cross posted from Sancho Press. http://sanchopress.com/
There is also a war going on. There are men and women dying and getting maimed. There are men and women getting screwed by the right and not many on the left are doing anything to help stop it.
A war is going on that is costing YOU and me and everyone $12 BILLION A MONTH. How much of that is being spent on the care and treatment of our troops/veterans? VERY LITTLE.
90% of Americans don't give a F**K about our troops/veterans even though they say they do.
We SUPPORT OUR TROOPS. What a bunch of horseshit from 90% of the American people to include 90% of the democratic/left.
If you are a troop/veteran this probably does not apply to you.
You care about our troops? When is the last time you sent an email to your congressman or senators about a bill or issue relating to our troops/veterans? If you have done so, then this article does not apply to you and myself and other veterans and the troops thank you.
When is the last time you went and read articles on one of the innumberable sites that specialize in issues relating to our troops/veterans and the problems they are having? If you have done so, then this article does not apply to you and myself and other veterans and the troops thank you.
I am truly sorry if this article sounds like I am preaching, lecturing and/or scolding. I am just tired and frustated trying to get more of the democratic/left to help our troops/veterans.
Not many of the very large number of democrat/left on the blogs and internet are truly supporting our troops/veterans. That is just a fact.
Of course, all of the troop/veteran sites/blogs know where their readers and supporters are coming from. There is not a high percentage from the democrat/left site/blogs looking or responding.
I thought blogs and the internet were the new grass roots movements and this decades answer to marches and protests.
Of course, the 90% I use herein regarding those who are not helping is an approximation based on my experience and from communications with others at sites for troops/veterans.
I have posted this on every democrat/left blog that we show on our site as a prefered "Ciizen sites for change" (not our entire blog roll) and who also lists us on their blog roll. Thus, I may not get back to your comments quickly because of the large number of blogs/sites I posted this on.
A little under 1% of our nations population is in one of the branchs of military service including active duty, reserves and national guard.
Primarily it is the troops/veterans and the families and friends of that very small minority that really give a shit about how the troops/veterans are geting fucked.
Many of the people on the troop/veteran sites have been fighting and clawing for five years to get help with the many items that are insufficient, non-existant and inferior regarding our troops/veterans. On issues like mental health and PTSD, some have been fighting and clawing for 25 years.
I wrote about troop and veteran issues on the democratic/left blogs for months and contributed about 75 articles in that time. I know I was not on the sites very long and 75 articles is not that many. I had so little response I gave up and decided to start my own site.
Maybe I am a shitty writer. Maybe our site sucks. These could both be true, but ALL of the sites dedicated to helping the troops/veterans can't have lousy writers and a bad site.
The very few who were interested enough from the titles of my articles to read them were ALL very empathetic. I never had a negative comment or response on any article I wrote about our troops/veterans on any of the democrat/left blogs. I just didn't get many to read them. Those who did were surprised to hear how bad things were for the troops/veterans. They didn't know about the horrendous treatment in so many areas that they were receiving from our Veterans Administration, the DOD, the military top brass or this useless administartion. The latter includes the democratics who got control in the elections of 2006.
When I wrote on the democrat/left blogs I had titles to my articles that clearly indicated they were about our troops and veterans. Here are seven examples of titles and some have the first line of the text.
The silent epidemic & "signature" injury of the Iraq war. Traumatic brain injury - TBI
I was at the Veterans Administration hospital yesterday.
So, do you REALLY support the troops?
If you do not want to know about PTSD & TBI or are faint of heart, then don't watch the videos on here.
Bush breaks another promise to Military personnel.
Many Iraqi civilian deaths could have been avoided by a special laser the military has. Repeated requests for it fell on deaf ears.
Call your Congressman about H.R. 5448, Full Faith In Veterans Act, and help our veterans.
The last one with a link to the bill and to the Congressman's site who sponsored the bill, had ZERO comments on one of the largest democrat/left blogs. The congressman is trying to get co-sponsors for his bill and your email to your congressman would be very helpful. http://sanchopress.com/...
On one of the largest democrat/left blogs, All seven of the articles listed above, COMBINED, had less readers than ONE article I wrote with HILLARY in the title.
Our nation should be ashamed of the lack of concern for our troops/veterans. Most of what our troops/veterans are getting from 90% of our nation is lip service and that includes the democrat/left.
10% of our country fighting to get the proper care for our troops/veterans that they have earned and deserve is NOT enough.
I made a dozen or so good contacts/friends on the democrat/left blogs and about the same on the troop/veterans blogs. I thought if I started a site and each of those people told their contacts (they did), the democrat/left would at least come and read about the problems of the troops/veterans direct from us. That was a delusion. It has not happened to much degree at all. http://sanchopress.com/
We have a list on our site of over 20 other sites we recommend that are dedicated to troop/veteran issues. We are not concerned about only our site. We are concerned about getting the democrat/left involved in helping the troops/veterans.
I have pushed, promoted, begged, cross posted and done everything possible to get people on the democratic/left blogs to come help out. I provided links and all I asked was to at least come read some articles on our site. We just asked people to come learn about the innumerable problems and horrendous treatment of troops/veterans by this administration, the DOD and the VA.
Nine out of ten of our active members are active duty, a veteran or a family member of a troop/veteran. The friends I made on the veteran/troop sites did come over. We don't have many active members who are just normal citizens from the democrat/left. That is true of many of the sites dedicated to troops/veterans.
This is not one of the pimps of our site that I have done so many times in the last few months on democrat/left sites. This is about the apathy of the democrat/left. The hypocracy of saying "We support the troops" but doing nothing to help get things improved for them. I talk to others on sites dedicated to the troops/veterans and many say it is the same.
I don't care what site dedicated to troop/veteran issues people go to. Please, just go to one and help out. Read about the problems. Sign petitions and email your congressman and senators when it is requested on a specific bill or issue. Our troops and veterans are NOT going to stop getting fucked until they get the support of regular citizens. Not until they get help from the democratic/left. The right are the ones screwing them. I am a democrat/left, so, I am not asking the repug/right for help. If they happen to come to our site to help troops/vets and stay away from politics, that is fine.
I thought the democrats/left were the ones that help those in need. Those who are being neglected and deprived of what they deserve. Those who are not receiving fair treatment. Well, NOT many when it comes to our troops/veterans.
They did during Nam. The left were the ones marching and protesting. The left were the ones helping end the war. The left were the ones putting their asses on the line. The left were the ones getting arrested to help end the war.
Part of why it was different during Nam was THE DRAFT. Almost everyone had someone they cared about, at least knew someone in the war, knew someone who went to Canada or knew someone who was a conscientious objector.
Today, direct connections with troops/veterans is not a high percentage of our nation, so those who don't have a tie to someone, many don't really care enough to do anything.
What happened to the empathetic group on the democrat/left that would take action when people needed help? The troops/veterans need help.
During this war most of the citizens on the democrat/left only talk the talk. Not MANY walk the walk. For those who walk the walk, myself and other veterans and the troops thank you.
How many can name a dozen major ways the troops and veterans are getting fucked? Better yet, how many have done anything about all the ways the troops and veterans are getting mistreated?
Here is a PARTIAL list of issues regarding problems our troops and veterans face that are not getting much attention from the right OR THE LEFT. These are from articles on our very small site, they are only from the last six weeks and they are by primarily four writers.
PLEASE take a minute to read these items.
What do you know about these? What have you done about these? If the answer to the latter is nothing, then you really can not say you support our troops.
- TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury. The House Veterans Affairs Committee estimates that 65% of the 1.5 million troops who served in IraqAfghanistan will have TBI.
- PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Some estimates put it at anywhere from 25% to 40% who served in Iraq/Afghanistan will suffer from PTSD. This is on top of all the Nam vets with PTSD still trying to get help.
- Care at VA facilities poor, inadequte, understaffed and long waits and often for vets who are sucidal. FAR FAR underfunded.
- Tremdous backlog of disability claims and wait times. Having to go through two processes for filiing disability, both with the DOD and the VA.
- Soldier who attempted suicide on the battlefront faces Court Marshall.
- Inferior equipment provided for soldiers and manufacturers not properly vetted and often rewarded after poor performance.
- Suicde after being discharged from the military not counted in military statistics.
- Difficulty in getting employment often taking years to find a job after getting out of the military. On average when they do find jobs they pay far less than the national average and not enough to survive on.
- Military officials ORDERING VA personnel NOT to assist troops/veterans with the filing of disability paperwork. Part of the VA's job is to HELP troops/veterans.
- Military returning from combat being told to vacate housing so new soldiers can take it.
- Va collects money from DEAD soldiers families.
- Charities intended to help veterans are being bilked, used for organizers & "celebrities" "freebees" and ridiculous "consulting" and advertising.
- Troops being infected by "resistant" bacteria with little being said or done about it.
- Female soldiers being harrassed, violated and raped.
- 23 military bases with tainted and unsafe water.
- War crimes encouraged and unofficial policy
- Veterans for Common Sense realeses DOD Fact Sheet with many disturbing figures.
- Soldier pulled from hospital to be sent back to front lines.
- Soldiers who were medically unfit or considered borderline have been sent to the Middle East to meet Army goals for "deployable strength".
- Infectious Bacteria rampant at Walter Reed. This issue and numerous others reported by Lt Doug Connor. Instead of problems being fixed, Lt Connor has since been harrassed.
- Soldiers medicated with sleeping pills and other meds to mask mental/emotional problems on the front lines.
- Less Doctors and Nurses in the field than during Desert Storm with far more wounded
- Millions of dollars being spent on public relations firms to "spin" the war.
- 22,000 troops diagnosed with personality disorder (PD) instead of PTSD. PTSD entitles them to benefits, PD does not. Those 22,000 were often told to vacate the base within 10 days. They were also given less than honorable discharges.
- Base housing has been outsourced (like many things). It makes it more difficult to get problems fixed. Example; Family of four in Texas who had a mold problem so bad that they were all getting illness'. It took six months to finally get temporary quarters while their housing was fixed.
- All in the combat areas have been ordered not to blog.
- All communications leaving combat areas are supposed to be read by your superior.
- After returning and while filling out required "exit" paperwork, families are waiting across the gymnasium. It clearly states on the paperwork that if you believe you have PTSD, TBI or a mental health issue you will be immediately taken to an inpatient facility. Go home with your wife and kids who you have not seen in a year or 18 months or go to an inpatient facility??? Tough decison.
- Taliban forces do a "bait and switch" to get our troops to call in air strikes which result in many of the civilian casualties you read about. They shoot from houses and areas with civilians and then leave knowing American troops will call in an air strike with the coordinates. In the U.S. papers it only reads; Iraqi civilians killed by air strike.
- Some wounded and disabled troops were asked for their signing bonus' back because they did not finish their tour of duty.
- Austin VA researcher alleges mismanagement: Van Boven says superiors have hindered research into traumatic brain injury.
- DoD Report - 1,000 Battlefield Casualties Per Month Flood Into Military Hospitals
- G I Bill falling short of college tuition costs.
- 4 Stories in one day in newspapers of separate Sexual Assaults.
- VA claim backlog at 816,211 but IT cut back? WTF
- Suicide Hotline still telling them to wait?
- AWOL: Soldiers and Suicide
- Why soldiers are still not getting help with PTSD.
- In 2002 President Bush signed a bill to put citezenship applications of non US citizens who serve in the military on "the fast track". In addition, fees for citizenship are waived. Like many other promises made to military personnel this one is not being kept. This may not be the most important issue regarding failures to meet what military members have earned, promised and deserved but just another example of bureacratic snafus, incompetence and poor management.
- Pentagon & Senate to investigate 2 yr delay in the fielding of blast-resistant vehicles.
- Veterans Bear Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
- Special laser to reduce Iraqi civilian deaths also falls on deaf ears as MRAP did.
- Sgt. Beau Clenney has PTSD and told to "soldier on"
- GAO: Wounded care better, but more needed
- Hey Congress, Do You Give a Sheet About Our Soldiers?
- VA urged to give families mental health help but not being done so far.
- Troops Die While Bureaucrats Blunder: The Fight Against Red Tape
- 16,269 veterans and civilians not notified of DOD test risk
- Bill to spotlight issues for female veterans needs support
- VA under scrutiny for veteran suicides
- Closing veterans centers now is insane!
- U.S. troops suffering hearing damage
- More Psychiatrists Needed on Warfronts
- Bad Water in Iraq? Tainted with sewage.
- 17 veterans commit suicide A DAY.
- 200,000 veterans homeless. 25% of all homeless in the United States.
What needs to be done to get the left more involved in helping the troops/veterans?
What needs to happen to get the left more involved in helping the troops/veterans?
Can you really say you support our troops?
Please just come take a look. Scroll through five or six pages and see if any title interests you. Maybe our site does not suit you. Maybe you don't like it. That is fine. Take a look at any one of the many listed on the right hand column under; "Best" of Vet/Troop Sites. http://sanchopress.com/
The troops/veterans need the help of the democrat/left.