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Meet the Texas Senator who couldn't care less about our vets
Health care. Mental health benefits. Adequate body armor and armored vehicles. A college education. These are just some of the necessities all of our service members deserve. But clearly, Senator John Cornyn doesn't think so.
Cornyn's rhetoric belies his appalling record in the Senate. The fact that Cornyn has stood with President Bush 95 percent of the time and has opposed our service members on more than 20 key issues proves he doesn't support our troops or veterans. It's a fact every Texan needs to know, now.
See his voting record or yourself @ http://txveterans.org Health care. Mental health benefits. Adequate body armor and armored vehicles. A college education. These are just some of the nec... more -
New drug fights PTSD by suppressing memories
Barry Roma, a postal worker and a disabled Vietnam veteran, tells people not to be afraid of him. He is joking, sort of. He knows how veterans -- and postal workers -- are seen by many people, and luckily he has a sense of humor. By night, he works as a mail handler in Chicago and by day, as national coordinator for Vietnam Veterans Against the War. He helps to put out a biannual publication, The Veteran, and works closely with members of Iraq Veterans Against the War. His achievements are hard-earned.
More than 40 years ago, as an officer in Vietnam, he witnessed wartime atrocities that could easily be classified as war crimes. The events occurred decades ago, but they continue to haunt and nearly overwhelm him with remorse. He watched American soldiers demolish villages, burn houses, and shoot civilians. After seeing friends blown up by landmines, he enlisted the help of local farmers, asking them to walk ahead of U.S. troops to look for hidden bombs. No one was hurt during these particular incidents, he says, but he cannot shake the memory of what he did. In May 1968, he left Vietnam to bring home the body of his nephew, a teenager who, he says, "was like my brother."
Back in San Bernadino, California, Roma enrolled at a local college and tried to get on with things, but he discovered that he could not sleep. "I had a tremendous amount of adrenaline," he says. "A couple hours of sleep a night was just perfect." Roma, who is now 60, says he began to drink heavily. (He remembers lots of "sangria with dry ice.") And, though he did not know it at the time, he showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including anxiety and nightmares.
For the rest of the article follow the link. Barry Roma, a postal worker and a disabled Vietnam veteran, tells people not to be afraid of him. He is joking, sort of. He knows how ... more -
U.S. Reports Drop in Homeless Population
WASHINGTON — The number of chronically homeless people living in the nation’s streets and shelters has dropped by about 30 percent — to 123,833 from 175,914 — between 2005 and 2007, Bush administration officials said on Tuesday.
Housing officials say the statistics, which the Department of Housing and Urban Development collects each year from more than 3,800 cities and counties, may reflect better data collection and reporting and some variation in the number of communities reporting on an annual basis. But the officials attribute much of the decline to the “housing first” strategy that has been promoted by the Bush administration and Congress and increasingly adopted across the country.
In that approach, local officials place chronically homeless people into permanent shelter — apartments, halfway houses or rooms — and then focus on treating addiction and mental and health problems. HUD defines chronically homeless people as disabled individuals who have been continuously homeless for more than a year or have experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.
Until cities and states began adopting the program, many of those people seemed to shuttle endlessly between shelters, hospitals and the street. The “housing first” strategy has begun to stabilize that population, officials say.
“We can all be encouraged that we’re making progress in reducing chronic street homelessness,” Housing Secretary Steven C. Preston said in a statement. “But we must also recognize that we have a long way to go to find a more lasting solution for those struggling with homelessness every day.”
HUD collects the statistics as part of its Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. The report said that 1.6 million people experienced homelessness and found shelter between Oct. 1, 2006 and Sept. 30, 2007. Individuals accounted for 70 percent of the people living in shelters during that time. The rest were families with children. About 13 percent of all homeless adults living in shelters were veterans. WASHINGTON — The number of chronically homeless people living in the nation’s streets and shelters has dropped by about 30 percent — t... more -
VA sh*ts on Vets
Just wanted to post another example of how our American Vets are once again be treated less than humanely. People everywhere should be outraged! Heads should roll! Just wanted to post another example of how our American Vets are once again be treated less than humanely. People everywhere should be... more
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