Category Archives: Veterans

by | August 28, 2014 · 11:14 pm

UPDATE: Veterans Affairs Scandal

August 26, 2014: USA Today reported that the joint DOJ-FBI-Veterans Affairs task force has issued a report on its investigation of 93 VA health care sites across the country.

Investigators found thousands of instances of deliberate VA fraud that directly impinged on care for veterans. Not mistakes. Fraud … including falsifying records to hide delays in care and deliberate attempts to obstruct investigators.

August 26, 2014? Can we just say … it’s about damn time and what the hell took so long?!?!?!

It’s not like there weren’t people EAGER to step forward! When the news media finally broke the story, the Inspector General’s office was flooded with allegations by whistle-blowers at VA hospitals and clinics across the country! And the very people who were most responsible for finding and fixing problems like this were AWARE that there were problems as far back as 2007.

Okay. Before you buy into Obama’s usual “Booosh did it!”, let’s look at HOW MUCH responsibility Barack Obama has SHIRKED on this issue.

Bush’s second term covered the 109th (2005-2006) and 110th (2007-2008) sessions of Congress. During both sessions, Senator Barack OBAMA was a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, a group that is DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE for monitoring the quality of care our veterans are or are not getting at VA facilities.

However, it would be a mistake to say he “served” on the committee, since even the liberal blog Daily Kos noted that Senator Barack Obama MISSED MORE THAN HALF of the meetings!

Sadly … or perhaps I should say typically … his lack of attention to his own responsibility to monitor veteran health care did not stop him from blaming the Bush Administration for “deplorable conditions at some VA hospitals.”

Are we clear on this? Senator Barack Obama KNEW in NOVEMBER 2007 that some of the VA hospitals had serious problems AND he was PART of the oversight committee charged with INVESTIGATING and FINDING LEGISLATIVE SOLUTIONS to said problems.

Before I continue, I need to recap another bit of historical truth about Bush’s second term, which is that while Republicans held the majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives during the 109th Congress, Democrats held the majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives during the 110th Congress.

Our federal government cannot pass a single law unless the Senate and the House vote it through and the President signs it. That means whichever party holds the majority of TWO (or three) of these three entities HAS MAJORITY CONTROL OVER POLICY and legislation.

In other words, it would be entirely fair to blame Republicans for VA problems PRIOR to January 2007, since they had held the majority in DC continuously from January 1995 to December 2006.

But DEMOCRATS took over in January 2007 and among those Democrats was one Senator Barack Obama on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee who claimed to be well aware of problems in VA hospitals.

So what exactly did Senator Obama DO to try and address the problems he claimed he saw so clearly in November of 2007?

Not much.

In the November 2007 Obama campaign press release in which Senator Obama blamed President Bush for “deplorable conditions at some VA hospitals,” it says:

“As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Senator Obama has successfully reached out to Republicans and Democrats to pass laws to improve care for troops recovering from injuries, combat homelessness among veterans, and make the disability benefits process more equitable.”

I was curious how true that statement might be and actually looked up every piece of legislation sponsored by Senator Barack Obama on behalf of veterans. As it turns out, Senator Obama did what he’s so often done – i.e., he mangled the truth to make himself look good.

As you look at these lists, pay particular attention to the facts behind his claim to have “successfully reached out to Republicans to pass laws.”

  1. Obama’s “outreach” to Republicans was limited to just three centrists.
  2. None of his seven bills ever even made it out of committee, a step that is still very far removed from a bill becoming a law.

Veterans' Bills by Obama - 109th

Surprisingly, none of the Republicans Obama got to co-sponsor included the pro-military, but very centrist Senator John McCain.

One has to wonder … if the bills were actually any good, wouldn’t McCain have signed on, particularly to S.713 (2007) which was referred to the Armed Services Committee where Senator McCain was a ranking member? And if that particular bill had had any merit whatsoever, how did it manage to DIE in a Democrat-majority committee without even one day of hearings when it had had 32 Democrat sponsors?

Veterans' Bills by Obama - 110th

Also in that November 2007 campaign press release, Obama said, “America’s veterans deserve a President who will fight for them not just when it’s easy or convenient, but every hour of every day for the next four years.”

I totally agree. So let’s take a look at how well Barack Obama kept his alleged resolve after he became the President of the United States and the Commander in Chief of the American Armed forces in January 2009.

One: President Obama’s election gave the Democrat majority a trifecta for the two years of the 111th Congress (2009-2010).

In fact, the Democrats had large majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, so essentially during those two years, Democrats could virtually write and pass any law they wanted.

Two: President Obama’s own nominee, Eric Shinseki, took over control of the Veterans Administration in January 2009.

If ever there was a prime time to FIX those “deplorable conditions”, 2009-2010 was it. 

Three: In January 2011, Republicans won back the House of Representatives, but Democrats still controlled the Senate and the White House.

Democrats have had majority control over policy and legislation continuously since January 2007.

When the VA scandal broke in May 2014, DEMOCRATS had held the MAJORITY for more than SEVEN years, with OBAMA in the White House and his hand picked leader running the VA for more than FOUR years.

So let’s just put to rest any lingering “Booosh did it” and “Obama cares” baloney, mkay?

Source:

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Filed under Barack Obama, Democrats, Republicans, U.S. Congress, VA, Veterans

by | August 27, 2014 · 10:06 pm

Didja know that NOBODY cared about veterans before BARACK OBAMA?!

2014_08 23 Obama speaks to veteran convention

This was Obama’s first appearance in front of the group since the VA scandal broke in May 2014. The crowd came to life to honor fellow veterans, not Obama’s speech fell flat before the audience of thousands of military veterans who learned early on in their careers what the stench of political BS smells like. Some applause lines met with awkward silence while others earned only three seconds of feeble clapping from what a legionnaire reported was from “a small group of Obama’s admirers [who] sat near the front and tried to generate applause for him about 10 times.”

Weak Applause – Obama American Legion, Reno, NV – August 23, 2014

Sources:

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Filed under Armed Forces, Barack Obama, VA, Veterans

by | May 25, 2014 · 1:47 am

My smoking hair

The HEADLINES about the VA scandal have been making my hair stand up and smoke. I couldn’t bear to read the stories until Dearest talked to our Rep. Tom Reed and learned VA services in our area appear to be good. Phew. I’ve got a kid who uses them for a war injury. My heart goes out to those who are NOT getting care, but relieved my inner Mama Grizzly can calm down and take a BREATH about one piece of good news. Plus, my hair.

Leading liberals have long touted the VA as an efficient model of government-run health care.

  • In 2009, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, wrote, “The system for veterans is by all accounts one of the best-performing and most-cost-effective elements in the American medical establishment.”
  • In 2011, New York times columnist Paul Krugman called the VA a “huge success story.”

Yeah, right.

  • Whistleblowers have now identified 26 VA facilities around the country experiencing similar problems. One says illegal dealing of VA pharmaceuticals was a daily occurrence at his hospital.
  • In Los Angeles, federal bureaucrats tried to cover up their decade-long backlog by simply canceling 40,000 diagnostic tests and treatments for American veterans with cancer and other illnesses.
  • One veteran who had a small spot on his forehead confirmed as cancerous in 2011, but was forced to wait four months before having it removed, by which time, it had spread and has since killed him.

The Republican-dominated House of Representatives has passed a DOZEN VA reform bills; they’re all gathering dust in the Democrat-dominated Senate.

GOP Rep: House Passed VA Bills Collecting Dust On Reid’s Desk

My FOX news update email said the VA scandal “has become a crushing burden for vulnerable Democrats.”

Good! I hope it squashes the corruptocrats FLAT.

Sources:

Apologies for my lack of attention to this regular feature. This subject upsets me so much, I was literally SHAKING by the end of my blogging day on Saturday. Keeping track of where I read what just didn’t happen.

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Filed under Democrats, Media Bias, Republicans, U.S. Congress, VA, Veterans

by | May 24, 2014 · 8:55 am

Obama should be mad at himself

CNN: Obama’s VA Scandal Anger Seems “Rather Hollow”

Numerous Examples Of Obama Appearing To Be Left In The Dark

Democrats have been quick to blame the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But wounded warriors coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan cost $4,800 each on average, while aging vets cost $8,800 each on average. Iraq and Afghan vets account for 7% of those treated, yet use only 4% of the money spent on health care.

Democrats have also been quick to blame “not enough money” (when are they not?) … but Investor’s Business Daily crunched the numbers and found that from 2000 to 2013, the VA’s budget nearly tripled, while the population of veterans declined by 4.3 million.

Roger L. Simon: “With veterans dying while waiting lists are falsified, it’s hard to see government healthcare as anything but incompetent, disgraceful and quite possibly criminal.”

Source:

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Filed under Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Democrats, Iraq, VA, Veterans

by | May 24, 2014 · 8:33 am

I know nothing!

OBAMA I know nothing

Almost two months after the VA scandal hit the news, Obama said he didn’t know how widespread the problem was, whether it was big or just “episodic.” But he wanted to wait and see the report before saying more.

Really?! He needs to WAIT for a report?

Check out what he knew and WHEN he knew it:

2005: As a member of the Veterans Affairs committee, Senator Obama was briefed on problems at the VA.

2007: Senator Obama said, “Keeping faith with those who serve must always be a core American value and a cornerstone of American patriotism. Because America’s commitment to its servicemen and women begins at enlistment, and it must never end.”

2008: Candidate Obama railed against VA failures under Bush saying, “How is that acceptable in the United States of America? The answer is, it’s not. It’s an outrage. And it’s a betrayal, a betrayal of the ideals that we ask our troops to risk their lives for.”

2008: The Obama-Biden transition team was warned by Veterans Affairs officials that VA medical facilities were lying about wait times that threatened veterans’ health.

2009: Liberals touted the VA health system as the perfect example of how good ‘socialized medicine’ can be, so we totallyl need Obamacare.

2011: Congress was informed that “gaming the system” at the VA was so widespread, employees would look to get around regulations as soon as the rules were implemented.

2013: House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman personally warned Obama about “failures, deceptions, and lack of accountability permeating VA’s healthcare system.”

Sources:

 

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Filed under Barack Obama, U.S. Congress, VA, Veterans

by | May 10, 2014 · 4:29 pm

Wreaking havoc from sea to shining sea

Bush vs Obama vacay costs

Obama and his cronies have gotten richer, but the people who most strongly supported Obama and his ‘crats — Blacks — have gotten poorer.

  • The unemployment rate for Blacks is DOUBLE the national average.
  • The labor force participation rate for Blacks is at its lowest since December of 1977.
  • The labor force rate for Black MALES is at its lowest ever.

No Obama sticker

The so-called “Dream Act” is another of those Obamacrat moves that is resulting in real harm to our most vulnerable citizens. In order to provide college assistance to illegal aliens, Florida is being forced to take that aid away from legal citizens.

Planners estimate that approximately 5,000 illegal aliens will qualify under the federally-mandated, state-funded program and that about that same number of legal citizen students will be deprived of tuition assistance they would have otherwise received.

Obama USS Barack Obama

President Obama issued one of his “I can do whatever I want” executive orders in February to raise the minimum wage for new federal contract workers from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour.

Nursing homes that receive subsidized care from the Veterans Administration have two choices: raise their minimum wage workers nearly $3 per hour each OR throw their military veterans out on the streets.

At least one nursing home company has done the math and figured out the additional labor expenses are impossible. They have no choice but to go with door number two.

Sources:

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Filed under Barack Obama, Economy, Education, George W. Bush, Minimum Wage, Unemployment, Veterans

by | May 10, 2014 · 2:02 pm

My only hope is in Jesus

(This is a great montage of Gowdy’s Benghazi statements. The last cut is a tear jerker.)

Senior Airman Brian Kolfage is a United States hero. He is a triple-amputee veteran of the War in Iraq who has surpassed all odds and made the most incredible recovery of any veteran to ever survive his injuries. Below is his letter to Obama. It made me cry. My kids served in the Iraq War too. They came home whole in body, but many of their friends did not. I have very jumbled feelings about the idea that all their sacrifice was “wasted.” From an earthly, political point of view, that’s apparently true. But I try to look at the world through God’s view finder, where the point of everything is the salvation of individual souls. From that point of view, no act of kindness of self-sacrifice is ever wasted.

My Open Letter to Obama.

I nearly died in a war that you and most of your colleagues supported overwhelmingly, including the two presidents who came before you. Many citizens may not agree with waging war in Iraq to free the oppressed Iraqi citizens, but it’s something that warriors like myself have zero control over. I joined to serve my country and to better my life. I’ve seen things that you could never imagine, and they have made me the person I am today.

Mr. Obama, even though we share extreme opposite views, we have one thing in common, we both attended school in Hawaii. However, that’s where the similarities end. You see, as you attended your exclusive, private school, I would ride my bike to Kaimuki High school in one of the roughest areas in Hawaii every morning and would ride past Punahou, the exclusive private school you attended. I would notice the Bentleys, Maseratis, and fancy foreign cars that all the kids were dropped off in; wow, it must have been extremely rough in Hawaii living that life, right? I could only imagine what it was like to have that kind of money. Fortunately for you, not many people are aware of the school and the upper class citizens who attended it. The tuition to attend your exclusive private school was more than it cost me to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of Arizona. You talk a big game when it comes to financial inequality, yet I’m quite sure you have no idea what it’s truly like to have sacrifice. You were one of the elitist children in Hawaii.

After High School, we each chose very different paths. You were able to attend Ivy League schools, and I sought out a military career to in hopes of earning a degree. What we have in life as children usually sets the tone for what we will face later in life that will make us successful. I worked to get where I am today, and YOU WERE HANDED IT….Mr. Inequality.

I volunteered to go to Iraq on both of my deployments, and the second time I begged to go even after I wasn’t selected, which ultimately got me placed on the team where I would lose both legs and my dominant arm. I’ve never asked myself was losing 3 limbs in a war worth it, even though many Americans were against it.

I am frequently reminded of the many young Iraqi children who would beg me for water, food, and toys while I was stationed in Iraq. Children who in all aspects made the poorest of poor American children look rich. You have no idea what it really means to be poor. It’s laughable that you, who would have no idea what it means to be poor, would so frequently play the inequality card.

While I was in Iraq, our mission was to liberate the Iraqi citizens from a tyrant and that’s what we did. Never forget, it was your people who sent us there, like the Clintons, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi & Carl Levin. However, since the day you busted onto the scene you’ve been talking about ending the war and pulling the troops out, not understanding the blood sweat and tears that so many Americans and Iraqis invested. And with complete disregard for every life sacrificed, every limb lost, and every broken family, you bailed on our mission to pursue an agenda that was completely centered on your re-election in 2012. If you didn’t bail on Iraq you were worried that you may not get re-elected and that’s a fact. Just before elections on Oct 11, 2012 you said “Al Qaeda is on the run and Osama bin Laden is dead.” Look at Iraq now, they are in shambles and the Al Qaeda flag is flying freely. Clearly, you’re unfit for duty as a Commander in Chief. You put your own agenda ahead of America’s agenda, and now you have single handedly ruined and destroyed nearly everything we gained in Iraq. It clearly means nothing to you, because the only thing that you’ve personally invested in that country was a promise to bail on them. However, people like me gave limbs, friends have died, and we’ve watched families destroyed by war’s aftermath.

I’m not placing blame on you for the war, I’m placing blame on you for destroying what we’ve worked so hard to build. You’re not a leader, you’re a community organizer. A leader would have stood up regardless of the situation and put America’s agenda first and that is ensuring a secure Iraq even after 10 years of war. But, you placed Barack first, just as Robert Gates confirmed in his new book. I can’t help but think of those poor kids who I gave water and toys to 11 years ago. They’re probably 15 or 16 years old now, and I can only imagine what it’s like for them to have their nation being torn apart yet again, all because of your poor leadership qualities. Regardless of why we went to Iraq, it’s water under the bridge. We went there, we waged war, and we not only owed it to our KIA’s but we owed it to the citizens of Iraq. We invaded their country and turned it upside down, and you bailed on them. You bailed on our soldiers and you’ve wasted every death and every limb, it’s all for nothing. And to make matters worse you blame others for your failures.

You’re just another elitist rich thug who’s pretended to live the rough life growing up in the inner city. You’re only worried about your own agenda and furthering your party instead of taking care of Americans. Your inability to be a leader at some of the most critical points has caused both of our wars to fail. You’ve been a joke to most of our veteran community and we have no faith in your ability to lead.

Senior Airman Ret Brian Kolfage USAF

Posted May 10, 2014 @ http://www.rightwingnews.com/barack-obama/triple-amputee-veterans-screw-you-letter-to-obama-goes-viral/

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Filed under Al Qaeda, Armed Forces, Barack Obama, Benghazi, Chris Stevens, Iraq, Osama bin Laden, Trey Gowdy, Veterans

by | May 6, 2014 · 1:18 pm

THE MOST STUPID STATEMENT EVER MADE BY A PRESIDENT

That’s the subject line of an email Dearest forwarded to me today for vetting. I thought it was an urban legend because the phrasing of the alleged Obama quotation was nothing like the way he speaks. Turns out I was right … and wrong.

In March 2009, the Obama administration actually DID propose forcing wounded vets to PAY FOR THEIR OWN SERVICE-RELATED MEDICAL EXPENSES.

Obama Wants Our Vets to Pay for Their War Injuries, but Illegal Immigrants Get Free Medical Care

However, the Obama “quote” in the email is SATIRE. 

“Nobody made these guys go to war. They had to have known and accepted the risks. Now they whine about bearing the costs of their choice? It doesn’t compute. I thought these were people who were proud to sacrifice for their country. I wasn’t asking for blood, just money. With the country facing the worst financial crisis in its history, I’d have thought that the patriotic thing to do would be to try to help reduce the nation’s deficit. I guess I underestimated the selfishness of some of my fellow Americans.”

Source:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/barackobama/a/obama_military_insurance.htm

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Filed under Barack Obama, Insurance, Veterans

by | December 4, 2013 · 5:34 am

Heads up, Veterans!

Obama is again pushing gun control. The Obama administration has managed to deny gun ownership to nearly 100,000 veterans. In the 3:21 video at the URL below, Dom Raso highlights a bureaucratic flaw that’s unfairly stripping veterans of their Second Amendment rights — and tells you how to help get it fixed. It’s worth listening to, especially if you’re a voter or a vet.

Report: Obama Administration Has Denied Gun Rights to Over 100,000 Veterans (Video)

Report: Obama Administration Has Denied Gun Rights to Over 100,000 Veterans (Video)

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Filed under Barack Obama, Gun Control, Veterans

by | November 11, 2013 · 12:05 pm

FINAL TOAST TO DOOLITTLE’S RAIDERS

I would be remiss if I did not add my totally inadequate tribute to those who preserved our way of life by defending us from foreign tyranny in two world wars. I am heartbroken when I think of all the pain and hardship those who came before endured  to keep us free and strong only to have her weakened and debased by liars and thieves that turned away from God and seek to diminish us for their own personal power. This thread is not about politics. It is about those who displayed unmatchable valor against impossible odds and prevailed.

In April, 3 of the last 4 surviving members of the famous 1942 raid on Tokyo led by James J. Doolittle met for the last time on the 71st anniversary of their infamous raid. It was about 6 months after Pearl Harbor and the nation was hungry for some positive news. The raid itself didn’t do a lot of physical damage,but the emotional blow to the Japanese and the morale boost to Americans was incalculable.

There are 80 engraved silver goblets,each engraved twice. At each reunion,the living drank a toast while the deceased had their goblets displayed upside down.The final toast was from a bottle of vintage 1896 cgnac that was given to them by their late commander Doolittle.

The curtain is coming down on a breed of hero we’ll never see again.600x357
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veteransday20071

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