VETERANS: A Gooferment entity that needs reform

Friday, January 3, 2014

http://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/12/bionic-mosquito/judge-the-feds-by-their-own-standards-2/

One of These Things is Not Like the Others
By Bionic Mosquito
December 31, 2014

*** begin quote ***

Department of Veterans Affairs:

To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s veterans.

VA hospitals:

By June 5, 2014, Veterans Affairs internal investigations had identified 35 veterans who had died while waiting for care in the Phoenix VHA system.

An internal VA audit released June 9, 2014 found that more than 120,000 veterans were left waiting or never got care and that schedulers were pressured to use unofficial lists or engage in inappropriate practices to make waiting times appear more favorable.

On June 11, 2014, the Federal Bureau of Investigation opened a criminal investigation of the VA.President Barack Obama ordered a White House investigation.

On June 27, 2014, Obama’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Rob Nabors, reported “significant and chronic system failures” and a “corrosive culture” inside the Veterans Health Administration.

*** end quote ***

Unfortunately, it can’t be eliminated as long as the politicians and bureaucrats keep the girls and boys fighting in one Deity forsaken place or another.

Argh!

* Bring the girls and boys home NOW!

* Put all “regular care” out in the real private economy NOW.

* Figure out how to move the specialized care in the private economy NOW.

* Shrink the VA to only absolutely essential functions.

IMHO

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VETERANS: Another big Gooferment program spin crash and burn

Friday, January 3, 2014

DOD/VA Seamless Transition Program Sputtered to a Halt – source Next.gov

After launching with much fanfare in 2009, the interagency program office charged with developing an integrated electronic health record (EHR) for the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments all but sputtered to a halt in September, Nextgov has learned. The development followed a decision by Defense and VA in February to independently develop their own EHRs, due to the high cost of the joint system, pegged at $28 billion by Frank Kendall, Defense undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics. Neither Defense nor VA formally announced the shutdown of the interagency program office. A hint of its demise can be found in an industry briefing that said Christopher Miller had assumed the role of acting director of the office, in addition to his role as program executive officer of the new Defense Healthcare Management Systems Modernization, charged with developing the Defense EHR.

Maureen Schumann, a Pentagon spokeswoman confirmed on November 18 to Nextgov that Barclay Butler, appointed director of the interagency program office in February 2012, left his job in September. Defense and VA are in the early stages of development of a revised charter and organizational chart of the office, Schumann added, and once completed, “the staffing for the IPO will be determined and announced.” While the office has been all but vaporized, both Defense and VA face the rather difficult task of finding a workaround to provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 that mandated a joint EHR. The two departments also need to figure out how to work their way around language in the 2014 VA spending bill that also mandates a single EHR, which could become law if Congress passes a 2014 budget.

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VETERANS: Service people are expendable

Thursday, January 2, 2014

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/36-signs-the-media-is-lying-to-you-about-how-radiation-from-fukushima-is-affecting-the-west-coast_012014

36 Signs The Media Is Lying To You About How Radiation From Fukushima Is Affecting The West Coast

Michael Snyder
The Truth
January 1st, 2014

*** begin quote ***

#4 71 U.S. sailors who assisted with the initial Fukushima relief efforts have developed serious diseases such as testicular cancer, thyroid cancer, Leukemia, “unremitting gynecological bleeding” and brain tumors since that time as a result of exposure to radiation coming from Fukushima.

*** end quote ***

Where is the media?

Where are the liberals?

Where are the astro-turf anti-nuke people?

It just demonstrates the crony capitalist big Gooferment bias!

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VETERANS: FRAUD ALERT

Saturday, November 30, 2013

To All Veterans:

FRAUD ALERT: Veterans should be aware of a marketing scam targeting callers trying to reach the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Call Center or GI Bill Call Center. A marketing company has established two fraudulent numbers that differ from the two official VA call center numbers by one digit. If the fraudulent number is dialed by mistake, the answering party will offer a gift card and try to obtain personal and financial information, including credit card information, from the caller. The answering party may even transfer the caller to the VA after the caller’s information is obtained. Note that VA will never ask you for a credit card number or banking information over the phone. Before giving personal sensitive information over the phone make sure you know who you are taking to.

The numbers to be avoided are:
800-872-1000 (the VA National Call Center number is 800-827-1000)
888-442-4511 (the VA GI Bill Call Center number is 888-442-4551)

VA has notified law enforcement authorities to address this situation. Please pass this information along and post on your websites.

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VETERANS: Armistice Day is sad

Monday, November 11, 2013

As a vet, I don’t want to be “thanked for my service”.

I am ashamed.

We still have girls and boys in harm’s way without a clear strategy.

I am reminded of the Irish song “Willie McGee” with the line “did you really think this was the war to end all wars”.

Heinlein, in “Starship Troopers”, that only vets should be police or “civil servants” or in political office. When I was young, I thought him extreme that only vets should vote because they would have the stones to fight.. Voters usually required politicians to have served in the military. Then, Bill Clinton came along. Now that I am old, I’m convinced he didn’t go far enough. Only vets voting would be a good start. But, we really need more. The vets should as a body — like the Senate — have veto power over the use of Armed Forces.

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VETERANS: from $80 per night to $150 with no change in the physical plant

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Wainwright Hall at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Privatized – source various

Wainwright Hall recently became the latest Army lodging to  be privatized and restored. The Hall is a two-story, 108-yearold brick structure that was opened in the early 20th Century, renovated through a Lend Lease (US) Public Partnerships with the developer, and InterContinental Hotels Group, the lodging operator. It cost about $4 million to bring Wainwright Hall up to modern-day standards (energy-saving heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting systems and controls).

The facility provides temporary lodging for soldiers and their families when they change duty stations while waiting for their new housing to become available; is used by soldiers on TDY for short-term training so they don’t need to find a place off-post, and can also be used by authorized installation visitors. Officials say the process is more effective and efficient.

“Catch 22” – room rates have jumped from $80 per night to $150 with no change in the physical plant.

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Way to screw sick vets!

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VETERANS: Leave no man behind; a political joke

Monday, July 29, 2013

http://freebeacon.com/forgotten-war-forgotten-soldiers/

Forgotten War, Forgotten Soldiers
Book: American POWs left behind from Korean War

American Trophies

BY: Bill Gertz
July 26, 2013 4:08 pm

*** begin quote ***

U.S. prisoners of war were left behind in North Korea, China, and Russia after the Korean War and the Pentagon failed to win their release or a full accounting of their fate, according to research contained in a new book that is highly critical of U.S. POW recovery efforts.

“The Obama White House and Pentagon show not a trace of urgency in recovering our Korean War POW/MIAs, perished or alive,” said Mark Sauter, the book’s co-author who has spent more than two decades investigating missing soldiers.

“Time is running out for many of their family members, not to mention American POWs reported in North Korea long after the war, if any still survive,” he told the Washington Free Beacon. “Contrast this with South Korea, which has recovered dozens of its POWs alive in recent years. Some family members believe the U.S. government is simply waiting for the problem to go away.”

The book, American Trophies: How American POWs Were Surrendered to North Korea, China, and Russia by Washington’s ‘Cynical Attitude,’ includes numerous cases of missing Americans from the Korean War, along with several from the Cold War and Vietnam War. It is based on years of research, interviews, and documents by the authors, Sauter and John Zimmerlee.

*** end quote ***

Every American Legion post I have ever been in has a POW / MIA table.

How can we not hold politicians and bureaucrats to account?

How can we let them keep sending girls and boys overseas in our name?

Why do we vote for folks who have NOT served?

Argh!

I first learned about the issue when I discussed “Men aren’t potatoes” from Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers with my Uncle who served in WW2. He borrowed my copy and read it.

Laff, he agreed with the line that “serving doesn’t make saints but it’s a good filter for cowards”.

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VETERANS: Dogs for vets

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Reader S.F. mentioned that a pilot program of matching dogs with vets was specifically vetoed by the U.S. Veteran’s Administration (VA), which made it categorical that dogs would only be provided for a small and traditional list of needs, such a guide dogs for the blind. So of course others did it. An old story with a great new ending: Hounds and Heroes.

http://houndsandheroes.com/

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Tell me again about a “grateful nation” and that “compassionate Gooferment”!

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VETERANS: Us old vets ain’t doing our job

Monday, January 2, 2012

http://www.cmt.com/videos/taylor-swift/716133/ours.jhtml

http://www.cmt.com/videos/jason-aldean/693565/tattoos-on-this-town.jhtml

http://www.cmt.com/videos/montgomery-gentry/691494/where-i-come-from.jhtml

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ1IW9bIq5E

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I don’t know if it’s the Wounded Warrior Project commercials, the Country Music videos, or the media coverage of the Republican Presidential Primary.

But I’m <past tense synonym for urine output> off!

I’m a bubbling cauldron of little L libertarian rage.

Why?

Didn’t “We, The Sheeple” learn ANYTHING from Viet Nam, Republic of?

Apparently not.

Of all the candidates, Ron Paul is the ONLY one challenging our foreign policy of world occupation. Our Gooferment has its “nose” and “hands”, up to the proverbial elbows, in everyone else business. No wonder we’re hated. And, now the chicken hawks are drumming up a fight with Iran, Syria, … and who knows who else.

Why?

To enrich the politicians and bureaucrats. Thru crony capitalism.

Now, I’m sympathetic to the veterans’ plight. Especially those “kids” who signed up for their State’s Guard unit and found themselves in one of the sandboxes or the rock box. But the all volunteer force means that girls and boys had to “volunteer”. And, I know that there’s all sorts of nuances to that “freedom”. From old farts with delusions of patriotism, to economic pressures. With stops along the way at TV commercials touting education benefits and the comrades in arms propaganda. Us old vets are a fault for allow that to happen. We know better. (Heinlein was right; only vets should vote!)

So why am I being panhandled to “help vets”. The Gooferment isn’t doing its job in that function either.

So, let’s support the troops!

Don’t let them be used for trivial purposes that are not in the strategic interest. They are not props for Presidents (of either party) or politicians to play with.

To quote another country song, let’s put boot up the <synonym for donkey> of politicians.

Old vets should hold them accountable!

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VETERANS: Poor treatment of vets is a universal reaction

Sunday, January 1, 2012

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Why-Irish-soldiers-who-fought-against-Hitler-and-the-Nazis-had-to-hide-their-medals-136367173.html

Why Irish soldiers who fought against Hitler and the Nazis had to hide their medalsAfter deserting the Irish army to fight with the British, many soldiers faced persecution
By KERRY O’SHEA, IrishCentral Intern
Published Thursday, December 29, 2011, 7:27 AMUpdated Thursday, December 29, 2011, 7:27 AM

*** begin quote ***

However, Stout also says that at the time, Ireland had only recently broken away from Britain, and resentment was still strong. “They didn’t understand why we did what we did. A lot of Irish people wanted Germany to win the war – they were dead up against the British.”

*** end quote ***

There’s a book out that’s titled something like “It’s dangerous to be on the wrong side of the Gooferment”.

You have to feel sorry for these men and their families.

Spurned by their own and forgotten by their “friends”.

Well, whenever you follow you conscience, you have to expect some breakage.

How soon everyone forgets!

That’s why unless the bad men are coming up your street, you shouldn’t be “going to war”.

It’s always the elites’ war; not the people’s!

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