Question:
Jim,
How are you my friend? Sorry for the shortness, but I am completely outraged at this particular moment and it is time to take action!
When I first read the article concerning Ms. Perez email surrounding the denial of diagnosing veterans for PTSD out of Temple, TX., the bells went off and I realized now that my 30% rating was given due to the policies of a corrupt, and disingenuous Department of Veterans Affairs. I have been giving much thought to how to address this issue since the VA out of Waco traded off my appeal for a rating of 100% TDIU. To think that such wickedness and political power would be leveled against hundreds if not thousands of Central Texas Veterans, and seemingly throughout the country,is outrageous and beyond reproach!
Secretary Peake is nothing more than a pawn in a corrupt organization which stems directly from the top. The present administration calls on thousands of troops to serve and fight the war on terror, yet they cast aside the wounds and trauma's of the same soldiers they called on, denying them the entitled benefits under law. This outrageous and despicable treatment of Veterans much stop. It is seditious in nature and borders on treachery.
Right now I want to call upon my legislatures and the Veterans Committee in the Senate to call for the impeachment of the President and the removal of Secretary Peake from office. Their conduct against Veterans is totally 100% un-American. They must go!
I don't know what to say further. My outrage has left me speechless. Your words of wisdom about how I feel are most appreciated. I'm about to enter the fray and fight. They cannot get away with this any longer.
Thank you so much my friend for all you and Larry are doing with VAWatchdog.org. As always, God Bless my friend!
Answer:
As it was so well said by President William Jefferson Clinton, "I feel your pain."
The shenanigans that are happening in our government today are a national shame.
However, to sit back and call for impeachment is a waste of time and energy. I see these sorts of demands and I hear the outrage every day.
But...let's have a reality check, shall we?
It ain't gonna happen. If anyone paid attention to you today, by time this call to impeach could be moving ahead, we'll be into a new presidency.
Impeach Bush tomorrow and you know who your new president is? Darth Vader. Some people believe that's VP Dick Cheney but I know better, that's Vader for sure. He'll have no qualms about using the dark side of The ForceTM (A Halliburton product) to crush us all as he laughs maniacally.
"OK", you tell me, "We'll impeach Cheney too!" The ascendancy then gives the office to Nancy Pelosi. Oh boy, you happy now? You don't care for Pelosi? It goes downhill to Senator Byrd. There's an improvement.
Answer this for me; Why would you want to impeach anyone? What's the goal? Surely you have a goal defined?
If you answered, "To help veterans.", very nice. Well done. That's admirable, noble even. You want to make things right for veterans. Sweet.
Get ready...I'm about to slap you back to reality. You may not like this...it will sting. My "words of wisdom" aren't what you want to hear. I'll share this with you only because I like you and I think you'll understand...you're a very bright person.
You're choosing the easy way out. To fuss about how bad things are and rant at those who you believe responsible and show your outrage by wearing it on your sleeve is lazy and shows your complete lack of any effort or commitment.
You are choosing the path that keeps you from getting your hands dirty. You won't develop callouses because there isn't any heavy lifting to be done. Your back will be OK because there's no stooping down.
How will you bring about impeachment? Sign yet another of those petitions that travel by email? I get 2 or 3 of those each day. I haven't seen any results yet and I'm sure I never will.
To get on the Internet and loudly proclaim your outrage at our federal leadership is narcissistic and self serving. It's a move that brings attention to you and is designed to fluff your ego in front of your peers. It gains you recognition as an important person, a man with a plan.
You agreed that your goal is to help veterans. Great, me too. Here's a primer on how to do that.
You're a disabled veteran and you have your problems, right? I don't make a lot of promises here but I do promise you this; if you'll open your eyes wide and look a very short distance into our community, you'll wonder why you ever thought you had it tough.
Go find one veteran who needs some help and then do it.
Forget outrage, forget jumping up on a soapbox, walk away from your computer and catch a ride to the local VAMC. Go up to the VA Voluntary Services office and introduce yourself. Tell the amazing people you'll meet there that you want to help a veteran today. They'll understand and welcome you.
Be warned...your hands may get dirty.
That 85 year old veteran who remembers the horror of occupying Nagasaki or Hiroshima may need you to help him into a wheelchair.
The old fellow in the nursing home...the one with no feet (he lost them to frostbite on his 19th birthday in a Nazi concentration camp) needs some help going to the bathroom.
The guy on the orthopedic floor who is there for the hip replacement needs you...he doesn't know how to use a computer and can't read or write very well and he has forms to fill out. He's alone you know. He had an alcohol problem and his family doesn't like him very much. He didn't have much time to develop his reading skills after the sniper's bullet hit his thigh that subzero night in Korea. He fell in the dirt and then the leg was infected and he spent the next decade in and out of hospitals. He was partial to vodka. It quieted the nightmares.
Over in the cancer treatment center that USMC Vietnam veteran with non-Hodgkins lymphoma from exposure to Agent Orange had his autologous bone marrow transplant 3 days ago. He's finally stopped retching and vomiting and he's quieter now, exhausted. He'd like to watch a DVD movie and try to relax but he's too weak to operate the player.
Walk downstairs (You can do that, right? Walk? Stairs?) to the rehab center. There are 4 young veterans there learning to use their new prosthetic limbs. Each of them left some blood and skin and muscle and bone on the desert over these last few years. The kid with no hands and the burn scarred face needs just a little help picking up the pieces for the board game they're playing. Buying a hotel on Park Place is a real challenge with just the one eye and stumps.
You have a choice. Isn't that wonderful? You're in America where you can decide what you will do to help your brothers and sisters. You and all those other veterans made it so.
You can demand impeachment of President Bush and Secretary Peake so that you will improve the lives of veterans. Go ahead and thump your chest, raise your voice, start a web page, write some letters to other government officials, opine constantly to your friends and family and go about tilting at windmills until you find one that tilts back. When you succeed, you'll be famous and admired by all.
Or, you can help a veteran. This path may not bring you recognition though. The veteran you lend a hand to today may not remember you tomorrow. There's no pay. You won't receive any applause from your friends. Your hands will be dirty.
Good luck.
"You must give some time to your fellow men. Even if it's a little thing, do something for others - something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it." (Albert Schweitzer)
Jim Strickland's Mailbag: Volume #44 for 2008
NOTE: Letters in my mailbag are reprinted just as they come to me. Spelling and grammar are left as is and only small corrections are made to improve readability, ensure anonymity or delete expletives that may offend some readers. This is not legal advice. You should always seek the advice of an attorney who is qualified in Veterans' law before you make any decisions about your own benefits.
06.11.08
Question:
Jim,
I Would Like To Know What Year Did Congress Enact The Law That Stopped Compensation For Chapter 9 Wilful/Misconduct Discharges,To Be More Specific A AR 600-85 Alcohol,& Other Drug Use.The Discharge Were Honorable,Also I Would Like To Know If It Were Legal Are Illegal To Sell,& Distributed Alcoholic Beverages To Military Personnel That Were Under The Age Of 18,To Be Specific Was It Not Considered Unlawful For The Military To Sell,& Distributed Alcoholic Beverages To Personnel That Were 17 Years Old When They Entered The Military,It Were For Civilian Population Why Not For The Military?
Answer:
Me too. When you find out, let me know.
Question:
JIM,
I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS. FIRST CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THE AGENT ORANGE TEST CONSIST OF, AND IS IT WORTH TAKING IF I HAVE HAD PROSTATE CANCER AND MELANOMA SKIN CANCER. I WAS IN THE SERVICE IN 1968-1970 BUT DID NOT TO TO VIETNAM. SECONDALY, I HAVE TO TAKE 42 RADIATION TREATMENTS FOR THE PROSTATE CANCER AND HAVE TO HAVE SURGERY FOR THE SKIN CANCER. I DO WORK FULL TIME BUT I HAVE A 10% RATING FROM THE VA, AM I ENTITLED TO ANY HELP WHILE I AM TAKING TREATMENTS.
Answer:
I'm sorry to hear about your health problems. I hope all goes well for you.
I don't know of a "Agent Orange Test". If you weren't in Vietnam and you can't conclusively prove that you were exposed to Dioxin during your active duty years, there won't be any AO benefits available to you.
If you have full time employment and private health insurance and a 10% service connected rating for another condition, you may find that treatment in a VA facility is a challenge. As your cancers aren't likely to be service connected, the VA will bill your private insurance for anything they believe they can get from them. You may be subject to significant copays for non service connected conditions.
You can always apply for a service connected rating and hope for the best but unless I'm missing something, I have doubts it would be approved.
