LilBambi’s Blog – BambisMusings

Did You Know 200,000 Veterans Are Sleeping on the Streets?

America’s promise to “Support the Troops” ends the moment they take off the uniform and try to make the transition to civilian life.

What is this?! People who were damaged by wars in this country (U.S.A) apparently have to wait on appeal for Disability hearings for upwards of 4 to 4 1/2 years?! It is bad enough that they have to wait 6 months for the initial hearing, but at least that is better than the years of wait for an appeal if denied initially.

Banking cartels get HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS of our tax dollars without accountability after weeks of deliberation by Congress and GM gets to become a bank to get BILLIONS of that and so many others have received bailouts — yet individual American Veterans who were damaged in some way by the ravages of war are treated like this?!

Oh, the shame! Now THIS is a national disaster of an unprecedented nature.

I am sure this is only the tip of the iceberg. I have heard of many people trying to get Social Security Disability that also have to wait years on appeal for disability hearings and that is bad enough after paying in for this for years – being told it will be there for them if needed, and then they go through hell to get it – if they ever get it!

Or have to go through painful testing at Walter Reed Hospital to determine the ongoing extent of disability year after year for degenerative diseases like my own father had to do – who was also a Veteran (Korean War) but not injured in war. My Daddy, after 14 years active duty and he had considered himself to be a Lifer in the military – a man who loved the military and didn’t want to leave it – was Honorably Discharged for Medical Reasons. The military found out that the rigors of military life was exacerbating a disease that they discovered he had (which was a debilitating disease – deterioration of the nerves and muscles – Charcot Marie Tooth Disease – now it’s considered one of the many variants of CMT) while he was in the military. Years later he was to find out that this dreadful disease was hereditary but no one knew much about at the time he was diagnosed with it.

But to treat our Veterans who were damaged in some way in wars like this is unconscionable!

How can these Veterans be left to slip through the cracks of a stupid bureaucracy like this?!

Well, if as they claim it is ONLY Congress or the President who have the power to change this – if they are the ONLY ones who can make this country do right by it’s hurting Veterans – then we need to call upon the U.S. Congress and this country’s new President-elect Obama to fix this and fix it right away!

I say it’s way past time to fix this injustice.

EDIT: In case others do not read comments for postings, I will link to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans for your perusal where the following information can be found:

Who are homeless veterans?

The U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) says the nation’s homeless veterans are mostly males (4 % are females). The vast majority are single, most come from poor, disadvantaged communities, 45% suffer from mental illness, and half have substance abuse problems. America’s homeless veterans have served in World War II, Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Operation Iraqi Freedom, or the military’s anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America. Forty-seven percent of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam Era. More than 67% served our country for at least three years and 33% were stationed in a war zone.

How many homeless veterans are there?

Although accurate numbers are impossible to come by — no one keeps national records on homeless veterans — the VA estimates that nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. And nearly 400,000 experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of every three homeless men who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served this country. According to the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Urban Institute, 1999), veterans account for 23% of all homeless people in America.

Homeless veterans face new battle for survival (CNN)

More to think about:

VA Poorly Equipped to Care for Soldiers Injured in Iraq (Opinion piece on Veterans Today)

The VA recognizes the problem and has reached out to states and organizations to help with the needs of Homeless Veterans – Project CHALENG

If someone has an exact quote from the VA that substantiates the claims by all of these and many more articles on news publication sites, please post a comment.

Wow! It was a truly impressive acceptance speech!

I hope that President-elect Obama can carry through on what he said. We heard similar wonderful words in Clinton’s “Covenant” speech — I voted for him and came away after 8 years feeling burned and disillusioned. Words are just that…words. I hope this time it will be different. Our country’s needs are so much greater at this time than they were in Clinton’s time — we stand at a major turning point in our once great nation.

And most of all I hope that the words spoken are to truly get back to Our Constitution. To do what needs to be done to return us to sound money, limited government, and the respect for every individual’s inherited rights to freedom and liberty, the heritage envisioned for us, and left to us by the blood and honor of our Founders.

Otherwise, I fear we are in great trouble.

Tweeny shared an article from Salon that really got my blood boiling! Not against Salon but against Time magazine and this truth is lies and lies are truth thing (you know DoubleSpeak) that is going on these days!

Time magazine’s article is entitled, “Do Americans Care About Big Brother?:”

Pity America’s poor civil libertarians. In recent weeks, the papers have been full of stories about the warehousing of information on Americans by the National Security Agency, the interception of financial information by the CIA, the stripping of authority from a civilian intelligence oversight board by the White House, and the compilation of suspicious activity reports from banks by the Treasury Department. On Thursday, Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine released a report documenting continuing misuse of Patriot Act powers by the FBI. And to judge from the reaction in the country, nobody cares.

Where do they get their information?! They say it’s polls but that can’t be, because any poll I have seen does not favor giving up ‘essential liberty’ for ’security’ like the quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin says:

“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”.
–Benjamin Franklin

The US Constitution is very clear about our rights and liberties in this regard in the 4th Amendment:

U.S. Constitution – Amendment 4

Amendment 4 – Search and Seizure

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, AND no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Notes for this amendment: Proposed 9/25/1789
Ratified 12/15/1791

Salon’s Glenn Greenwald’s Unclaimed Territory is spot on!

This article literally has more factual errors — pure, retraction-level falsehoods — than it has paragraphs. It makes Joe Klein look like a knowledgable and conscientious surveillance expert. It’s one of the most falsehood-plagued articles I’ve seen in quite some time. Let’s just count the ways this article includes demonstrably false assertions, purely based on facts:

And then he goes on to point out each and every fallacy!

And Glenn Greenwald is right! We do VERY MUCH CARE, but Washington isn’t listening! And I guess you could say, why should they care when all they seem to hear is this and this (youtube) and this;

“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.”

“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!”

And they think that either McCain or Obama will do be better on our freedoms and liberties and stealing more and more tax money despite uproar by citizens writing, calling, emailing and faxing their congressmen pleading with them to do not support the stripping away of our rights and liberties and/or giving away our hard earned money to get another ’sob story’ by corporations and banking cartels?

To me, I have nothing to lose by voting third party. I honestly think we need to get back to our Constitutionally based government before it’s too late!

I am going to vote third party. I hope many of you will consider doing so as well. Let’s send a clear message to Washington. They have given us no true candidates to vote for, so we are going to choose amongst the Third Party Ticket items on the ballot. Either way, vote from a clear and educated choice.

Learn about all of the presidential candidates and compare their stances on the issues (below they are listed in ABC order of their Party affiliation):

Constitution Party Candidate: Chuck Baldwin
Democratic Party Candidate: Barack Obama
Green Party Candidate: Cynthia McKinney
Independent Party Candidate: Ralph Nader
Libertarian Party Candidate: Bob Barr
Republican Party Candidate: John McCain

No vote is thrown away if we vote from our hearts and with knowledge. We have to make a stand somewhere. And why not now.

McCain and Obama need to stop insulting the intelligence of voters with their ‘misdirection’ and get down to talking about the issues they will address for American voters who are sick and tired of hearing this ‘bickering’ BS and have greater worries in real life then this ignorant petty crap.

Voters are more interested in how these supposed candidates will address issues close to home.

How about the sad state of affairs in pricing for food, fuel, heating, utilities and other aspects of economics at home, the unbelievable national debt that has put a $30K-$35K in taxes on the heads of children and grandchildren born today in the USA on the day they are born (and which at this rate will only get much worse by the time they are of working/paying taxes age).

While they are at it, how are they addressing the unconscionable departure from the Constitution and creation of a surveillance state and turning on their Citizens, not to mention the war and fear mongering. Or maybe the financial loans/gifts to peoples outside the USA while Citizens in this once great country are put under as great a tax burden and cost of goods burden as any Boston Tea Party type event that prompted the Revolutionary War. Not to mention the costs to local cities, and states for badly handled disasters, roads, bridges, trains, planes, lack of education, so-called welfare system, and more! Before our very eyes this economy can not basically support its own weight.

And what about this ‘need’ to intervene in other countries’ business and starting wars that are putting our people and our ‘national defense’ at greater risk? And what about this obnoxious fiat money and central banks foisted on us? Who really controls our country at this point? It was supposed to be the Citizens through their elected representatives. And that’s just touching on the some of hot spots!

I think this lipstick scandal just underlines for many the need to vote for a third candidate — maybe write in Ron Paul who makes more sense than either of these ‘candidates,’ or a candidate from either the Constitution Party or the Libertarian Party — both of which make more sense than the supposed candidates from Washington.

Voters have a real chance to at the very least send a message to Washington — If those who are voting will turn their backs on Washington’s supposed candidates and vote for someone who will bring true change to return to the Constitutional precepts of this once great country of ours, maybe we have a chance of returning to what this great country was built upon — small government, wars only in direct defense of our country, non-intervention in other countries affairs, and caring for our own.

At the very least, if the combined votes of disenfranchised voters who believe in what the Constitution stands for send votes for Ron Paul, or the Constitution Party or the Libertarian Party, it will send a clear message to Washington that Citizens are not happy with what is going on — because with the current crop of Washington pushed candidates, it really doesn’t matter who gets in office — it’s all bad news for Citizens’ Constitutional freedoms and liberty — the loss of very Constitution we were built upon.

Gold, Peace and Prosperity
(PDF download from www.mises.org/resources/3150)
Also available from Amazon.

Ron Paul’s amazing understanding about the problems this great nation, and it’s Citizens are dealing with are a great reason for voting for Ron Paul.

I first read his Freedom Under Siege which believe it or not Ron Paul wrote in the early 80s! (also available from mises.org as a direct PDF link as well) that he wrote and mades available for free – also available from Amazon.) and just read this one Gold, Peace and Prosperity which the forward and preface writers call more of a pamphlet (albeit a large pamphlet). They complement each other very well.

Gold, Peace and Prosperity outlines in totally understandable terms all about inflation. Why we have it, when it pretty much started in this country and what exacerbated it — and most importantly why we NEED to get back to the gold standard.

Both are excellent must reads!

Ron Paul: A New Hope

Dr. Ron Paul cured my apathy. Great line in the following video … one of many.

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

~Abraham Lincoln

Non-interventionism – No entangling alliances!