Jon Stewart is helping veterans break into the TV industry
Army Times
Jon Stewart is leaving 'The Daily Show' but is leaving a job training program for Veterans as a parting gift.
Keri Lumm has the story.
Showing posts with label The Daily Show. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Daily Show. Show all posts
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Saturday, May 31, 2014
World Warrior Shaft
Jon Stewart covers this mess with the VA.
World Warrior Shaft
Backlog problems Stewart points out that Bush didn't fix them before Obama didn't fix them.
Then Stewart follows all of this up with World Warrior Shaft Terrible Memory Lane
Then Stewart follows all of this up with World Warrior Shaft Terrible Memory Lane
Friday, March 7, 2014
Forty-one Senators Told Veterans They Are Not Worth Votes
This is funny and sickening at the same time. Why? Because it is all true. But this wasn't just about voting against veterans.
VOTED AGAINST VETERANS
Jon Stewart Is Shocked (But Not Surprised) By GOP Killing Veterans Bill
The Huffington Post
by Ross Luippold
Posted: 03/06/2014
When a bill came up for vote that would have expanded health care and education for veterans, we knew two things would happen next. First, Republicans would block the bill, because that's kind of their thing. Then, Jon Stewart would deliver a passionate monologue explaining just how disgraceful this is.
read more here
U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 113th Congress - 2nd Session as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate
Vote Summary
Question: On the Motion (Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: S.1982 )
Vote Number: 46
Vote Date: February 27, 2014, 02:26 PM
Required For Majority: 3/5
Vote Result: Motion Rejected Measure Number: S. 1982 (Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act of 2014 )
Measure Title: A bill to improve the provision of medical services and benefits to veterans, and for other purposes.
Vote Counts:
YEAs 56
NAYs 41
Not Voting 3
VOTED AGAINST VETERANS
NAYs ---41It isn't the first time. It happened last year too.
Alexander (R-TN) 521,267
Ayotte (R-NH) 110,778
Barrasso (R-WY) 56,518
Blunt (R-MO) 497,874
Boozman (R-AR) 250,095
Burr (R-NC) 769,384
Chambliss (R-GA) 774,764
Coats (R-IN) 490,380
Coburn (R-OK) 340,395
Cochran (R-MS) 225,469
Collins (R-ME) 127,694
Corker (R-TN) 521,267
Cornyn (R-TX) 1,667,740
Crapo (R-ID) 138,108
Cruz (R-TX) 1,667,740
Enzi (R-WY) 56,518
Fischer (R-NE) 138,773
Flake (R-AZ) 527,400
Graham (R-SC) 420,968
Grassley (R-IA)233,815
Hatch (R-UT) 150,771
Hoeven (R-ND) 56,213
Inhofe (R-OK) 340,395
Isakson (R-GA) 774,464
Johanns (R-NE) 138,773
Johnson (R-WI) 409,419
Kirk (R-IL) 774,710
Lee (R-UT) 150,771
McCain (R-AZ) 527,400
McConnell (R-KY) 339,334
Paul (R-KY) 339,334
Portman (R-OH) 877,894
Risch (R-ID) 138,108
Roberts (R-KS) 223,708
Rubio (R-FL) 1,520,563
Scott (R-SC) 420,968
Sessions (R-AL) 414,963
Shelby (R-AL) 414,963
Thune (R-SD) 75,687
Toomey (R-PA) 953,644
Vitter (R-LA) 315,342
"Americans don't trust us," said Sen.Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. "And why should Americans trust us when we keep using gimmicks and budget sleight of hand to hide more spending and drive the country further into debt."According to the Department of Veterans Affairs I have just added in these "Nay" votes population by state as of 9-30-13
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Daily Show Jon Stewart credited for clueing in Congress?
Daily Show Jon Stewart credited for clueing in Congress?
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 8, 2014
Senator Richard Burr, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee talked about how bad things are for our veterans. What is even more remarkable is that he pointed to Jon Stewart of the Daily Show instead of the work of the Veterans Affairs Committee not staying on top of everything going on so that a comedian wouldn't have to do it.
Stewart has been wonderful reporting on what they have been going thru and you can watch most of the clips on veterans here. The problem is Stewart reports on what his writers know and that, that is a problem. A bigger problem when a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee didn't know more.
In 2008, NPR reported that Fort Drum officials told the VA to stop helping soldiers with claims.
The Army denied the charges so NPR had to back it up with facts. It was true.
One of the spots on the Daily Show pointed to how the DOD and the VA did not work well together however Stewart didn't know this had been going on since 2008 when Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake announced they were going to work together on claims. What followed was a report starting that "VBA's pending compensation and claims backlog stood at 816,211 as of January 2008, up 188,781 since 2004, said Kerry Baker, associate legislative director of the Disabled Veterans of America, during a Wednesday hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense."
All this didn't happen overnight. Gregg Carlstrom reported for Federal Times that "Poor planning by agency leaders and underfunding by Congress created these debilitating backlogs that may take years to resolve, according to federal officials, legislators and watchdog groups. At the start of the Bush administration in 2001, VA had more than 400,000 pending claims for disability ratings, which determine a service-disabled veteran’s employability and disability benefits. The department made progress reducing that number: By 2003, the backlog was down to around 250,000."
This was reported the same year.
“We have claims that have been pending for a decade, two decades and some that date back more than 50 years. We have appeals from World War II,” said David E. Autry, a spokesman for the Disabled American Veterans in Washington D.C., which represents veterans and advocates and helps them obtain their benefits."
Grover Cleveland Chapman, a WWII veteran went to the VA Outpatient Clinic in Greenville after having his claim denied yet again. He took a gun into his hand and shot himself at the age of 89. He had the letter with him when he shot himself, Harriett Chapman said.
That was also during the time when VA Doctor Ira Katz was being defended after withholding the fact the VA had 12,000 veterans a year attempting suicide. Yes, that means 1,000 a month tried to kill themselves but that was just part of the story since when you consider while there are 21,978,000 veterans the VA only has 3.7 million collecting compensation. How many veterans do you think are trying to take their own lives with that many in the VA system?
In 2008 the GAO found there was no accountability in the VA for claims processors.
"Lockheed Martin, the contractor hired in July 2006 to compute the complex retroactive pay awards, had difficulty making the computations fast enough to eliminate the backlog quickly. The complexity of the computations also hindered Lockheed Martin’s ability to develop software to automate the process." The result of this was that 8,763 veterans died before their cases could be reviewed.
It was the same year the VA announced online applications started.
The news reports tell a totally different story than what most reporters want to include in their articles. The truth is the truth no matter how much they want to forget about. The biggest issue is when members of the House and Senate on the committees controlling all of this want to forget about what they did not do.
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 8, 2014
Senator Richard Burr, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee talked about how bad things are for our veterans. What is even more remarkable is that he pointed to Jon Stewart of the Daily Show instead of the work of the Veterans Affairs Committee not staying on top of everything going on so that a comedian wouldn't have to do it.
Stewart has been wonderful reporting on what they have been going thru and you can watch most of the clips on veterans here. The problem is Stewart reports on what his writers know and that, that is a problem. A bigger problem when a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee didn't know more.
Burr weekly GOP address focuses on needs of veteransSounds like a really good speech. It made it seem like all of this is new. The problem is, it is far from new and because the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee along with the House, did not stay on top of any of this. They have been historically ignorant no matter which party was running the show.
News and Observer
Posted by Renee Schoof
February 8, 2014
Sen. Richard Burr delivered the weekly Republican address on Saturday. As the most senior Republican on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, the Winston-Salem senator focused on the backlog of disability claims veterans still face.
The audio of the address is available here. The video will be available here and you may download the address here. Excerpts of his address follows:
“Thankfully, over the past five years, Congress has authorized over $600 billion to VA in robust and sustained increases of government funding for veterans’ programs designed to be part of a more responsive federal support for veterans outreach and care.”
“This unprecedented level of support has been especially evident in the area of veterans’ benefits, specifically disability payments. The surge in financial support has not been matched with an equivalent surge in responsiveness from the Veterans’ Administration.”
Burr said that “incremental progress” has been made to reduce a “now infamous” backlog of claims that existed last year. There are nearly 700,000 veterans and their families “waiting for answers,” Burr said. Claims often have errors, and so veterans have to file appeals.
“More than a quarter million appeals are waiting to be resolved and the time it takes VA to act on appeals is worsening,” Burr said. “As the nation’s military stands down from its war footing, veterans should not have to wage another battle here at home, this time against government bureaucracy.”
Burr said that some veterans also have to wait too long for mental health counseling and other health services. The VA is taking steps to improve its staffing and health care delivery, “but more remains to be done.”
read more here
In 2008, NPR reported that Fort Drum officials told the VA to stop helping soldiers with claims.
Morning Edition, January 29, 2008 · Army officials in upstate New York instructed representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs not to help disabled soldiers at Fort Drum Army base with their military disability paperwork last year. That paperwork can be crucial because it helps determine whether soldiers will get annual disability payments and health care after they're discharged.
The Army denied the charges so NPR had to back it up with facts. It was true.
One of the spots on the Daily Show pointed to how the DOD and the VA did not work well together however Stewart didn't know this had been going on since 2008 when Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake announced they were going to work together on claims. What followed was a report starting that "VBA's pending compensation and claims backlog stood at 816,211 as of January 2008, up 188,781 since 2004, said Kerry Baker, associate legislative director of the Disabled Veterans of America, during a Wednesday hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense."
"The fiscal 2009 IT budget request for the Veterans Benefits Administration is about 18 percent less than the fiscal 2008 proposal. The overall IT budget for the Veterans Affairs Department, VBA's parent agency, jumped 18 percent in President Bush's latest request."
All this didn't happen overnight. Gregg Carlstrom reported for Federal Times that "Poor planning by agency leaders and underfunding by Congress created these debilitating backlogs that may take years to resolve, according to federal officials, legislators and watchdog groups. At the start of the Bush administration in 2001, VA had more than 400,000 pending claims for disability ratings, which determine a service-disabled veteran’s employability and disability benefits. The department made progress reducing that number: By 2003, the backlog was down to around 250,000."
This was reported the same year.
“Since 2006, the number of claims has grown 15 percent. The amount of time it takes to make decisions on disability claims is two to three year. On an average, it takes four years to get an appeals decision.”
“We have claims that have been pending for a decade, two decades and some that date back more than 50 years. We have appeals from World War II,” said David E. Autry, a spokesman for the Disabled American Veterans in Washington D.C., which represents veterans and advocates and helps them obtain their benefits."
Grover Cleveland Chapman, a WWII veteran went to the VA Outpatient Clinic in Greenville after having his claim denied yet again. He took a gun into his hand and shot himself at the age of 89. He had the letter with him when he shot himself, Harriett Chapman said.
That was also during the time when VA Doctor Ira Katz was being defended after withholding the fact the VA had 12,000 veterans a year attempting suicide. Yes, that means 1,000 a month tried to kill themselves but that was just part of the story since when you consider while there are 21,978,000 veterans the VA only has 3.7 million collecting compensation. How many veterans do you think are trying to take their own lives with that many in the VA system?
In 2008 the GAO found there was no accountability in the VA for claims processors.
"Lockheed Martin, the contractor hired in July 2006 to compute the complex retroactive pay awards, had difficulty making the computations fast enough to eliminate the backlog quickly. The complexity of the computations also hindered Lockheed Martin’s ability to develop software to automate the process." The result of this was that 8,763 veterans died before their cases could be reviewed.
It was the same year the VA announced online applications started.
The news reports tell a totally different story than what most reporters want to include in their articles. The truth is the truth no matter how much they want to forget about. The biggest issue is when members of the House and Senate on the committees controlling all of this want to forget about what they did not do.
UPDATE February 9, 2014
I was just reading an article on The Hill about this by Megan Wilson. It began with these words.
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) took the Department of Veterans Affairs to task over the lengthy wait many veterans face for disability compensation.
In Saturday's weekly Republican address, Burr said the backlog of disability claims from wounded veterans began to improve only after frequent lambasting by The Daily Show.
I left this comment.
Burr is on the Veterans Affairs Committee and should have known that none of this is new. Clinton left 400,000 pending claims for 2001. In 2006 8,763 veterans died before their claims were approved and Lockheed Martin started working on claims. Bush left 816,211 for Obama in 2008. In 2008 the DAV stated they had claims going back 50 years they were still trying to get approved. A WWII veteran drove to VA hospital at the age of 86, pulled out a gun and shot himself with the denial letter in his hand. Burr should have known all of this and the fact that Jon Stewart had to clue him in isn't funny at all.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
John Stewart spotlights Vietnam Veterans!
Tuesday January 21, 2014
PTSD and Vietnam
Jason Jones reports on dishonorably discharged Vietnam veterans with PTSD who can't get treatment because they were dishonorably discharged because of PTSD. (05:25)
Think bad discharges are new? Think any of this is new? Watch this in case you haven't been paying attention!
PTSD and Vietnam
Jason Jones reports on dishonorably discharged Vietnam veterans with PTSD who can't get treatment because they were dishonorably discharged because of PTSD. (05:25)
Think bad discharges are new? Think any of this is new? Watch this in case you haven't been paying attention!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
IAVA to honor Daily Show's Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart to be honored by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans group
The Washington Times
By David Sherfinski
July 16, 2013,
Comedian Jon Stewart will be awarded the the 2013 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) Civilian Service Award in November at the IAVA Heroes Gala in New York.
“Stewart has been a great friend to the veteran community,” reads a release about the event. “In recent months, ‘The Daily Show’ has extensively covered the VA disability claims backlog, shining a spotlight on veterans and their struggles waiting for decisions on their claims.”
IAVA will also honor former U.S. Army Staff Sgt. and Medal of Honor recipient Salvatore Giunta with the 2013 IAVA Veterans Leadership Award.
read more here
The Washington Times
By David Sherfinski
July 16, 2013,
Comedian Jon Stewart will be awarded the the 2013 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) Civilian Service Award in November at the IAVA Heroes Gala in New York.
“Stewart has been a great friend to the veteran community,” reads a release about the event. “In recent months, ‘The Daily Show’ has extensively covered the VA disability claims backlog, shining a spotlight on veterans and their struggles waiting for decisions on their claims.”
IAVA will also honor former U.S. Army Staff Sgt. and Medal of Honor recipient Salvatore Giunta with the 2013 IAVA Veterans Leadership Award.
read more here
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Jon Stewart attacks the VA again, without a clue
Jon Stewart attacks the VA again, without a clue
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times
May 21, 2013
If you read Wounded Times with any regularity, you know how bad it has been for the men and women willing to risk their lives for this country and each other but if you don't you'd think the rantings of members of Congress on the subjects they want to talk about were all that was happening.
If you watch The Daily Show you'd hear Jon Stewart ranting about the claims backlog. He seems to think the problem just started. He has been going off on the VA for about a month now but as vocal as he was on the 900,000 claims, he didn't seem to know that the majority of those claims were from Vietnam Veterans. Stewart had no clue these numbers have been going up and down for as long as I've been involved and aware, which goes back to 1982.
Where the hell was Stewart when President Bush was advised to cut the VA budget because he was told that the number of veterans being treated by the VA would drop? Yes, that happened and Nicholson said that most of the claims backlogged were for dental appointments. Guess the forgot there were two wars producing more wounded war fighters and veterans.
It isn't as if President Bush was the first to betray the troops and veterans. Every week the VA releases a report on the claims they are handling. Monday Morning Workload Report 60% of the claims are for veterans with approved claims filing supplemental claims. Vietnam Veterans are 38% of the backlog and 37% of Pending Claims. These veterans have waited through all the presidents going back to President Kennedy. Agent Orange claims and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders tied to their service in Vietnam along with the contaminated military bases like Camp Lejeune and Fort McClellan more toxic than Camp Lejeune. If Stewart mentioned any of this it wouldn't be so funny to him. After all, no one cares about Vietnam veterans being the majority of the claims since the only reports Stewart's staff reads are OEF and OIF so they can hit the majority of their viewers.
Pending claims
Backlog claims
The problems didn't just start just because Stewart became aware of them now. It would have been great if he paid attention to the "other than honorable discharges" that were happening years ago and then maybe things wouldn't be as bad as they are now. Total discharges at the eight Army posts that house most of the service's combat units have increased 67 percent since 2009. Then again the military sexual assaults caused over 85,000 treated last year alone. Maybe he could care that 13,000 males were among the victims of sexual assaults?
I have no patience for any administration giving excuses on any of this. I have even less patiences when someone like Stewart blows the opportunity to actually do something about it.
I fully understand that Stewart is a comedian and not a reporter but if he makes the choice to cover a topic this serious, he has an obligation to know what the hell he's talking about.
I used to watch the Daily Show because he made me laugh. Now I think it is too sad to watch because he just doesn't care enough to know what is going on.
Last night he was talking about what a great machine Obama had running for office. What he didn't mention was Congress is responsible for oversight, hearings as well as funding. Obama appoints the heads of the departments and sets the agenda but all of it has to happen with Congress taking action or not. So far no one has been held accountable for any of this throughout any administration other than Nicholson losing his job.
It would be nice if Stewart thought about any of this and then maybe Congress would be forced to not just hold hearings but hold people accountable for a change and fix what is happening to the people we send to fight our battles.
If you want to get caught up on what you haven't been hearing about what has really been going on, read THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR and know how bad it is and how it got this way. I track all these reports and even I didn't know all of this was happening.
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times
May 21, 2013
If you read Wounded Times with any regularity, you know how bad it has been for the men and women willing to risk their lives for this country and each other but if you don't you'd think the rantings of members of Congress on the subjects they want to talk about were all that was happening.
If you watch The Daily Show you'd hear Jon Stewart ranting about the claims backlog. He seems to think the problem just started. He has been going off on the VA for about a month now but as vocal as he was on the 900,000 claims, he didn't seem to know that the majority of those claims were from Vietnam Veterans. Stewart had no clue these numbers have been going up and down for as long as I've been involved and aware, which goes back to 1982.
Where the hell was Stewart when President Bush was advised to cut the VA budget because he was told that the number of veterans being treated by the VA would drop? Yes, that happened and Nicholson said that most of the claims backlogged were for dental appointments. Guess the forgot there were two wars producing more wounded war fighters and veterans.
It isn't as if President Bush was the first to betray the troops and veterans. Every week the VA releases a report on the claims they are handling. Monday Morning Workload Report 60% of the claims are for veterans with approved claims filing supplemental claims. Vietnam Veterans are 38% of the backlog and 37% of Pending Claims. These veterans have waited through all the presidents going back to President Kennedy. Agent Orange claims and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders tied to their service in Vietnam along with the contaminated military bases like Camp Lejeune and Fort McClellan more toxic than Camp Lejeune. If Stewart mentioned any of this it wouldn't be so funny to him. After all, no one cares about Vietnam veterans being the majority of the claims since the only reports Stewart's staff reads are OEF and OIF so they can hit the majority of their viewers.
Pending claims
Backlog claims
The problems didn't just start just because Stewart became aware of them now. It would have been great if he paid attention to the "other than honorable discharges" that were happening years ago and then maybe things wouldn't be as bad as they are now. Total discharges at the eight Army posts that house most of the service's combat units have increased 67 percent since 2009. Then again the military sexual assaults caused over 85,000 treated last year alone. Maybe he could care that 13,000 males were among the victims of sexual assaults?
I have no patience for any administration giving excuses on any of this. I have even less patiences when someone like Stewart blows the opportunity to actually do something about it.
I fully understand that Stewart is a comedian and not a reporter but if he makes the choice to cover a topic this serious, he has an obligation to know what the hell he's talking about.
I used to watch the Daily Show because he made me laugh. Now I think it is too sad to watch because he just doesn't care enough to know what is going on.
Last night he was talking about what a great machine Obama had running for office. What he didn't mention was Congress is responsible for oversight, hearings as well as funding. Obama appoints the heads of the departments and sets the agenda but all of it has to happen with Congress taking action or not. So far no one has been held accountable for any of this throughout any administration other than Nicholson losing his job.
It would be nice if Stewart thought about any of this and then maybe Congress would be forced to not just hold hearings but hold people accountable for a change and fix what is happening to the people we send to fight our battles.
If you want to get caught up on what you haven't been hearing about what has really been going on, read THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR and know how bad it is and how it got this way. I track all these reports and even I didn't know all of this was happening.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Jon Stewart, there is nothing funny about VA claims
Jon Stewart, there is nothing funny about VA claims
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times
May 3, 2013
The Daily Show last night focused on the VA claim backlog. It is a serious subject. While claims are tied up, the obvious issue is the lack of income to cover their lost incomes due to service connected disabilities. What is not so obvious is what the denials and waiting does to these veterans and their families.
My husband's claim took six years. We couldn't pay our bills but that was not the worst thing. The VA took our tax refunds to pay for his care because our private health insurance would not cover his treatment. They said due to the diagnosis, it was the responsibility of the VA to take care of him. When did that happen? He filed his claim in 1993 and it was not approved until 1999! The stress added to his PTSD, the very thing that he was seeking treatment for. He had great doctors and they worked with me helping him get through all of that.
While Stewart is focusing on the "issue" now, it is not a new problem and there are many reasons for the backlog being increased. It is about as bad as it was in 2008.
The VA has a weekly release of the claims. As of Monday, 60% are "supplemental claims" because while the veteran has received some benefits, most of the time they have to appeal for a higher rate or have other illnesses that may be service connected as well.
Then there is the breakdown of who is filing the claims. Pending Claims has 865,989 claims with 37% coming from Vietnam Veterans, 23% from Gulf War Veterans, 20% from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, 11% listed as Peacetime and 9% from "Other Veterans." There are 606,007 considered "backlog" claims. They breakdown pretty much the same way.
There was a backlog of claims already but the rules were changed to help Vietnam veterans and they were encouraged to file claims previously denied for Agent Orange and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As you can see, the claims backlog was already at this rate without doing the right thing for Vietnam veterans.
Stewart seems to think he is doing some good by focusing on the problem that is leaving veterans and their families suffering but unfortunately, while he may have thought it was a good thing to do, making fun of a serious issue like this did no one any service but Stewart.
We should feel grateful that he is at least talking about this but unless the public is informed on what is really going on and how long it has been happening, we will repeat the same mistakes years from now.
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times
May 3, 2013
The Daily Show last night focused on the VA claim backlog. It is a serious subject. While claims are tied up, the obvious issue is the lack of income to cover their lost incomes due to service connected disabilities. What is not so obvious is what the denials and waiting does to these veterans and their families.
My husband's claim took six years. We couldn't pay our bills but that was not the worst thing. The VA took our tax refunds to pay for his care because our private health insurance would not cover his treatment. They said due to the diagnosis, it was the responsibility of the VA to take care of him. When did that happen? He filed his claim in 1993 and it was not approved until 1999! The stress added to his PTSD, the very thing that he was seeking treatment for. He had great doctors and they worked with me helping him get through all of that.
While Stewart is focusing on the "issue" now, it is not a new problem and there are many reasons for the backlog being increased. It is about as bad as it was in 2008.
By March of 2007, the Boston Globe reported that the backlog of claims had gone from 69,000 in 2000 to 400,000 in 2007 taking 177 days to process an original claim and 657 days to process an appeal. The news got worse with a staggering 915,000 in 2009 with 803,000 with the Board of Appeals.
“Backlogs are at the point where veterans must wait an average of six months for a decision on benefits claims and some veterans are waiting as long as four years,” number of unprocessed veterans claims exceeds 915,000 — a 100,000 jump since the beginning of the year.” (Have VA Pay old claims automatically, Rick Maze, Marine Corps Times, June 30, 2009)
The VA has a weekly release of the claims. As of Monday, 60% are "supplemental claims" because while the veteran has received some benefits, most of the time they have to appeal for a higher rate or have other illnesses that may be service connected as well.
Then there is the breakdown of who is filing the claims. Pending Claims has 865,989 claims with 37% coming from Vietnam Veterans, 23% from Gulf War Veterans, 20% from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, 11% listed as Peacetime and 9% from "Other Veterans." There are 606,007 considered "backlog" claims. They breakdown pretty much the same way.
Characteristics of the pending Compensation Inventory
VA tracks claims that make up the pending Compensation Inventory by a Veteran’s era of service. As of Dec 31, 2012, claims from Veterans of the following eras make up VA’s inventory (total number of claims) and backlog (claims pending for more than 125 days):
Source: Dept. Veterans Affairs, 3/28/13
Backlog: Claims pending longer than 125 days
Post-9/11 (Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts) claims make up 21% of the total inventory and 22% of the backlog
Gulf War (definition) claims make up 23% of the total inventory and 21% of the backlog Peacetime (period between end of Vietnam and Gulf War) claims make up 11% of the total inventory and 11% of the backlog
Vietnam claims make up 37% of the total inventory and 38% of the backlog
Korean War claims make 4% of the total inventory and 4% of the backlog
World War II claims make up 3% of the total inventory and 3% of the backlog
Other era claims make up 1% of the total inventory and 1% of the backlog
Original vs. Supplemental Claims
VA’s current Inventory of compensation claims contains both "original" claims—those submitted by Veterans of all eras who are claiming disability compensation from VA for the first time, and “supplemental” claims—those submitted by Veterans of all eras who have previously filed for disability compensation with VA. Below is a breakout of the original and supplemental claims in the current VA inventory:
60% of pending claims are supplemental, 40% are original.
77% of Veterans filing supplemental claims are receiving some level of monetary benefit from VA.
11% of Veterans filing supplemental claims already have a 100% disability rating (receive $2800 or more per month) or qualify for Individual Unemployability (compensated at the 100% disabled rate).
40% of Veterans filing supplemental claims are already rated at 50% disability or higher. 43% of supplemental claims are from Vietnam-era Veterans; 19% are from Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
There are 3.9 million Veterans of all eras who are currently in receipt of disability benefits from VA. Of those, 10% have a supplemental claim in the pending compensation inventory. In fiscal year 2012, VA delivered $54 billion in compensation and pension benefits.
The VBA's Office of Performance Analysis and Integrity is responsible for compiling these spreadsheets. Questions or comments should be e-mailed to VBA's Office of Field Operations which is responsible for regional office management.
There was a backlog of claims already but the rules were changed to help Vietnam veterans and they were encouraged to file claims previously denied for Agent Orange and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As you can see, the claims backlog was already at this rate without doing the right thing for Vietnam veterans.
Stewart seems to think he is doing some good by focusing on the problem that is leaving veterans and their families suffering but unfortunately, while he may have thought it was a good thing to do, making fun of a serious issue like this did no one any service but Stewart.
We should feel grateful that he is at least talking about this but unless the public is informed on what is really going on and how long it has been happening, we will repeat the same mistakes years from now.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
CNN big news, not sure about Beyoncé singing anthem now
Marine Band says Beyoncé 'did not actually sing' during inaugural, then backpedals
January 22nd, 2013
Posted by CNN National Political Correspondent Jim Acosta
Washington (CNN) - Pop star Beyoncé opted to use a "pre-recording" of her rendition of the National Anthem during inaugural ceremonies in Washington Monday, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marine Band told CNN Tuesday.
U.S. Marine Band spokeswoman Kristen DuBois said early Tuesday that "we know why the decision was made," adding that the pop star "did not actually sing," but instead lip-synched her own voice.
Later in the day, however, the Marine Corps said in a statement that no one in their organization "is in a position to assess whether [Beyoncé's vocal performance] was live or pre-recorded."
read more here
CNN seems to be lacking direction lately. This is from the Daily Show last night and as usual, Jon Stewart got it right.
January 22nd, 2013
Posted by CNN National Political Correspondent Jim Acosta
Washington (CNN) - Pop star Beyoncé opted to use a "pre-recording" of her rendition of the National Anthem during inaugural ceremonies in Washington Monday, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marine Band told CNN Tuesday.
U.S. Marine Band spokeswoman Kristen DuBois said early Tuesday that "we know why the decision was made," adding that the pop star "did not actually sing," but instead lip-synched her own voice.
Later in the day, however, the Marine Corps said in a statement that no one in their organization "is in a position to assess whether [Beyoncé's vocal performance] was live or pre-recorded."
read more here
CNN seems to be lacking direction lately. This is from the Daily Show last night and as usual, Jon Stewart got it right.
Tuesday January 22, 2013
Inauguration 2013 - The First Black President 2 - Guns and God
In his inauguration speech, President Obama offers a progressive vision of America at odds with the boogieman Obama who lives only in the minds of his opponents. (03:29)
Thursday, October 25, 2012
The Daily Show made it Veteran's Day
Last night The Daily Show was all about Veterans! Unemployed combat medics talking about how hard it is to find jobs. Jon Stewart had a mock interview with both of them as if he was hiring for School Nurse. He pointed out what they did in combat and what would be expected of them in that position. He did a wonderful job showing when it comes to veterans, what they do there is a lot harder than what they'd have to do here.
Then Stewart interviewed MOH Dakota Meyer!
Then Stewart interviewed MOH Dakota Meyer!
October 24, 2012 Exclusive - Economic Reintegration for Veterans Two former Iraq War combat medics explain the difficulties of turning military experience into gainful civilian employment.
Wednesday October 24, 2012 Exclusive - Dakota Meyer Extended Interview Pt. 1 In this exclusive, unedited interview, Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer describes the battle of Ganjgal as the worst day imaginable, multiplied by a million.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Who knew a Marine Lt. Col. could be so funny?
US Marine And Comic Rob Riggle Talks About Pakistan, Twitter, And Uppity Celebrity Culture
Kelly Crigger, Rhino Den
Oct. 18, 2012
“Oh that’s clever…make fun of the trained killer in the room.”
It’s my favorite line. I whip it out whenever someone gives me shit or tries to rattle me. And being 6’1 and 240 pounds, it usually works.
Only it’s not my line. It’s from an episode of the absurdly funny sitcom Gary Unmarried that Rob Riggle starred in with Jay Mohr from 2008 – 2010. The great thing about that line is that it wasn’t written by some actor trying to be someone he’s not, but by a Marine with multiple deployments under his belt, making it all the sweeter.
You see, Rob Riggle the actor is also Rob Riggle the Marine Lieutenant Colonel with over 20 years of service to his credit on active duty and in the Reserves. But Rob Riggle the actor almost didn’t happen. After graduating from Kansas University in 1992 he joined the Marines to be a pilot and was on his way to making that dream happen when the comedy bug diverted him. He’d been active in comedy clubs and film and knew deep down he could make a living at it as long as he completely dedicated himself to a life of entertaining others. And therein lied the problem.
Oct. 18, 2012
“Oh that’s clever…make fun of the trained killer in the room.”
It’s my favorite line. I whip it out whenever someone gives me shit or tries to rattle me. And being 6’1 and 240 pounds, it usually works.
Only it’s not my line. It’s from an episode of the absurdly funny sitcom Gary Unmarried that Rob Riggle starred in with Jay Mohr from 2008 – 2010. The great thing about that line is that it wasn’t written by some actor trying to be someone he’s not, but by a Marine with multiple deployments under his belt, making it all the sweeter.
You see, Rob Riggle the actor is also Rob Riggle the Marine Lieutenant Colonel with over 20 years of service to his credit on active duty and in the Reserves. But Rob Riggle the actor almost didn’t happen. After graduating from Kansas University in 1992 he joined the Marines to be a pilot and was on his way to making that dream happen when the comedy bug diverted him. He’d been active in comedy clubs and film and knew deep down he could make a living at it as long as he completely dedicated himself to a life of entertaining others. And therein lied the problem.
“I miss [active duty] on a people level,” Riggle says. “In the Marine Corps I was used to people doing what they said and saying what they mean.
read more here
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Romney promise, chicken in every pot and Big Bird unemployed
There was a time when a politician could get away with making speeches suit the ears of different crowds and then saying the opposite to other crowds. Those days are long gone but Romney didn't get the message.
I lived in Massachusetts when Romney was Governor and we used to get a kick out of what he said changing every time he spoke to different groups.
The problem I have is that no one really knows what he will end up doing for sure.
He was pro-choice and said he always was because of what he learned from his Mom. That was until he wasn't and then talked about being pro-life.
He told us when he was running for office that he cared about veterans until he got the job and then cut state programs for Veterans, stopped the hiring preference they used to get and cut public employees jobs outsourcing them to India.
Romney seems to think that people will fall for whatever he says because he can't stand for anything very long. He says he wants to increase the Defense budget but that means the contractors and not the pay and care for the troops and their families. He says he wants the troops to stay longer in Afghanistan unless he's talking to them and then says they should come home in 2014 or sooner. Now we find out he wants to send troops back to Iraq?
Massachusetts had problems when he was Governor, but we didn't implode. We had the State Senate and House to keep the state going.
I lived in Massachusetts when Romney was Governor and we used to get a kick out of what he said changing every time he spoke to different groups.
October 9, 2012
Democalypse 2012 - Vague Against the Machine - The Numbers Guy
Self-proclaimed "numbers guy" Paul Ryan doesn't elaborate on his revenue-neutral budget plan, and FDR issues a timely warning.
October 9, 2012
Democalypse 2012 - Vague Against the Machine
Future American overlord Mitt Romney promises free stuff and enjoys the same insurmountable, unblowable election lead recently held by President Obama.
He was pro-choice and said he always was because of what he learned from his Mom. That was until he wasn't and then talked about being pro-life.
He told us when he was running for office that he cared about veterans until he got the job and then cut state programs for Veterans, stopped the hiring preference they used to get and cut public employees jobs outsourcing them to India.
Romney seems to think that people will fall for whatever he says because he can't stand for anything very long. He says he wants to increase the Defense budget but that means the contractors and not the pay and care for the troops and their families. He says he wants the troops to stay longer in Afghanistan unless he's talking to them and then says they should come home in 2014 or sooner. Now we find out he wants to send troops back to Iraq?
Massachusetts had problems when he was Governor, but we didn't implode. We had the State Senate and House to keep the state going.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
T. Boone Pickens donating money from his book to help wounded troops
I was watching the Daily Show last night and T. Boone Pickens was talking about his new book. The great thing was he also announced that the money from the book, is going to Brooke Army Medical Center and Fisher House! This is a great thing.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=210176&title=t.-boone-pickens
The First Billion Is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future (Hardcover)
by T. Boone Pickens (Author)
The First Billion Is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future (Hardcover)
by T. Boone Pickens (Author)
Thursday, September 4, 2008
The Daily Show doing what reporters should be doing
Last night on the Daily Show, Jon Stewart managed to find clips of how the GOP seems to have a habit of double speak when it comes to winning, the truth is insignificant.
The thing about being sexist asking questions about Palin, her experience and her record, caused the talking heads to explode over asking any questions at all. Hannity along with Dick Morris, said it was sexist to ask questions of Palin, but when it was Senator Clinton, asking her was a totally different story and Morris said Clinton would go and hide behind the apron strings. Morris pointed out that if Clinton could not take it when her opponents were "picking" on her, how could she stand up with the other nations leaders did it? Really different story when it is a member of their party.
Nancy Pfotenhauer, McCain advisor thought that the questions about Palin were sexist and wrong but when it was Clinton, yet again, it was appropriate.
The clincher here is that Palin herself, thought that when a woman was running for elected office she needed to answer the questions and prove herself.
When it came to Palin's daughter, Bristol's pregnancy, Bill O'Reilly said that it was the families business as long as society did not have to pay to raise the child. Yet when Jamie Lynn Spears news hit that she was pregnant, O'Reilly blamed her parents because they could not control their own daughter.
What was worse in all of this was when Stewart lead off with Karl Rove. Addressing Palin's experience as Mayor and then Governor, he thought she was thoroughly ready to be able to take over as president if anything happened to McCain. Stewart pointed out that Palin was mayor of a town of 9,000 and then Governor of Alaska. Yet when it was Tim Kaine, Governor of Virginia, was mayor of Richmond, population 200,000, he was far from ready to lead.
What is really depressing is that the American public gets more information from the Daily Show than the reporters provide on real news. I'm a new junkie. I won't excuse it because what happens in this country should matter and when it comes to electing the presidential ticket that will be in charge of the whole shebang, we need to be able to make informed decisions. We have not been getting the information over the ten years. We've only been handed talking points and the media has not done their jobs of becoming informed enough to ask questions when someone says something.
It took the Stewart team less than a day to come up with the clips of all of the above but the media can't do it?
The video is on the side bar at the top. It'll stay there for a few days so that people can be reminded of what was said when it the talking heads were addressing members of the other party. kc
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086
&title=sarah-palin-gender-card
Following The Daily Show was the Colbet Report and this:
Wednesday Sep 3 2008
Susan Eisenhower Endorses Obama
Episode: #04112
Views: 3913
Susan Eisenhower tells Stephen how a member of one of America's most venerated military families could stoop so low and support Barack Obama.
http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=180280
When you watch this, you'll hear Colbert mention General "Fig" Newton. This is the background on him. He was one of the generals who is supporting Senator Obama.
UPDATE: This was on RawStory. It looks like the AP decided to take a look at the convention and what was said against reality.
Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention Associated Press
Published: Thursday September 4, 2008
go here and read what was said against what the truth really is.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Attacks_praise_stretch_truth_at_GOP_0904.html
The more I think about all of this the more I am sure that Palin is ready. Not for the VP gig but for the Springer Show.
The thing about being sexist asking questions about Palin, her experience and her record, caused the talking heads to explode over asking any questions at all. Hannity along with Dick Morris, said it was sexist to ask questions of Palin, but when it was Senator Clinton, asking her was a totally different story and Morris said Clinton would go and hide behind the apron strings. Morris pointed out that if Clinton could not take it when her opponents were "picking" on her, how could she stand up with the other nations leaders did it? Really different story when it is a member of their party.
Nancy Pfotenhauer, McCain advisor thought that the questions about Palin were sexist and wrong but when it was Clinton, yet again, it was appropriate.
The clincher here is that Palin herself, thought that when a woman was running for elected office she needed to answer the questions and prove herself.
When it came to Palin's daughter, Bristol's pregnancy, Bill O'Reilly said that it was the families business as long as society did not have to pay to raise the child. Yet when Jamie Lynn Spears news hit that she was pregnant, O'Reilly blamed her parents because they could not control their own daughter.
What was worse in all of this was when Stewart lead off with Karl Rove. Addressing Palin's experience as Mayor and then Governor, he thought she was thoroughly ready to be able to take over as president if anything happened to McCain. Stewart pointed out that Palin was mayor of a town of 9,000 and then Governor of Alaska. Yet when it was Tim Kaine, Governor of Virginia, was mayor of Richmond, population 200,000, he was far from ready to lead.
What is really depressing is that the American public gets more information from the Daily Show than the reporters provide on real news. I'm a new junkie. I won't excuse it because what happens in this country should matter and when it comes to electing the presidential ticket that will be in charge of the whole shebang, we need to be able to make informed decisions. We have not been getting the information over the ten years. We've only been handed talking points and the media has not done their jobs of becoming informed enough to ask questions when someone says something.
It took the Stewart team less than a day to come up with the clips of all of the above but the media can't do it?
The video is on the side bar at the top. It'll stay there for a few days so that people can be reminded of what was said when it the talking heads were addressing members of the other party. kc
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086
&title=sarah-palin-gender-card
Following The Daily Show was the Colbet Report and this:
Wednesday Sep 3 2008
Susan Eisenhower Endorses Obama
Episode: #04112
Views: 3913
Susan Eisenhower tells Stephen how a member of one of America's most venerated military families could stoop so low and support Barack Obama.
http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=180280
When you watch this, you'll hear Colbert mention General "Fig" Newton. This is the background on him. He was one of the generals who is supporting Senator Obama.
GENERAL LLOYD W. "FIG" NEWTON
Retired Aug. 1, 2000
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with 16 oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with "V" device and two oak leaf clusters
Vietnam Service Medal
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Mar 23, 1966
First Lieutenant Dec 12, 1967
Captain Jun 12, 1969
Major Jan 1, 1978
Lieutenant Colonel Oct 1, 1980
Colonel Dec 1, 1983
Brigadier General Aug 3, 1991
Major General Aug 10, 1993
Lieutenant General May 25, 1995
General Apr 1, 1997
http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=6602
UPDATE: This was on RawStory. It looks like the AP decided to take a look at the convention and what was said against reality.
Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention Associated Press
Published: Thursday September 4, 2008
go here and read what was said against what the truth really is.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Attacks_praise_stretch_truth_at_GOP_0904.html
The more I think about all of this the more I am sure that Palin is ready. Not for the VP gig but for the Springer Show.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Six months of TV news and only 181 minutes of war news
June 23, 2008
Reporters Say Networks Put Wars on Back Burner
By BRIAN STELTER
Getting a story on the evening news isn’t easy for any correspondent. And for reporters in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is especially hard, according to Lara Logan, the chief foreign correspondent for CBS News. So she has devised a solution when she is talking to the network.
“Generally what I say is, ‘I’m holding the armor-piercing R.P.G.,’ ” she said last week in an appearance on “The Daily Show,” referring to the initials for rocket-propelled grenade. “ ‘It’s aimed at the bureau chief, and if you don’t put my story on the air, I’m going to pull the trigger.’ ”
Ms. Logan let a sly just-kidding smile sneak through as she spoke, but her point was serious. Five years into the war in Iraq and nearly seven years into the war in Afghanistan, getting news of the conflicts onto television is harder than ever.
“If I were to watch the news that you hear here in the United States, I would just blow my brains out because it would drive me nuts,” Ms. Logan said.
According to data compiled by Andrew Tyndall, a television consultant who monitors the three network evening newscasts, coverage of Iraq has been “massively scaled back this year.” Almost halfway into 2008, the three newscasts have shown 181 weekday minutes of Iraq coverage, compared with 1,157 minutes for all of 2007. The “CBS Evening News” has devoted the fewest minutes to Iraq, 51, versus 55 minutes on ABC’s “World News” and 74 minutes on “NBC Nightly News.” (The average evening newscast is 22 minutes long.)
go here for more
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/business/media/23logan.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1214202979-IKPzwPHPth4O%20XkM/q3e8w&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin
Reporters Say Networks Put Wars on Back Burner
By BRIAN STELTER
Getting a story on the evening news isn’t easy for any correspondent. And for reporters in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is especially hard, according to Lara Logan, the chief foreign correspondent for CBS News. So she has devised a solution when she is talking to the network.
“Generally what I say is, ‘I’m holding the armor-piercing R.P.G.,’ ” she said last week in an appearance on “The Daily Show,” referring to the initials for rocket-propelled grenade. “ ‘It’s aimed at the bureau chief, and if you don’t put my story on the air, I’m going to pull the trigger.’ ”
Ms. Logan let a sly just-kidding smile sneak through as she spoke, but her point was serious. Five years into the war in Iraq and nearly seven years into the war in Afghanistan, getting news of the conflicts onto television is harder than ever.
“If I were to watch the news that you hear here in the United States, I would just blow my brains out because it would drive me nuts,” Ms. Logan said.
According to data compiled by Andrew Tyndall, a television consultant who monitors the three network evening newscasts, coverage of Iraq has been “massively scaled back this year.” Almost halfway into 2008, the three newscasts have shown 181 weekday minutes of Iraq coverage, compared with 1,157 minutes for all of 2007. The “CBS Evening News” has devoted the fewest minutes to Iraq, 51, versus 55 minutes on ABC’s “World News” and 74 minutes on “NBC Nightly News.” (The average evening newscast is 22 minutes long.)
go here for more
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/business/media/23logan.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1214202979-IKPzwPHPth4O%20XkM/q3e8w&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Watching US news would ‘drive me nuts’
CBS foreign correspondent: Watching US news would ‘drive me nuts’
By David Edwards and Muriel Kane Uncategorized Wednesday, 18 June 2008
Chief CBS News foreign correspondent Lara Logan, who recently returned from Iraq, appeared on Tuesday’s Daily Show.
This is the part that made me the most upset because it was true. No one really cares unless they have skin in the game, in other words, someone over there or has been there themselves. It's very sad. Even on this blog there is a clear example of the apathy considering the posts on the Marine Puppy Toss video gathered more hits than any other post I have done. What does that say about Americans? What does that say about this country when we have thousands of dead soldiers in two occupations, thousands more wounded, thousands of families hurting and more and more problems these men and women are coming back to yet people seem to care more about a puppy being video taped as a Marine idiot tosses it into the air?
Even veterans families don't pay enough attention to all of this and that is distressing. Ok, fine, it's not a pleasant thing to read about but think about how unpleasant it is to live with any of this? The loss of true care these men and women need is staggering. Is it because of the lack of photos of coffins covered being loaded onto planes to return bodies to the states? I doubt it. One flag draped coffin looks like all of them. Taking a picture of one of them looks like what is already available online. Is it because their pictures are not published? No because sites like CNN have most of their pictures up with the death notice from the DOD they keep track of. So what is wrong with us?
Why is it the media has been able to get away with it? It's because we have not demanded they cover the occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan. We simply don't care enough to do it. I know how much time I invest in all of this but even though I don't have anyone in my family over in Iraq or Afghanistan, I have several people over there that I've been in contact with and praying for. I pay attention because I know what too many of them are going through and their families with PTSD and the problems with the VA and the DOD. I don't even know what percentage of the American public are paying attention to any of this but I guess it's reflective of the percentage of the men and women serving in both occupations which is less than 2 million involved. Think of that. Almost 7 years into Afghanistan and over 5 in Iraq and only that many families have been touched by it all. Very, very sad.
By David Edwards and Muriel Kane Uncategorized Wednesday, 18 June 2008
Chief CBS News foreign correspondent Lara Logan, who recently returned from Iraq, appeared on Tuesday’s Daily Show.
“Are we just numb?” Stewart asked. “Have we lost our humanity with this entire situation?”
“Yeah, we have,” agreed Logan. “Nobody really understands. And the soldiers do feel forgotten. … We may be tired of hearing about this five years later. They still have to go out and do the same job. … More soldiers died in Afghanistan last month than Iraq. Who’s paying attention to that?”
This is the part that made me the most upset because it was true. No one really cares unless they have skin in the game, in other words, someone over there or has been there themselves. It's very sad. Even on this blog there is a clear example of the apathy considering the posts on the Marine Puppy Toss video gathered more hits than any other post I have done. What does that say about Americans? What does that say about this country when we have thousands of dead soldiers in two occupations, thousands more wounded, thousands of families hurting and more and more problems these men and women are coming back to yet people seem to care more about a puppy being video taped as a Marine idiot tosses it into the air?
Even veterans families don't pay enough attention to all of this and that is distressing. Ok, fine, it's not a pleasant thing to read about but think about how unpleasant it is to live with any of this? The loss of true care these men and women need is staggering. Is it because of the lack of photos of coffins covered being loaded onto planes to return bodies to the states? I doubt it. One flag draped coffin looks like all of them. Taking a picture of one of them looks like what is already available online. Is it because their pictures are not published? No because sites like CNN have most of their pictures up with the death notice from the DOD they keep track of. So what is wrong with us?
Why is it the media has been able to get away with it? It's because we have not demanded they cover the occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan. We simply don't care enough to do it. I know how much time I invest in all of this but even though I don't have anyone in my family over in Iraq or Afghanistan, I have several people over there that I've been in contact with and praying for. I pay attention because I know what too many of them are going through and their families with PTSD and the problems with the VA and the DOD. I don't even know what percentage of the American public are paying attention to any of this but I guess it's reflective of the percentage of the men and women serving in both occupations which is less than 2 million involved. Think of that. Almost 7 years into Afghanistan and over 5 in Iraq and only that many families have been touched by it all. Very, very sad.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Bush's Golf War on Daily Show
Reading so much about what is happening to our troops and veterans on a daily basis, is stressful, to say the least. At the end of the day, the PC gets shut off, but my mind won't. I need to de-stress. I watch the Daily Show. I usually watch the funny stuff until he is interviewing someone then change the channel if I'm just not interested in the guest and turn to the History Channel or National Geographic or the Discovery Channel. Can't help it. I am, as my daughter puts it, a geek.
Last night, Jon Stewart did a piece called Golf War about the recent comments made by Bush about giving up golf because he didn't want some soldiers Mom seeing him playing golf. Stewart took a humorous approach as always pointing out that image does mean something, then played clips of Bush acting like an idiot. I couldn't help put wish he had added in the clip of Bush looking for WMD in his office making fun of the fact they were never found in Iraq after we lost so many troops sent to find them.
Bush's Iraq WMDs joke backfires
The president could be seen bending over to peer at the floor of the Oval Office
US President George W Bush has sparked a political row by making a joke about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
At a black-tie dinner for journalists, Mr Bush narrated a slide show poking fun at himself and other members of his administration.
One pictured Mr Bush looking under a piece of furniture in the Oval Office, at which the president remarked: "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be here somewhere."
After another one, showing him scouring the corner of a room, Mr Bush said: "No, no weapons over there," he said.
And as a third picture, this time showing him leaning over, appeared on the screen the president was heard to say: "Maybe under here?"
The audience at Wednesday's 60th annual dinner of the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association obviously thought the quips hilarious - there were laughs all round - but the next morning, in the cold light of day, things looked far less amusing.
The joke about the fruitless search for Iraqi WMDs so far, Washington's prime justification for the US-led invasion, has been branded as tasteless and ill-judged.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3570845.stm
While the outrage of all of this has been causing major headaches and heartaches, I have to admit that I laughed at what Stewart put together. Then I grew even more outraged over what has happened all these years with Bush in charge. No other person placed in the highest position in this country would have gotten away with any of this and we have to be honest about this to discover why he was able to pull all of this off. The majority of the nation is pointing their fingers in the right direction and that is to the elected GOP senators and congressmen.
During many sleepless nights, I will turn to CSPAN to watch what goes on when the only cameras rolling are from CSPAN. Most of the time the speeches are boring, but often CSPAN will play videos from the past. It is how I was reminded of the speeches Cheney gave regarding Iraq following the Gulf War, along with the others who also came out predicting everything that happened in Iraq. More reminders of how we got to where we are and how the GOP didn't care at all. I've heard enough of their speeches, tempted to smash my TV set while I heard them talk nonsense. I heard their speeches about how we cannot afford to fully fund the VA or spend the money on the VA because as they claimed, they had a duty to the tax payers.
I've read their web sites in detail as they seemed to be proud of the fact they were good stewards of our money and voted against what the Democrats wanted, prevented them from putting bills up for votes and prevented them from holding hearings on what was happening with all of this. None of them wanted to get to the bottom of any of this. It took the voters to give the Democrats the power to call for hearings and investigations. It took the voters to give them the power to actually do something right for the sake of the men and women risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then risking them again while trying to obtain treatment and compensation for their wounds.
Readers of this blog are fully aware of what the facts truly have been while they heard the simple minded claims of the elected with bumper sticker slogans instead of true support. Now we have the president actually admitting that he thought playing golf sent the wrong message to the families of the fallen. This is how he trivialized the sacrifices of their sons and daughters, their husbands and wives. We are all having a very hard time letting all of this sink in. We are forced to face the fact that no one really mattered to him at all.
Here is the video from last night.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=168642&title=golf-war
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Then you can add in the rest about what happened to the wounded veterans with PTSD, how they ended their own lives and many more tried to. The suffering of the families. The countless, (countless because the administration didn't care to count them) PTSD wounded denied treatment. The list goes on but Bush, well he thinks it mattered more what he looked like playing golf than what was happening to any of them.
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