$3,000 Immediate Checks to be Handed (literally)

This is gonna be short but Real Sweet!!

I want you to go over to VetVoice and visit a post Richard Smith just placed with all the good news of How This New Veterans Administration, under the Obama Administration, Really Works!!

Richard starts the long subject title with what I've got in mine, then leads into this:

To Vet Students Who Haven't Received Benefits

Leading in with this:

Hopefully, that is the first of many headlines we'll see like that, which I can't imagine seeing in the last Administration....Read the Rest Here

Richard Smith, the OIF/OEF Vet who posted the above I'm linking back to, at VetVoice, added another post explaining further the lead up to this decision by the VA.

Now the Veterans administration, and congressional committee's have been coming out with a flurry of announcements, especially once Shinseki was seated.

Go take a visit and read about the above, and to just make this abit longer here's some other news:

VA praises Phila. nursing home after 2008 problems

Slowly correcting the extreme foulups of the previous administration and that incompetent corrupt leadership, especially as to the VA while they started and waged two occupations!!

Seven months after a devastating report detailing degrading and dangerous conditions at the Philadelphia veterans nursing home, an unannounced inspection by regional VA officials found "dramatic improvements."

Michael E. Moreland, network director for the Department of Veterans Affairs region, said his team had talked to every resident and many families, checked medical charts, and examined residents during an inspection in May....>>>Read Rest Here

And this:

Valley Va Hospital

Veterans making another push for Valley VA hospital

Doctors were still digging shrapnel out of Ramiro Galvan’s legs nearly 30 years after he was hit by a mortar blast in Vietnam.

The mortar blew off his calf and sent Galvan in and out of service hospitals for several months before he was discharged in 1970.

The 63-year-old San Benito resident returned home to Cameron County, where he has counted his blessings ever since that his injuries weren’t much worse.....>>>>

Lets All give them a Hand, Especially if you're in Texas, they didn't March earlier this year for Nothing, and Texans you can vote on helping them get this Long Needed Facility!!!

In NY, The Play: Visions of War

A Three Day Event, Free and Open to the Public: The Warrior

Trailer of the Play

SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street
The Warrior and Talk Back
Humanities and Sciences Department presents Jack Gilhooley's The Warrior, a play about a veteran of the Persian Gulf War and two tours in Iraq, and the damage her absence has done to her family, and to her mental health. After the performance there will be a Talk Back session which includes questions from the audience and answers. Preview for The Warrior.

This Is Your Community Too!!

Is Anybody Listening?

Many have already heard about the kids from Pomona California Village Academy High School, many have probably caught their little eight minute video that has launched them into the National Spotlight and Political Debate on what this Country is now going through. But this isn't new it's just affecting many more kids and families now, with more added each day. Kids can't learn and achieve any dreams they might have if their families are struggling and their living those struggles daily.

Last night on the PBS News Hour they showed a report on these kids and their videoed thoughts and feelings, that report is directly below.

Correspondent John Larson
Produced by: Karen Foshay; Edited by: Alberto Arce, Michael Bloecher, "Lil" Joe Whiting
Published On: March 19, 2009 4:41 PM

KCET SoCal Connected

It was a class project born out of a discussion of the American Dream. Five months later, it made it into a speech given by President Obama. “it” is an eight minute video titled, “Is Anybody Listening.” It’s the first person accounts of students struggling with foreclosures, hunger and the threat of becoming homeless.



The video feels like a twenty-first century version of a Dorothea Lange portrait. One student told us his American dream is modest - to have a refrigerator full of food. The goal of making the video was to get the attention of the nation’s leaders, specifically the President. It took a few months, but just last week, the video made it to the White House and President Obama told the students in a speech he is listening and promised to fight for their right to the American Dream. Although there is no assurance the President’s promise will change the lives of these Pomona kids, they are hopeful and for now are declaring “mission accomplished.”

If you are interested in helping the teenagers in the video, please contact Rick Motz at Village Academy High School, (909) 397-4900×2600.

KCET SoCal Connected Homepage

KCET SoCal Local

We live in an economic ideology called capitalism. We are taught that if we work hard, and in any job, develop the skills needed we can prosper and advance. Capitalism is supposed to be a system of sharing the profits of the work that goes into the making of or the services rendered. A bottom up economy, hard work, quality products and services, the bottom line grows and all should share in the benefits of that growth, from the top down.

These kids are no different than kids before them or that will come. All are endowed with gifts, each unique. Some will want and need the further education afforded in our universities and colleges, others will want to put there gifts to the test in many area's of employment, hobbies, and lives. All will continue to learn the lessons of life by living and growing. Most will find they have even more gifts as they mature. Most will want, and should get, the respect for what they do in their lives and in what they do in their working lives.

In just 8 minutes, the students from Village Academy High in Pomona articulated the struggles of millions of Americans. They did it by making a video called, "Is Anybody Listening?" and you'll be surprised to find out who is.

Is Anybody Listening - Where It All Began

Some how we've allowed that system to corrupt itself, businesses buying out smaller businesses to make huge corporations thus taking competition away by shutting down some as they absorbed others discarding the workers as they expanded, the money changers and business executives started reaping huge wages, benefits and business perks worried more about the money side and the investor than in quality product and customer service. This has left those producing he work with falling starter wages and stagnation in growth wages no matter how much is givin to their jobs as prices of commodities have risen.

The kids from Village Academy High in Pomona get the chance to meet President Obama.

Obama Visit

We once had a growing economy, workers had to fight for some of their share, and continue fighting, but it did grow, their was a sharing in the success on all levels.

How do I know, I grew up in it and than joined it. Workers would get raises on their quality of work, where most worked became their second families, their would be pretty much regular raises, I've known small investors, who did so on long term investing in companies, that reaped more wealth from those investment, than what they're meager wages produced, able to leave huge sums to their children. I watched as small businesses grew into larger and larger corporation, not through buyouts but quality work and service.

As our new President says, and many understand, a strong economy is bottom up not top down, if there really is that much money at the top for the money changers and business executives than that's where it's frozen, as the workers have become commodities to be brought in or discarded according to number figures on paper, everything is tossed aside for a bottom line percentage.

Bill Moyers Journal - Economy

March 20, 2009

Bill Moyers sits down with socialist historian Mike Davis for his critique of the government's response to the economic crisis and how he thinks it compares to Roosevelt's New Deal. Mike Davis is a writer and historian, who currently teaches creative writing at University of California, Riverside.

Watch the discussion

More about Mike Davis.

"We need more protests. We need more noise in the street. At the end of the day, political parties tend to legislate what social movements and social voices have already achieved in the factories or the streets or in the civil rights demonstration."

American Dissenters Dissident voices from Tom Paine to Ralph Nader.

Bill Moyers talks with Marta Peláez, president and CEO of Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc., a domestic abuse shelter in San Antonio, TX, for perspective on the human face of the economic downturn and how it may be pushing more families over the edge.

Watch the discussion

More about Marta Peláez

"Last year, at this same time, I had 68-70 on my daily census, women and children. Today, I just called this morning, we had 184 women — 114 of those people are children."

How to Safeguard Your Community Against Domestic Violence

What's One Thing Needed.......

Workers must once again unite, we've seen enough obscene behavior from the money changers and those they help as well as our representatives.

One place leaders can and should come from is the ranks of our returning soldiers, already well disciplined, many with great leadership qualities, and having experienced the worse man can bring on his fellow man.

We will find business and rank and file workers, leaders all, within those ranks!

Song Around the World "Stand By Me"

Playing For Change



Join with the Playing For Change Foundation

What's next for Republic Windows & Doors Workers?

What happened at that Chicago manufacturing plant brought back alot of memories of how extremely talented workers fought for what they knew were their rights, decent wages for their labor, on the job safety, trading wages for benefits like health and welfare directly and much much more. Fights that shouldn't have really happened in a real model of capitalism where all should share directly in the quality and growth of their work and the companies they work for.

We need to return to that pride in company and product, quality products and customer service, correcting the defaults, and growth for all, owners, workers, and investors.

We like to use the term 'Strong on National Security' and one political party tries to lay claim to the phrase, trouble is having others build and produce the products and services, in other countries, leaves ours without the experiance and knowledge, thus without the ability to get that security if ever needed. And that political party is the one leading in pushing our trades and knowledge to offshore venues, we have already lost many trades and abilities over these last couple of decades, those who did that work are gone or will be!

Lets look at what's asked in the subject title:

Well it looks like they've got a plan, and a plan that can be followed by others, but first lets look at what they got for their nonviolent action for their rights, rights under the law of this land:

After 6 days occupying the plant, workers at Republic Window and Doors in Chicago voted to accept a settlement late last night.

The settlement totals $1.75million. It will provide the workers with:

* Eight weeks of pay they are owed under the Federal WARN Act

* Two months of continued health coverage, and

* Pay for all accrued and unused vacation.

JPMorgan Chase will provide $400,000 of the settlement, with the balance coming from Bank of America. Although the money will be provided as a loan to Republic Windows and Doors, it will go directly into a third-party fund whose sole purpose is to pay the workers what is owed them. In addition, the UE has started the "Window of Opportunity Fund" dedicated to re-opening the plant.

As the Local 1110 leaders characterized the settlement, "We fought to make them pay what they owe us, and we won." Read more about the settlement here.

They also sent along a "Thank You":

We want to extend a big THANK YOU to all of you who participated in this campaign. The tremendous support and solidarity from the thousands of people like you around the country - and the world - who took the time to send messages to Bank of America and who rallied at banks across the country was crucial in winning this victory.

This is truly an historic victory for workers in the United States.

But this struggle is just the beginning! As the economic crisis deepens we need to launch a working class fight back. Rallies for a "People's Bailout" will continue today and throughout the rest of the week. Click here to find an action near you {updated daily}. You can also take action online.

* Tell Congress: We Demand a People's Bailout

* Save Autoworker Jobs

* VOTE NOW for Grinch of the Year

Thanks again for all that you do! You can see photos, video, and press clips from the Week of Action here.

In todays Chicago Tribune they lay out what is on the workers minds, they won their fight for their rights but like many in this collapsing economy they are now out of jobs.

The six-day sit-in by former workers at the shuttered Republic Windows & Doors plant won them money and benefits, but they're still out of work, leading them and others to say they'll try to reopen the factory as they hope what they did provides a spark of hope for a beleaguered labor movement.

While they tried,

Union negotiators were unable to obtain a commitment from the parties to reopen the Goose Island plant, said United Electrical Workers organizer Mark Meinster. So the union has decided to forge ahead to find someone new to run the plant, he said, using some of the money donated from around the world during the sit-in.

City officials have voiced their support for work to resume in the building, which is owned by Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.

"There are assets in there," said Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), who said he has contacted companies to see whether they are interested in moving into the plant.

The deal struck for the workers was hailed by some as a symbolic victory for American workers facing a difficult economic climate. Robert Bruno, a labor expert at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said the peaceful occupation might set an example for others faced with abrupt layoffs.

And as a Representative of his Districts People says:

"This Republic Windows saga, I'm sure, is reverberating throughout boardrooms in America," said U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez {D-Ill.}, who moderated the negotiations.

And it shouldn't be only because of the action taken by these workers to force The Law of This Country to be Followed, laws are not only to be followed by some they are to be followed by all!

And this spin, propaganda, group think, that passes as fact should end, that Labor Costs, Wages and Benefits are what takes down companies and economies, while we Totally Ignore the Packages of the Executives, from top down throughout the executive structure and the wheeling and dealings on Wall Street and in our Governments, Federal, State and Local, the greed and incompetence across all these must stop, and rewarding those who are incompetent and fully behind the greed must also stop, especially as workers wages and benefits are stagnant across the board for many years while corporate leadership aren't, for as we're watching and living That's What Brings Down Companies and Economies!

While it will be extremely difficult to obtain financing to restructure companies with the worker input, and that's a must, we need to rebuild a new system, a real Capitalist System where All benefit not just the hand full, we are seeing the results of that last, Everyone Loses, Everyone!!

Oh and a not so little secret, for it's what built this countries economy up till some twenty to thirty years ago, not everyone wants nor needs a piece of paper telling them and others they gained knowledge from so called places of Higher Education. Skills and Experience aren't taught there, skills many feel they have or have developed through their own interests they seek to develop further and get compensated as well as feel good about using and developing those skills. Interests outside of work are sought not only to satisfy a curiosity but a need to learn more about them. Education is a lifelong experience and want for most, it just depends on how one seeks out that education and not being forced into.

Yesterday was the 64th Anniversary

And what Anniversary would that be, you ask, Well:

Of President Franklin Roosevelt's signing of the GI Bill, which enabled millions of veterans to go to college, and is credited for sparking the post-war economic boom.

And fuel the growth of this Nation it did, I grew up in that time frame, not only of many getting the opportunity to further their education in our Universities and Colleges but the birth of Trade Schools teaching a wide veriaty of Professional Industrial Trades, many now no longer done in this country or are rapidly on the wane.

And as one progressed, either in the trades or in the corporate world, from the degrees of higher education, the rewards of long term employment and raises were common,as the economy expanded and new companies were developed by those who worked in them and went out on their own, some of the growth had to be fought for, but the education gave those fighting the tools they needed.

Most of the advancements in Industry, and other parts of the economy, came from the worker.

One thing hasn't changed, and that's the fight, of the worker, who seems to have lost that fire, but especially for those that serve the country and should already be getting back what a society owes for that service, after all we call it the Professional Military and those who serve but decide not to make it their careerer deserve more than just a chance to expand themselves in other professions, it should already be a given of what is owed.

Fighting for Those Who Fight Our Wars

There was no GI Bill for veterans of World War I. And when 17,000 jobless veterans descended on Washington, demanding help, Army troops moved in to disperse them. Several veterans were killed, and hundreds wounded.
Americans were stunned, and when World War II came, they were determined to take better care of those who had served their country in wartime.

ABC News Video Report

This country was once the envy of the World with it's expanding educational oppurtunities, it's quality workforce, it's quality products and developement of the new, it's ever growing journies into expanded technologies and developement of same, it's dedicated workforce making companies an expanded family...................................

Things haven't always been rosy, but we were a Nation pretty much Together, seems not to be the case anymore!

And the G.I. Bill was a big part of the engine that drove our developement and expansion into being the Envy of others!

They flooded college campuses, changing America in the process, producing better educated citizens, and playing a big part in post-war prosperity.

Veterans of our conflicts after WWII used their benefits but those benefits have never kept up with the growth in costs of higher education, especially as that higher education seems to have become more of a business model of waste and profit.

There's a New G.I. Bill a Comin!

For months, Pentagon officials argued that if benefits were too generous, troops would have little incentive to re-enlist. President Bush and Sen. John McCain agreed, and a new GI Bill became a major campaign issue.

Those opposed use the above false argument, many who are where they are because of their use of the G.I. Bill, which for those who have served recognize it for what it really is.

The Military, as a profession, has always been a comfortable fit for some, while others still looked outside it's boundries and looked at it as a way to give service to country than move on as a civilian after.

The comfortable factor is gravely strained when the Military is used for Wars and Occupations of Choice, of a few, and not as a deterant for Strong National Security.

Instead of creating goodwill, as a country, the use of strong arm tactics, especially by Military Actions, in these conflicts of choice give rise to more hatreds and enemies thus endangering the National Security for Decades.

Those using the Military for personal gains, Wealth, Power, Political, fight the attempts to really Support those that serve.

But they have lost their battle against those they've used, a battle that never should have been waged by a country who's citizens don't serve!

Both McCain and Bush say they support the new bill, which will provide $50 billion over the next 10 years for veterans like Bailey and for those still serving in uniform.

CBS News also covered this yesterday on 'Sunday Morning' with a great video report that they don't have up on their site, but the report is there.

PL 346 was the Congressional designation of a landmark bill signed into law 64 years ago today - legislation designed to smooth the transition to civilian life for millions of World War II servicemen. In the process it changed America for ALL of us. Congress is very close to approving expanded benefits for service men and women of today's Iraq War era. Our Cover Story is reported now by Thalia Assuras

Now lets Bring Them Home from these Occupations Of Choice and Take Care Of The Wounded, Physically and Especially Mentally As Well, that fight hasn't been won yet!

More Local Reporting Like This on S-22 Needed

Just caught a short local report from NBC 2 in Fort Myers Fla

Check in there every now and than as one of my sisters, and her family, live in the area, just to see what's happening.

The report was titled: Honoring vets through a new GI bill

There's a video at the report page that says the same as the written, so you can read and or watch.

A bill now sitting on President George W. Bush's desk aims to expand the GI Bill and improve the path to college for those who serve. NBC2 looked at the costs to attend Southwest Florida's two largest colleges and why many claim the current GI Bill just doesn't add up.

That's the leadin.

This is a comment from a WWII Vet:

"Just go back to World War II. Look at how many people got educated and the type of people that did get educated that would never have been able to do that. An awful lot of good people came out of that GI Bill program," said Colom of the Marine Corp League.

What built this country, and it's economy, were the Technical Trades, manufacturing, innovation, product developement, etc., and those that learned them, worked them, started the small companies that grew. If we as a Nation are to sustain the economic engine good paying Technical jobs should still be the mainstay. They aren't so these types of technical schools, like the industries have disappeared.

So, as they disappeared, retraining was ans is needed. Retraining of older workers is a must, but Training of those comming back from Serving is even more important!

As this young Vet states:

"All the veterans today, they are coming back, they're all beat up, they need schooling," said Marine Corp Veteran Rob Oney.

S. 22: Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007

Combat Vets as Students

The News & Observer has a good report on the returning OIF and OEF Veterans as some transition to Students in Colleges and Universities around the country, reporting on some of the problems they face in that transition from combat soldier to student.

This could have been expanded, as many already have found out as others before you went through the same, to the transition from In-Theater Soldiers to Civilian life not just as Students

.

As tens of thousands of veterans of the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq try to collect on their promised college benefits, McKinnon and others are finding that their combat experience complicates the transition from soldier to student.

The report covers one returned soldiers experiance and is titled Combat vets face hurdles as students with the subtitle Colleges learning to deal with PTSD, lost limbs, brain injuries

.

Sometimes she can't recall a professor's name. She loses track of test dates.

Natasha McKinnon is a student at N.C. State University

"Not only am I a full-time student," McKinnon said during a break between classes, "I'm a full-time patient. It takes a toll, mentally and physically. Sometimes I'm there in class, but only in body. Not in mind."

Some of these Veterans as students, as well as those back in civilian life, may have had outgoing personalities before but now find it hard to re-integrate back into their once comfortable surroundings and become quieter or moody, they've seen and experianced things in these occupation theaters that can't be explained to the unexperianced, they may have personally done things that go completely against their upbringings or been witness to others actions.

NCSU has a historical connection to veterans; immediately after World War II, the campus was inundated with returning soldiers attending school on the generous GI Bill of 1944. By the fall of '46, they made up more than three-fourths of NCSU's enrollment, part of the national "GI Bulge" that sent 8 million vets to college or vocational training.

Compared to that flood, today's student veterans are a trickle, coming quietly onto campus a few at a time, often without mentioning their military service. No one tracks how many enrolled at NCSU, Duke or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are veterans. If they don't ask for help, the schools may never know they're there.

They also return to a Society not paying much attention to what is really going on and only show Support in mostly meaningless ways, using words and symbols, with little actual action nor willing to pay for the needs the country promises to those who serve them.

Recognition of who they are now and what we sent them to experiance and do, In Our Names, should be a Societies Responsibility, that Responsibility also extends to the little Countries Citizens we send our own to invade and occupy especially in our Wars of Choice, for we bring The Terror to their doorsteps not them Terrorizing ours!

"These are people who have put themselves in harm's way, in a very dangerous place," Branker said. "I just don't see that a person could come back from that experience and the effects be mild. If there is a way to help them, we want to do it."

There is more you can read about what Ms. McKinnon and her sisters and brother vets are experiancing at the article link.

There is also a couple of related links Some combat scars are like learning disabilities and Audio slide show: Veteran on a mission on the right that you might miss.

What returning Combat Vets need are Good Listeners, when they are comfortable enough to open up, which may take time, a long time.

They most certainly don't need the UnExperianced telling them what their needs are or how to cope with their Experiances!

Not to Alarm, but as we've learned, once again, many are having extreme trouble in their transition and coping and are opting out, this can be caught well before it reaches that stage of personal decision.

If they can reach out to others or those others are asked to help, those who served with them, those who have already returned, those who served in other conflict theaters, those who have the similar experiances of Conflict Theaters of War.

Thoses who have Experianced ease in the transition and coping as they have already started that journey with the help of others of like experiance.

This country faces the Unknown, for there are many who have not only experianced the trauma of war in a single tour of duty but have Mutiple Extended Tours of the Stress and Reality of the Wars of Choice, something unpresentented in previous conflicts unless one choose to serve more tours, and those I knew from 'Nam did so because they couldn't transition back, and they never did!

These returning Soldiers also Need Much More Support, not in just words or lapel flag pins, from those We Hire To Represent, that's their job!!