Arlington National Cemetery

More of the incompetent cheney/bush debacle and their political hacks!!

Former President George W. Bush and John C. Metzler, Jr.

Arlington officials can't get their stories straight

The superintendent says he may have been absent when remains were moved, but an employee's log says otherwise

The top official at Arlington National Cemetery claims he was unaware of the most recently reported burial error at the cemetery, possibly, he says, because he was away at the time it occurred. Cemetery employee records, however, show Superintendent John Metzler present and working at Arlington when the cemetery discovered this most recently disclosed burial foul-up, which resulted in digging up and moving the remains of one service member the cemetery had accidentally buried on top of another...>>>

More misplaced remains at Arlington National Cemetery

What happened to Master Sgt. Marion Grabe, says a source, is a clue "that there may be thousands of these problems"

Air Force Master Sgt. Marion Grabe passed away on Christmas day in 2007. She had served 26 years as an operating room nurse in the Air Force she loved, including 17 months in a Manila hospital treating wounded soldiers during the Vietnam War.

In death, Grabe wanted to mark her service to her country with a suitably honorable burial at Arlington National Cemetery. "She wanted to be buried there so bad," recalled Grabe's sister, Dorothy Nolte. Thinking of the fiasco that ensued with Grabe's burial at Arlington, Nolte added sadly, "She deserved better."

On Jan. 28, 2008, the cemetery interred Grabe's cremated remains in the wrong plot, on top of the casket of another deceased service member...>>>

Labor's 'Bulldog' Trumka

Last night on the PBS News Hour they had a discussion with the new AFL-CIO leader Richard Trumka

On a separate page from the transcript and video/audio links of the discussion they have a short video of a round-table meeting of the lobbyist of the AFL-CIO with Trumka talkin 'bluedogs' and 'public option'.

Inside the AFL-CIO's Health Care Lobbying Efforts



The discussion, about ten and a half minutes long, can be found here Labor's 'Bulldog' Trumka Challenged by Dwindling Ranks, Public Perception

As AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka works to protect organized labor from the excesses of big business, he faces dwindling ranks, splits among union groups, and diminished public support. Paul Solman reports.

Where you can read the transcript, .listen to an audio feed or watch on a video feed, the video I'm placing below.

RICHARD TRUMKA, president, AFL-CIO: The American labor movement is right here with you today. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with you for as long as it takes and with whatever it takes.

PAUL SOLMAN: New AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka at a recent protest of teacher layoffs in Washington, D.C.

RICHARD TRUMKA: And it is time that we win together!

PAUL SOLMAN: As the new head of the labor movement, Trumka needs to move workers old and new, and reverse a decades-long thinning of the ranks. Compounding the problem, divisions within the movement itself.

Service Employees International Union head Andy Stern, seen here in his trademark purple shirt, formed a rival federation just four years ago. In the late '60s, age 19, Trumka followed his father, who died of black lung disease, and grandfather down into the coal mines of Pennsylvania.

But college and law degrees took him to the United Mine Workers. In 1982, he became its aggressive president...>>>Rest Found Here

With what was forecast by many occurring, the collapse of the economics we've allowed ourselves to be pushed into and follow these last couple of decades, it's past time that workers, who actually do the work and keep the economy running, once again build the organizations needed to keep fighting those who place their own personal wealth and power over country and our required economy of growth and job creation, real capitalism.

The best, and what brought worker advancement in middle class wages, benefits, safety, workplace respect, quality products, growth in industries, and much more are by organizing in workers unions. We've already lost much of what was fought for by our Gran Parents and Parents, we've allowed ourselves to be controlled by the corporations and those that get into bed with them, our politicians.

Instead of advancing a workers needs, they spend their wages for their comfort and better life, those who control have continually added corporate perks to their executives portfolio, written off in corporate tax fillings, are reaping huge amounts of compensation they neither earn nor have a need for and benefits of kings, everything is taken care of for them, they care more for investors, who do nothing within the company or corporation, then they do for those who actually do the work needed.

One group I would like to see lead in this organizing, as they to search for jobs scarce for everyone now, are the returning soldiers of our failed policies of occupying others. They have what can't be taught in our higher education industry, they know how important it is to work together in units, in organization with each other to not only try and accomplish huge tasks but save each others lives. They understand a chain of command mentality, instilled to help keep everyone in that working together mode taking care of problems that might occur and getting the same information at the same time to accomplish the goals set forth.

This country and it's economy needs the level playing field of those who perform the work and those who just oversea the organization within a company or a corporation, each sharing in the prosperity they create together.

Veterans Owed Apology

Michael Steele Owes an Apology to Veterans

To knowingly and intentionally tell our Veterans such a blatant lie, that their own government is encouraging them to commit suicide, is unconscionable and reprehensible. Only a truly sick mind could make such a statement. Unfortunately, the sick mind making the statement is one of the most prominent members of the Republican Party in the United States...........Read Rest Here

About the author:

A Democrat in Baldwin Park (Orlando, Florida) writing about my views on politics, and occasionally, other matters of interest to me. Retired Navy. Retired DHS. Now just retired.

All those, not only Steele, owe that Apology to us Vets!! Trying to once again Use Us for their political propaganda, as well as some for pure profit motives, is as it always has been close to a criminal act, it's pure 'verbal spitting' on those who serve highly used since 'Nam even with symbols! Like the 'purple heart bandages' that brought smiles and laughter to a certain political group! Many using this now are the 'chickenhawks' of our time and now, while still staying strong in support of our failed policies of two occupations, are sitting on the sidelines of both, rarely even mentioning them or the soldiers, the 'chickenhawks' of today, using a soldiers sacrifice to country to further political spin and propaganda!

If there's to be talk about "death books" and "death panels", for the fear factor, then talk about the reality of both, the insurance companies that practice both with vigor and to save the bottom lines of as well as the obscene compensations of their executives and investors!!

The Secretary and the Veterans

If Shinseki and his agency can accomplish that, it would be an enormous boon to those veterans who struggle to see therapists, nurses and doctors while satisfying the multiple recordkeepers who stand along the way. It's a huge and worthwhile endeavor, and a big step forward from the benign neglect that seemed to characterize the handling of veterans issues by the previous administration.

It's a huge and worthwhile endeavor, and a big step forward from the benign neglect that seemed to characterize the handling of veterans issues by the previous administration.

And not just the previous admin. but the Congresses as well, controlled by those who still call themselves "Strong on National Defense" as they rubber stamped everything wanted by the admin. and did nothing themselves, narry a thought as they beat the drums of war!! And since the new administration came in have played obstructionist, not only to funding and needs but also to Veterans Administration Appointee's, holding up those much needed appointments for no reason while we still have soldiers in harms way in those two theaters they cheered on and rubber stamped everything for, everything but what was really needed!

VA Secretary Shinseki, speaking in Portland, vows government will 'do better'

"We must do better," Secretary Eric Shinseki told standing-room-only crowds at two appearances in Portland. The Obama appointee said that within 60 days, he will act on a July report linking Agent Orange to Parkinson's and heart diseases. He also outlined plans to bring millions more veterans into the VA system, cut the six-month delay for disability claims and, in admittedly one of the most ambitious undertakings discussed by the agency, end homelessness for veterans.

"We are going to take 131,000 veterans off the street in the next five years," he told the Blinded Veterans Association. "Unless I put an ambitious target on the table, I don't know how we'll start."...........

Veterans: Health Care

Obama: Health Care Reform Won't Impact Veterans Affairs, Tricare

"I want to make sure that message gets out to our veterans," the president said. "I think it's very important to get the message out: If you are in the VA system and are happy with your care, great. We have no intention of changing your eligibility."...............

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Congressman Filner Bill Allows Elderly Veterans to Use Earned Medicare for VA Health Care

“There are veterans who have earned VA health care benefits with their service to our country,” stated Chairman Filner. “They have also earned Medicare benefits by contributing to the Medicare program during their working years. Because VA cannot bill Medicare, elderly veterans are unable to use their Medicare benefits, even if they may prefer to receive care at a VA facility among their fellow veterans. So for those veterans, they basically forgo the hard-earned dollars that they contributed towards Medicare benefits during their working years. H.R. 3365 is an important bill that would allow elderly veterans to access both VA health care and their Medicare benefits.”

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Veterans Administration begins effort to help keep arrested veterans out of future trouble

Bracing for an influx of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the Department of Veterans Affairs has launched an ambitious effort to locate veterans who've had minor brushes with the law and offer them treatment to try to prevent repeat crimes.

The VA started its Veterans Justice Outreach Program early this year — before public attention intensified on a handful of Fort Carson, Colo.-based soldiers accused of murder, attempted murder or manslaughter after returning from a deployment where they faced intense combat. Most of the soldiers had been arrested for domestic violence, assault, illegal gun possession, and alcohol and drug charges before the slayings...........

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Cardiovascular Risk Factors With Mental Health Diagnoses in Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans

A total of 303,223 veterans were included in this analysis. The mean age of the study population was 31 years and 88% were men. PTSD was common among the cohort (24% prevalence). Among those with PTSD, comorbid mental health conditions were prevalent including depression (53%), anxiety disorder (29%), adjustment disorder (26%), and alcohol use disorder (22%)...........................

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Democrats blast Army's handling of toxic exposures in Iraq

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., called the Army's response to soldiers exposed to a highly toxic carcinogen in Iraq "inadequate" and said the Democratic Policy Committee will request a report from the Pentagon's inspector general on the matter.

Five soldiers who served at an Iraqi water injection facility in 2003 testified before the committee on Monday, outlining symptoms believed to be the result of exposure to sodium dichromate spread across the facility.................

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VETERANS-FOR-CHANGE NETWORKS FOR CHANGE IN THE ANTIQUATED VA PROCESSING SYSTEMS

Veterans-For-Change, a non-profit vocal group for Veterans rights, benefits, and treatment, networks together to share the following problems/issues that must be addressed............

The GI Bill:

The New Deal for Veterans (Pivotal Moments in American History)

Synopses
Publisher Comments:

On rare occasions in American history, Congress enacts a measure so astute, so far-reaching, so revolutionary, it enters the language as a metaphor. The Marshall Plan comes to mind, as does the Civil Rights Act. But perhaps none resonates in the American imagination like the G.I. Bill.

In a brilliant addition to Oxford's acclaimed Pivotal Moments in American History series, historians Glenn C. Altschuler and Stuart M. Blumin offer a compelling and often surprising account of the G.I. Bill and its sweeping and decisive impact on American life. Formally known as the Serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944, it was far from an obvious, straightforward piece of legislation, but resulted from tense political maneuvering and complex negotiations. As Altschuler and Blumin show, an unlikely coalition emerged to shape and pass the bill, bringing together both New Deal Democrats and conservatives who had vehemently opposed Roosevelt's social-welfare agenda. For the first time in American history returning soldiers were not only supported, but enabled to pursue success--a revolution in America's policy towards its veterans.

Once enacted, the G.I. Bill had far-reaching consequences. By providing job training, unemployment compensation, housing loans, and tuition assistance, it allowed millions of Americans to fulfill long-held dreams of social mobility, reshaping the national landscape. The huge influx of veterans and federal money transformed the modern university and the surge in single home ownership vastly expanded America's suburbs. Perhaps most important, as Peter Drucker noted, the G.I. Bill "signaled the shift to the knowledge society." The authors highlight unusual or unexpected features of the law--its color blindness, the frankly sexist thinking behind it, and its consequent influence on race and gender relations. Not least important, Altschuler and Blumin illuminate its role in individual lives whose stories they weave into this thoughtful account.

Written with insight and narrative verve by two leading historians, The G.I. Bill makes a major contribution to the scholarship of postwar America.

Veterans 1 - Government 0

Veterans Groups Win Round In Federal Court in Lawsuit Against VA

A federal court judge sided with two veterans advocacy groups suing the Veterans Administration Tuesday, agreeing to add to evidence an explosive email written by a VA official that suggested counselors consider diagnosing war veterans who show signs of post traumatic stress disorder with a less serious condition.

Two veterans advocacy groups, Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth, sued the VA last year for allegedly failing to provide treatment to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are suffering from PTSD.

SNIP

Video Report

On the E-Mail and Exceptance from the local ABC Affiliate

VA Lawsuits

California: A New Hearing in V.A. Case

A federal judge presiding over a lawsuit alleging mistreatment of veterans has ordered a hearing regarding new evidence in the case. The judge, Samuel Conti of Federal District Court in San Francisco, ordered the hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, after the emergence of an internal e-mail message that appears to urge Veterans Affairs clinicians to avoid making a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder to save money.

The first of several breaking news stories involves the latest on the "Blue Water Navy" lawsuit. Unfortunately, it is not good news. Several years ago Congress ordered the Department of Veteran Affairs to stop compensating Navy Veterans who did not serve on land during the Vietnam War. These veterans suffered from the same diseases that plague those who did serve on land. But, according to somebody in power in Washington, they could not possibly have been exposed to the herbicides, which were sprayed over the entire land therefore their benefits were stopped.

The Forgotten Veterans - Memorial Day

Once again Veterans are living with the apathy of the country they served!

Remember Agent Orange or the many other ailments and Government using Military Personal to test the effects from Nuclear Explosions and Drugs, probably not!

Look them up, or search out the Vets, using this technology, who are still trying to Educate you too!

Remember the 1st Gulf War?

How about the Veterans from, with questions about, their rapidly deteriorating health after serving, many having died since, coming under the obscure name of 'Gulf War Syndrom', look that one up as well!

Veterans groups have been fighting for the VA to recognize ALS

Veterans with ALS in race against time

Afflicted with Lou Gehrig's disease, they fight for military benefits as science hunts the cause
"The mind stays strong, but the body..." says Anthony Averella, 53, who served in the Army and National Guard and suffers from deadly Lou Gehrig's disease. He has lost more than 50 pounds in the past year. (Sun photo by Chiaki Kawajiri / May 16, 2008)

The first time he fell, Army Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Averella was strolling on a military base in Afghanistan. He got up, collected himself and brushed aside the concerns of fellow soldiers. Within months, Averella was stumbling regularly, and his hands began inexplicably clenching into fists.

At first, tests revealed nothing. Three years ago, the Maryland soldier found out what was afflicting him: Lou Gehrig's disease.

Well some, once again, are seeking the answers. But how much does the country care?

Military veterans such as Averella are the subject of a Duke University study that will attempt to solve a mystery: Why are soldiers more likely than the general population to suffer from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS?

Early this decade, the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments released a study showing that veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War were twice as likely as other soldiers to get ALS, and the federal government extended disability compensation. Now, some veterans and advocates, including members of Congress, are pushing the VA to extend those benefits to all veterans with the disease.

How many of you know what's going on, have even thought about these Vets, are willing to Pay to not only find out but to Care For them? I do know there are still deniers of the effects of our spraying Defoliants in Vietnam and the damage done not only to our Military Troops but the Vietnamesse People!

Testifying before a congressional committee last summer, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas R. Mikolajcik, who has ALS, said the government has not done enough research on potential causes and might be exposing service members now in Iraq to an elevated risk of the disease.

"If we know that it happened in the first Gulf War, and now we're exposing millions more, why aren't we doing more, and how are you going to answer those people in three, five, 10 years that come down with this disease?" Mikolajcik said in an interview.

Given the incidence rate of ALS among veterans, Mikolajcik said, the VA should not differentiate between those who served in the Gulf War and those who did not.

"Why should my comrades in arms that were in Somalia, Grenada, Panama, Vietnam, Korea or anywhere else around the world get less than those of us that served in the Gulf War?" he asked.

Study Links Gulf War Service with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS)

September 26, 2003

Veterans who served in the Persian Gulf in 1990 and 1991 have a nearly
twofold risk of Lou Gehrig's disease compared to veterans of the same era
who did not serve in the Gulf, according to research funded by VA and the
Department of Defense.

2003 Sep 23; 61(6): 742-9. Occurrence of
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis among Gulf War veterans. - Abstract

Read this full Report
on ALS & Military - PDF

A study published in the January 11, 2005
edition of Neurology, found that men with any history of military service in
the last century are
at a nearly 60% greater risk of ALS than men who did not serve in the
military. Conducted
by epidemiologists at Harvard University's School of Public Health, the
study concluded
that "Military personnel have an increased risk of ALS. This increase
appeared to be largely
independent of the branch of service and the time period served."

Initial Symptoms of the Disease

At the onset of ALS the symptoms may be so slight that they are frequently
overlooked. With regard to the appearance of symptoms and the progression of
the illness, the course of the disease may include the following:

* muscle weakness in one or more of the following: hands, arms, legs
or the muscles of speech, swallowing or breathing

* twitching (fasciculation) and cramping of muscles, especially those
in the hands and feet

* impairment of the use of the arms and legs

* "thick speech" and difficulty in projecting the voice

* in more advanced stages, shortness of breath, difficulty in
breathing and swallowing

National Registry of Veterans with ALS

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has developd a nationwide registry
of living veterans who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This effort
was directed by the Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (ERIC) at
the VA Medical Center in Durham, NC, with cooperation from the VA Medical
Center in Lexington, KY. The ALS Association advised the study leaders. The
National Registry of Veterans with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis stopped
enrollment of new patients as of September 30, 2007.

And why is it most of the mention of 'Gulf War Syndrom' comes from Overseas?

Fighting for those who can't

MEET a lawyer who battles for the rights of servicemen and women - a role that has made her an Inspiring Women finalist.

HILARY Meredith remembers every soldier and widow she's ever worked with.

Hilary's tasks in the courts include campaigning for compensation for widows whose husbands have been killed in service, fighting for awareness of Gulf War syndrome and, now, trying to improve medical care for injured soldiers returning from duty.

Insecticides in pet shampoo may trigger autism

Meanwhile, another study suggests that exposure to organophosphate insecticides double the risk of developmental disorders, including autism. Organophosphates have previously been linked to Gulf War syndrome.

There are other reports that slowly come through, once again most coming from overseas, the reporting and research of what may have caused the suffering those who served in the 1st Gulf war are experiancing.

And our present conflicts are already getting the silent treatment of the possible problems, health wise, that many are starting to experiance, not only the military personal but the citizens of the countries we invaded and occupy.

Afghans to probe whether U.S. used depleted uranium

The Afghan government plans to investigate whether the United States used depleted uranium during its invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and if it might be linked to malformed babies born afterwards.

Kakar said he would like to see the study done as soon as possible, but the Afghan government, which largely relies on Western aid and troops, needed to find ways of funding it.

And once again almost total silence from the American Public as to those they send into, and cheer on, these Wars Of Choice when they return.

Few voice outrage over the Highly Paid Mercenary Army this country supports, few complain about the No-Bid Contracts, and the corruption from, of the Private Companies of Wall Street, few ask Questions as to exactly where the Supplemetal Funding for Wars go let alone where the Monies for the DoD ever increasing Budget go..........................!!

But when anything is mentioned about returning Veterans of our Conflicts and Occupations the Public Embraces the Spin created to Silence those seeking Help and their Advocates!