Stripes: Disabled veterans protest budget proposal for health care

[lebkuchen]

Hundreds of disabled veterans booed and jeered Republican House members on Tuesday for their budget proposal for veterans’ health care, which critics call inadequate to deal with the future needs of current troops.

Following testimony before a pair of congressional committees by officials from the Disabled American Veterans, or DAV, the crowd of more than 400 wounded and disabled veterans cheered House members who criticized the president’s budget plans and heckled representatives who defended the spending.

The loudest heckling was reserved for House Veterans’ Affairs chairman Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., who was criticized by Democrats on the committee and rebuked the crowd at one point by saying “where the river is the shallowest, it makes the most noise.”

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Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., called Buyer and his supporters hypocrites for scheduling Tuesday’s hearing without any intention of considering the veterans’ budget concerns.

“This budget is an insult to our troops and to you,” he told the crowd, who responded with a standing ovation. “This is unconscionable.”

Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., called promises made by Republicans “frankly a lot of ,” and was quickly censured by Buyer as the crowd roared in approval.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=27651

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Thanks for this post. Am forwarding to vet friends.

[LynnTheDem]

2. PURPLE HEART BANDAIDS! PURPLE HEART BANDAIDS! And that

is how republicans feel about our veterans. And that's straight from the Republican National Convention floor.

And straight from the bushCartel:

No Bankruptcy Protection for Troops

U.S. Senate Republicans blocked an effort by Democrats to shield military personnel from changes to bankruptcy law that would force more debtors to repay their creditors.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aamWalvvBr.8&refer=us

Veterans' Benefits "hurtful" to National Security, says Pentagon

The Wall Street Journal describes the pittance set aside for veteran’s benefits as "Congress’ generosity," even as the Republican-controlled Congress and Bush Pentagon get set to slash billions more from Veterans Administration’s (VA) programs. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (1-25-05), Pentagon official David Chu, in a mockery of the contribution of veterans, defended a new round of cuts by ironically describing funding for programs like veterans’ education and job training, health care, pensions, VA housing and the like as "hurtful" to national security.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/07/politics/07budget.html?oref=login

Back from Iraq - and suddenly out on the streets

An increasing number of veterans returning from Iraq or Afghanistan ending up homeless. Psychological trauma, high housing costs, gaps in pay between civilians and the military which mean ex-servicemen cannot save for deposits and the lag in getting VA assistance all contribute to this growing problem.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0208/p02s01-ussc.html

Bush Budget Raises Drug Prices for Many Veterans

President Bush's budget would more than double the co-payment charged to many veterans for prescription drugs and would require some to pay a new fee of $250 a year for the privilege of using government health care, administration officials said...

The government had no immediate estimate of how many veterans would be affected if the user fee and co-payment proposals were adopted. But veterans' groups said that hundreds of thousands of people would end up paying more and that many would be affected by both changes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/07/politics/07budget.html?oref=login

Soldiers dying for lack of $20 tourniquets

Since at least a month before the war in Iraq began, medical experts in the Army and other services have called on the Pentagon to equip every American soldier in the war zone with a modern tourniquet. The simple first-aid tool - a more sophisticated version of the cloth-and-stick device used by armies for centuries - could all but eliminate deaths caused by blood loss from extremity wounds, the most common cause of preventable death in combat, they argue. The cost would not likely exceed $2 million, or about two-thousandths of a percent of the $82 billion proposed for the war this year.

Yet many of the nation's soldiers - tens of thousands, some doctors and Army medical officials estimate - continue to enter battle without tourniquets. And some bleed to death from battlefield injuries that would not be life-threatening if a proper tourniquet were available, according to more than a dozen military doctors and medics...
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/iraq/bal-te.tourniquet06mar06,1,4505132.story?coll=bal-home-utility&ctrack=3&cset=true

Insult to injury

Some wounded soldiers back from Iraq are having to pay for meals at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Veterans' groups say it's another symptom of fighting a costly war on the cheap.
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:UIaGXsUxcIcJ:www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/01/27/walter_reed/+wounded+US+troops+charged+hospital+meals+2005&hl=en

[lebkuchen]

3. I called "Buck" McKeon and "Duke" Cunningham on the purple heart bandaids

Both offices were quite rude about my having inquired, and told me, essentially, that the entire episode was a figment of my imagination.

I decided never to trust anyone with a nickname of "Buck" and "Duke" ever again.

[LynnTheDem]

5. That sickening disgusting anti-American unpatriotic display by the rethugs

was seen around the world, and, no surprise, they were revolted by it.

Never have I seen such absolute contempt shown towards our soldiers than the rethugs showed with their PH bandaids.

A personal story;

Last year my hubby's unit in Iraq needed to get across the city to another base on an errand, so 3 guys were sent. On the way back they were hit with RPGs. The driver was killed and the soldier in the passenger seat had an RPG whizz past his head. 3rd soldier in the vehicle was slightly wounded.

The soldier that the RPG had buzzed permanently lost his hearing in one ear and he received a Purple Heart, as per PH regs.

And he has no pride at all in having it. Says it "doesn't mean shit anymore" and "I'm not gonna tell anyone or say yeah I got one, then they ask for what and laugh at me."

He's right, it doesn't mean shit any more. If you lose 3 limbs, the rethugs will lie and smear and mock you. If you're a POW for years, the rethugs will lie and smear and mock you. If you didn't bleed enough, the rethugs will lie and smear and mock you.

Who the hell would ever want to win a Purple Heart? You have to be killed before the rethugs wouldn't lie and smear and mock you. Maybe.

[lebkuchen]

6. McKeon and Cunningham certainly mock and laugh (and scream)

They both have office staff full of screamers, and they knew I worked on a US base overseas. Guess I shouldn't have been surprised.

You will appreciate this Stripes letter, printed today:

Army limits job options

As I read “The sting of being overlooked" (article, Feb. 25), I realized how many contractors are working here in the Middle East.

Hundreds of contractors have “volunteered” to take on the task the military has taken away from troops. Makes me wonder if we really do have a second Army.

These contractors who come in put their lives on the line willingly, but are paid handsomely. I am not saying they do not deserve a special memorial. They are working for the government and are, without a doubt, doing a great job.

I guess my beef is not with the contractors, but with the military itself. Many jobs are now going to civilian employment. How do you expect recruiting levels to go up when the only occupations left are all infantry?

The reason the Army had a rising number in recruiting for years was the vast amount of jobs available. It made it easier for someone to pick up a skill and use it when they were done with their military career.

Now they are taking that privilege away. What does a $15,000 re-enlistment bonus mean to me when I can make $130,000 a year working as a contractor overseas? I am going overseas no matter what. Why don’t I do it willingly and make some cash? I think the government needs to rethink what it is doing.

My heart goes out to Roberta Stramiello, and the many other families who have lost loved ones in this war. This is not to bash contractors. It is to wake up the government. Life is too precious to take for granted.

Sgt. Jason Reyes
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=27620

[LeaderlessResistance]

4. Is Michael Dell Poisoning America

Is Michael Dell Poisoning America?


The FDA has received more than 10,000 consumer complaints on Nutra-Sweet. That's 80% of all complaints about food additives, yet they have done nothing to alert the American consumer. (Ref 1)

Could it be that Michael Dell, the owner of Nutra Sweet and Equal is a close friend of George Bush. Or could it be that Dell has outright control of the White House, with his massive financial support for George Bush.

Dell once told me, "own anything addictive and legal." Nutrasweet is in about 9,000 foods and on every restaurant table for the same reasons tobacco is everywhere: Greed, addiction and profit. What he did not tell me was that people would suffer cancer, brain seizures, Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, epilepsy, mental retardation, fibromyalgia, lymphoma, Graves disease, birth defects, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinsons and ... death! From the use of his products. (Ref 2)


Michael Dell in India, his use of 3rd world and prison labor, has cost many honest white American's their jobs.

The artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, NatraTaste, Canderel) is without question the most toxic and health-destroying "food" sold to consumers. And is owned by Dell & Ajinomoto of Japan. (Ref 3)

Dell’s use of taxpayer-subsidized prison labor, and his disregard for the environment, with his computer Ewaste. (Electronics are the fastest growing component of municipal garbage, and contain toxics like brominated fire retardants, lead, mercury, cadmium and other heavy metals.) Should give people an insight into what kind of demented capitalist he really is. (Ref 4)


1. http://www.becomehealthynow.com/ebookprint.php?id=311

2. http://www.becomehealthynow.com/ebookprint.php?id=311

3. http://www.ethicalinvesting.com/monsanto/aspartame.shtml

4. http://environment.about.com/cs/ewaste/a/harddrive.htm