On the Rachel Maddow Show, Ms. Maddow interviews Richard and Susan Selkie of Texas.
They are pushing Congress to pass the Cpl. Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Bill. It has passed the House, and is awaiting a vote in the Senate.
Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) is the sole person holding up the bill from a vote. Senator Coburn, who likes the nickname he has been given (Dr. No), is leaving the Seante.
He has decided that blocking this bill is his going to be his last hurrah.
The Selkies made a direct appeal to Senator Coburn, asking he stop his opposition to the bill.
Senator Coburn's opposition is over the cost: $22,000,000. The bill would allow the Veterans Administration to hire additional psychiatrists and psychologists to address the issue of veterans' suicide.
The Selkies are conservative, and appeal to Senator Coburn's sense of conservatism to allow the bill to pass (support for veterans, &c). They note if they had $22,000,000, they would pay for it themselves, but they don't. They also note that $22,000,000 is insignificant compared to the entire cost of the budget.
Senator Coburn of course holds himself out as a supporter of veterans. (He is not, and I knew that when I lived in Oklahoma. He is a supporter of military contractors.)
The bill would provide for all sorts of approaches to the problem of PTSD: equine therapy, hunting, fishing, many different programmes outside the VA.
The Selkies' story is heartbreaking. Senator Coburn is heartless.
Fri Dec 12, 2014 at 11:21 PM PT: Senator Coburn's term ends in 2016. He is leaving the Senate early, which will require the Oklahoma Legislature and Governor Mary Fallin (R) to appoint someone to fill the remainder of his term.