photo, which he leads his most recent post off with, he writes this: Time for a caption contest! Anyone?.

Very apt, don't ya think.

He's got a number of photo's in this post, take a trip over for a visit, and as mentioned in the comments the photo's might remind many of a certain town from a TV show that frankly is one I miss.

If you haven't visited his site in the last few days, since the announcement of Palin as the Republican VP candidate, read through his recent posts to get a better feel his take on Alaska and the Politics within.

He has a list of other Alaskan Bloggers that are worth a visit, whether or not Palin is still around in a couple of days, giving the ability for us below to find out much more about Alaska, even with the recent Corruption Investigations, and other reports, most of us have little knowledge of.

*Alaskan Abroad

*Begich Blog

*Celtic Diva’s Blue Oasis

*I Eat Gravel

*Progressive Alaska Blog

*The Immoral Minority

*Zaki Blog

And as would be expected each of the above have links to other Alaskan Bloggers and sites.

We've all absorbed an awful lot of breaking news about the Vice Presidential pick, one time mayor now first term governor of Alaska, it's high time we got to know the people and state better, again whether she's still around in a few days or not. With all the also breaking news, recently, about the alleged political corruption, though that seems to be all over this country, they could use the help of us in the lower 49 in bringing honest leadership and direction to their state.

I almost moved there years ago, when the oil was discovered and the construction started on the original pipeline. Don't remember why I didn't except possibly being very busy at the time in central New York construction and traveling to other states building stores in a relatively new concept of enclosed malls. Always wish I had, it's a beautiful state, as this blogger seems to have found out after he moved there many years back.

Hope he doesn't mind my sharing his photo, and link to the others. Normally wouldn't do so but after these last couple of days I feel these and his post should be shared and visited.

What New News Will Break Today??

Veterans Administration Dedication Rarely Mentioned

Many of us, especially Veterans who are Advocates for our brothers and sisters and those Civilians who join that advocacy, have been writing about the Veterans Administration and especially Veterans Care, which in these times of conflicts also encompass the Military Care system as well. With this technology we can push our advocacy untill it's paid the attention it should already have by those who do the job of reporting as a profession. And because of the extreme lack of oversight and concern by the representatives we hire, as the drums of war were first pounding and the years following, we find breaking stories far to often in these last months. Months that have brought out the problems with the care, the overwelming numbers needing care and being denied for months or just denied, the living conditions of those receiving the care and even serving, and so much more.

When we write about the needs or the lack oversight and funds we far to often, myself included though I try and remember in my rage, leave out the facts of the true dedication of the workers in the VA System. The workers, who like most of us working stiffs, give their all to the jobs and professions they perform and have to deal with what's lacking from the administrations, top on down, of these agencies. In the government that administration starts with the Executive Branch, the Congress, the Political Appointee's to head and the Political Appointee's they bring in, and Especially to the Governed, Us, who fight the costs needed or follow political ideology leadership if not wanted.

Every once in awhile a report will surface of that dedication within:

VA nurse pens book of poems

Drea Horton tends to America’s war wounded during the day and writes about them at night.

Like in the poem she wrote about "a young Joe" who cried in her arms in the Louis B. Stokes Veterans Administration Medical Center in Brecksville, Ohio, where she works:

"Anxiety and nightmares take turns taunting him
Scattered sand and ghosts visit almost every day
Substance abuse, PTSD; the diagnosis given to him
He cried as he told me this. He said do they know?"

The poem is included in Horton’s second book, "Her Stars and Stripes: A nurse's diary", published by Author House. It’s full of prayers and thoughts for the men and women who pass through those VA hospital halls where she has toiled for the past 10 years. Horton, 45, says she has been taking care of others since she was 7 years old and going to work with her mother, who was a nursing assistant.

"She had three girls," Horton said during a phone interview from her Akron, Ohio, home. "All of us are nurses now."

Nursing can be a frustrating life, she said, especially in VA hospitals.

"We have a lot of homeless veterans here," she said. "They came back from the war, got discharged and then couldn’t find a job. We patch them up, get them a place to live and do everything we can to get them back on their feet.

"But just a small percentage actually make it."

Like the Vietnam veteran who flagged her down for a ride to the hospital one day:

"On my way to work I stopped at a traffic light
There stood a man on the corner to the right
He was pushing a buggy full of his belongings
Looking for what I thought were cans …"

The vet needed a ride to the VA medical center. "In his travels he had injured his right hand," Horton wrote. She took him to the emergency room and handed him over to an on-duty nurse.

"He winked and smiled weakly at me
With all that pain in his hand
Thank you nurse, he said
For not passing me by like the others."

The book of poetry reads like a diary. It’s an accounting of the battlefield heroes who awaken in the middle of the night screaming at shadows and the men and women who care for them while trying to not get too close, too personal, lest they begin to share in their suffering.

"My heart bleeds
For my patients and their families
I store those memories in my heart …
Drying their tears;
While we cry only in our hearts."

Horton said she has self-published one other book of poetry and has several other manuscripts, including a novel, in the works. But "Her Stars and Stripes" was not planned.

"It just happened," she said. "I started writing a poem about the bond formed between a nurse and a wounded soldier and suddenly saw I had 11 poems completed about these heroes."

Horton said she wanted to give human faces to the veterans and the people who care for them.

"We read in the papers about someone being wounded and then never hear about them again. This book is about what happens next," she said. "We nurses become their mothers, their sisters, their families. When they’re crying, we’re there holding and rocking them.

"We’re not supposed to cry. We were taught in school not to cry, to be their stoic helpmates. But sometimes you just can’t hold it in."

Horton said she’s been writing since age 11, but abandoned the craft while she embarked upon a career of nursing, married and raised two daughters and a son.

Now, with her children grown and the marriage ended, she has picked up her pen and returned to her first love — writing.

"Finally I am able to tell it as I see it
Forever now I can sing my own song …
I’m happy for my missing piece that suddenly awakened
Look as I stretch and spread my wings."

The book is available at most major online bookstores and from her Web site at Drea Horton.

Reviews at her site and I'm sure she'd be willing to add yours.

Publisher AuthorHouse is at Author House.