Veterans

“Gasping For Air” – Atlanta Nursing Home Staff Laugh As WWII Veteran Dies After Calling For Help (Videos)

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– “Gasping For Air” – Atlanta Nursing Home Staff Laugh As WWII Veteran Dies After Calling For Help:

Staff at the Northeast Atlanta Health and Rehabilitation Center laughed as a decorated World War II veteran took his last gasps of air after frantically calling for help six different times, according to a shocking new investigation from 11Alive.com.

The investigation included the release of a never before seen hidden camera video that not only completely contradicted statements given by the nursing home staff but also proved, without a shadow of doubt, that the nursing home essentially let the decorated veteran die as if it were a joke.

The video is so disgusting that attorneys for the nursing home repeatedly tried to stop its release, going through a series of court battles with the local news station in which they hoped that the media would be ordered to censor the footage.

Read more“Gasping For Air” – Atlanta Nursing Home Staff Laugh As WWII Veteran Dies After Calling For Help (Videos)

The Republican establishment is a total disgrace for blocking cannabis medicine for wounded veterans

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– The Republican establishment is a total disgrace for blocking cannabis medicine for wounded veterans – Health Ranger:

The Republican establishment recently blocked veterans’ access to medical marijuana, making sure our veterans remain addicted to dangerous, deadly opioids. The Veterans Equal Access amendment was blocked by the Republican-led U.S. House, ensuring that Big Pharma continues to cash in on the biological destruction of returning veterans.

The very political party that claims to be pro-military, in other words, has just thrown veterans to the pharma dogs. This, coupled with the routine prescribing of mind-altering psychiatric drugs to veterans after near-instant “PTSD” diagnoses means that our brave men and women in uniform have in many cases been turned into pharmaceutical receptables for the profit interests of the drug industry.

It is an absolute disgrace that our veterans are being denied access to medical marijuana / cannabis medicine. In making this decision, the GOP establishment has become a shameful embarrassment to this nation, routinely putting the profit interests of their big corporate donors over the humanitarian protection of America’s soldiers and veterans.

Read moreThe Republican establishment is a total disgrace for blocking cannabis medicine for wounded veterans

USMC Veteran Facing Life in Prison Over 1 Oz. of Cannabis to Treat His PTSD

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– USMC Veteran Facing Life in Prison Over 1 Oz. of Cannabis to Treat His PTSD:

Geronimo, OK — After serving three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Kristoffer Lewandowski was medically and honorably discharged from the Marine Corps. After fighting the State’s wars for them, however, the State has taken it upon themselves to wage a personal war against him — for naturally treating an illness — he acquired fighting for them.

Lewandowski is now a 100% disabled veteran because of the severity of his PTSD. Since he has gotten out, the VA had him taking up to 18 pills a day to treat his PTSD. This pharmaceutical treatment was literally killing him.

At 180 Percocet per month, for ten consecutive months, along with a prescription for OxyContin, Lewandowski’s liver was failing. Luckily, for this Marine veteran, he found cannabis — and it worked.

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H/t reader squody:

“The purge continues…..”

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Coffee Company Responds To Starbucks, Pledges To Hire 10,000 Veterans

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– Coffee Company Responds To Starbucks, Pledges To Hire 10,000 Veterans:

Shortly after Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz penned a letter in which he promised to hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years in the aftermath of Trump’s immigration executive order, a veteran-run coffee company has issued a rejoinder to Starbucks, promising to hire 10,000 veterans itself according to Fox News.

Black Rifle Coffee Company, or BRCC, which describes itself as a “premium small-batch, roast to order, veteran owned and operated coffee company” responded to Starbucks – or “Hipsterbucks” as they call the global coffee chain – announcing a pledge via Instagram to hire 10,000 veterans. This is what CEO Evan Hafer tweeted on Wednesday.

The company’s announcement was greeted on Twitter, especially by those who viewed Starbucks’ announcement as hypocritical:

Read moreCoffee Company Responds To Starbucks, Pledges To Hire 10,000 Veterans

U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard & Military Vet to Join the Resistance With Fellow Veterans at Standing Rock

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– U.S. Congresswoman & Military Vet to Join the Resistance With Fellow Veterans at Standing Rock:

Washington, D.C. – In a show of solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux, U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a Hawaii Democrat who served two tours of duty in the Middle East, and who continues to serve as a Major in the Army National Guard, announced that she will be joining thousands of veterans coming from across the country to protest the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) near the Standing Rock Reservation.

“If my participation in this protest helps send one message, it is this: We must protect our fragile water resources for current and future generations,” said Gabbard, who has been involved in environmental activism since her youth.

Read moreU.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard & Military Vet to Join the Resistance With Fellow Veterans at Standing Rock

Hundreds of Veterans Heading to Standing Rock to Defend DAPL Protesters from Police

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– Hundreds of Veterans Heading to Standing Rock to Defend DAPL Protesters from Police:

As protesters continue to stand against the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota, facing off against heavily militarized police and their water cannons, rubber bullets, tear gas, and tasers, they have gained broad support. Celebrities and millions of social media users have raised awareness about the situation in North Dakota, and now, the “water protectors” have earned support from another group: veterans.

According to an article published by Business Insider that first appeared in Task and Purpose, a military-oriented news and culture site, two veterans are leading the charge in a show of dissent against the increasingly aggressive police. In the last several months, tensions have escalated as Natives and their allies have blocked the pipeline’s construction, citing fears surrounding water will be endangered and sacred burial sites will be destroyed (not to mention the fact their lands were forcibly stolen by the U.S. government over a century ago).

Read moreHundreds of Veterans Heading to Standing Rock to Defend DAPL Protesters from Police

George W. Bush Paints Portraits Of The Veterans Who Were “Injured Carrying Out My Orders”

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H/t reader squodgy:

“Can you believe this hypocrisy?

The man (a moron in anyone’s language) shows no shame.”

bush-portraits-veterans

– George W. Bush Paints Portraits Of The Veterans Who Were “Injured Carrying Out My Orders”:

This Veterans Day, former president George W. Bush revealed one of his favorite hobbies and talents, painting portraits. However, there was an extremely disturbing twist.

This week, Bush posted a photo to his official Instagram account, showing himself in an art room painting portraits of the veterans who were injured carrying out his orders. He was even brazen enough to describe the situation in those exact words.

In the caption below the photo, Bush said,

Over the past several months, I’ve painted the portraits of 98 wounded warriors I’ve gotten to know – remarkable men and women who were injured carrying out my orders. I think about them on #VeteransDay and every day. Their paintings and stories will be featured in PORTRAITS OF COURAGE – a book and special exhibit – next spring, and I am donating all my proceeds to @thebushcenter and our Military Service Initiative’s work to honor and support them. Click link in bio for more info.

Is this a slap in the face to the veterans who Bush sent to be injured and die in senseless wars, or does he actually have remorse for the part he played in the conflicts?

The portraits will also be featured in a book that will be released by the former president and will tell the stories of the veterans depicted in the paintings.

For some reason, despite the fact that Bush said he painted 98 veterans, the official “portraits of courage” series consists of a total of 66 images, according to the website.

66 is a bit of a strange number for them to select, don’t you think?

The paintings in the book will be the subject of a special exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas on the campus of SMU that will be open to the public from March 2, 2017 through October 1, 2017.

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Support The Troops – Empty Words For Betrayed Disabled Veterans

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– Support The Troops – Empty Words For Betrayed Disabled Veterans:

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H/t reader squodgy:

“Cannon Fodder. Here’s to the dumb kids with no job prospects who are picked carefully by shopping mall Army recruiters to partake in becoming Kissinger’s CANNON FODDER. Let’s hope they or their parents wake up before they fall for the false “Glory for your Country” utter Bullshit and sign their death warrant/Vets disability/suicide end game which is never for the country and ALWAYS for the Banksters & Global Corporatocracy.”

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76-Year-Old Veteran Kills Himself In VA Parking Lot After Being Denied Treatment

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– 76-Year-Old Veteran Kills Himself In VA Parking Lot After Being Denied Treatment:

A 76-year-old military veteran killed himself outside a Long Island Veteran Affairs facility Sunday after being denied treatment. He was reportedly seeking help for mental health issues at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center but was turned away, an unfortunately common experience plaguing veterans seeking healthcare in recent years.

According to the New York Times, two people connected to the hospital spoke about the incident on the condition of anonymity. They explained “he had been frustrated that he was unable to see an emergency-room physician for reasons related to his mental health,” the Times reported.

“He went to the E.R. and was denied service,” one anonymous source said. “And then he went to his car and shot himself.”

Read more76-Year-Old Veteran Kills Himself In VA Parking Lot After Being Denied Treatment

Veteran Commits Suicide Hours After Being Turned Away At VA Facility – Rest In Peace

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Veteran Commits Suicide Hours After Being Turned Away At VA Facility – Rest In Peace

– Veteran Commits Suicide Hours After Being Turned Away At VA Facility – Rest In Peace:

A former Marine and Army National Guardsmen killed himself after being denied admittance to a VA facility in Iowa City, despite telling doctors that he was having “serious mental issues.”

Brandon Ketchum, 33, killed himself only a few hours after being turned down at the Iowa City VA Medical Center on July 7th. He made an emergency appointment with the facility and spoke to doctors about his struggle.

Ketchum had been struggling with PTSD and substance abuse after returning home from his three tours overseas. He had deployed twice to Iraq as a Marine combat engineer where his job was to clear roadside explosives. He also served once in Afghanistan in the Army National Guard.

After getting turned away, Ketchum created a post on social media.

“I requested that I get admitted to 9W (psychiatric ward) and get things straightened out,” he wrote on Facebook. “I truly felt my safety and health were in jeopardy, as I discussed with the doc. Not only did I get a ‘NO’, but three reasons of no based on me being not f***** up enough. At this point I say, ‘why even try anymore?’ They gave up on me, so why shouldn’t I give up on myself? Right now, that is the only viable option given my circumstances and frame of mind.”

Read moreVeteran Commits Suicide Hours After Being Turned Away At VA Facility – Rest In Peace

OUTRAGEOUS: Veterans are now receiving letters prohibiting the purchase, possession, receipt, or transport of a firearm/ammunition…

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– OUTRAGEOUS: Veterans are now receiving letters prohibiting the purchase, possession, receipt, or transport of a firearm/ammunition…:

Written By Constitutional Attorney Michael Connelly, J.D.

How would you feel if you received a letter from the U.S. Government informing you that because of a physical or mental condition that the government says you have it is proposing to rule that you are incompetent to handle your own financial affairs? Suppose that letter also stated that the government is going to appoint a stranger to handle your affairs for you at your expense? That would certainly be scary enough but it gets worse.

What if that letter also stated: “A determination of incompetency will prohibit you from purchasing, possessing, receiving, or transporting a firearm or ammunition. If you knowingly violate any of these prohibitions, you may be fined, imprisoned, or both pursuant to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, Pub.L.No. 103-159, as implemented at 18, United States Code 924(a)(2).”?

That makes is sound like something right from a documentary on a tyrannical dictatorship somewhere in the world. Yet, as I write this I have a copy of such a letter right in front of me. It is being sent by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of America’s heroes. In my capacity as Executive Director of the United States Justice Foundation (USJF) I have been contacted by some of these veterans and the stories I am getting are appalling.

Read moreOUTRAGEOUS: Veterans are now receiving letters prohibiting the purchase, possession, receipt, or transport of a firearm/ammunition…

Veterans Affairs Wants To Provide Sex-Reassignment Surgeries For Transgender Vets

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– Veterans Affairs Wants To Provide Sex-Reassignment Surgeries For Transgender Vets:

As the nation struggles over which restroom to use when you’re ‘undecided’, the Department of Veterans Affairs has decided to chime in on the issue of gender dysphoria as it plans to lift a ban on sex reassignment surgeries for transgender veterans.

The VA says the surgical procedures were not deemed to be “medically necessary” in the past and there were questions over their safety and effectiveness. However, as the military prepares to allow transgender troops to serve openly and President Barack Obama’s administration wrangles with states over the rights of transgender people to use the restrooms of the their choice, it appears, as Military.com reports, that transition-related surgeries may soon be covered…

Read moreVeterans Affairs Wants To Provide Sex-Reassignment Surgeries For Transgender Vets

Over 125,000 veterans denied benefits by the VA – report

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Over 125,000 veterans denied benefits by the VA – report

– Over 125,000 veterans denied benefits by the VA – report:

Tens of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with less-than-honorable discharges, many with physical and mental injuries, were being denied care by the Department of Veterans Affairs, claims a new report by a veterans’ advocacy group.

“The VA created much broader exclusion criteria than Congress provided, failing to give veterans due credit for their service to our country,” said the report by advocacy group Swords to Plowshares, published on Wednesday.

Read moreOver 125,000 veterans denied benefits by the VA – report

238,000 Veterans Have Died Waiting For Healthcare

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Military-Veterans-Israel

– 238,000 US veterans died waiting for health care – leaked document:

A leaked document shows nearly one-third of the 847,000 veterans in the Department of Veteran Affairs’ backlog died while waiting for treatment, amounting to more than 238,000 patients, according to documents obtained by the Huffington Post.

The VA maintains that the number is so large because it has no mechanism to purge the list of dead applicants, and that some of the veterans may have died years ago. VA spokeswoman Walinda West told the Huffington Post that some people on the list may never have completed an application, or could be using other insurance.

Read more238,000 Veterans Have Died Waiting For Healthcare

Veterans Affairs Paid Out $142 Million in Cash Bonuses Immediately Following Deadly Scandal

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Veterans Affairs

– Veterans Affairs Paid Out $142 Million in Cash Bonuses Immediately Following Deadly Scandal:

The Department of Veterans Affairs doled out more than $142 million in bonuses to executives and employees for performance in 2014 even as scandals over veterans’ health care and other issues racked the agency.

The agency paid more than $380,000 in 2013 performance bonuses to top officials at hospitals where veterans faced long delays in receiving treatment, including those under investigation for wait-time manipulation.

In Tomah, Wis., the former chief of staff of the VA medical center there, Dr. David Houlihan — whom veterans nicknamed the “Candy Man” because of his prolific prescribing of narcotics — received a $4,000 bonus in December. That was nine months after an inspector general investigation report concluded he was prescribing alarmingly high amounts of opiates. And it was four months after Marine Corps veteran Jason Simcakoski, 35, died of “mixed-drug toxicity” as an inpatient at Tomah after he was prescribed a fatal cocktail of medications, including opiates. The inpatient pharmacist supervisor also received a $1,050 bonus in December. A spokesman for the Tomah VA declined to comment. The VA moved last month to fire Houlihan. A lawyer who represented him did not respond to a message Tuesday seeking comment.

In Augusta, Ga., VA financial manager Jed Fillingim was awarded a $900 performance bonus. He drew scrutiny from Congress last year after news reports revealed he admitted drinking and driving a government truck to a VA meeting in 2010 and a co-worker fell from the truck and was killed. 

– From the excellent USA Today article: Veterans Affairs Pays $142 Million in Bonuses Amid Scandals 

For several months in 2014, one of the biggest stories in America revolved around revelations of incompetence and death at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Specifically, an internal VA investigation admitted at least 23 veterans died while waiting for care, and that 120,000 were being affected by delinquent care. The FBI subsequently launched a criminal probe into the VA, and here’s what the White House had to say about the entire affair:

Read moreVeterans Affairs Paid Out $142 Million in Cash Bonuses Immediately Following Deadly Scandal

Nearly One-Third Of 847,000 Vets With Pending Applications For VA Health Care Already Died

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– Leaked Document: Nearly One-Third Of 847,000 Vets With Pending Applications For VA Health Care Already Died (Huffington Post, July 15, 2015):

WASHINGTON — More than 238,000 of the 847,000 veterans with pending applications for health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs have already died, according to an internal VA document provided to The Huffington Post.

Scott Davis, a program specialist at the VA’s Health Eligibility Center in Atlanta and a past whistleblower on the VA’s failings, provided HuffPost with an April 2015 report titled “Analysis of Death Services,” which reviews the accuracy of the VA’s veteran death records. The report was conducted by staffers in the VA Health Eligibility Center and the VA Office of Analytics.

Flip to page 13 and you’ll see some stark numbers. As of April, there were 847,822 veterans listed as pending for enrollment in VA health care. Of those, 238,657 are now deceased, meaning they died after they applied for, but never got, health care.

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George W. Bush Charged $100,000 To Speak At Charity For Wounded Veterans

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Bush

– George W. Bush Charged $100,000 to Speak at Charity for Wounded Veterans (Liberty Blitzkrieg, July 9, 2015):

Former President George W. Bush billed a charity for wounded military veterans $100,000 in speaking fees three years ago, a new report says.

The organization also provided Bush with private jet travel to Houston at a cost of $20,000.

Laura Bush, the former president’s wife, additionally pocketed $50,000 after appearing for the group in 2011, ABC reported.

Helping a Hero fundraises for homes that are specifically adapted for military veterans with lost limbs and other severe injuries, it said.

The group specifically helps those who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.

– From the Hill article: George W. Bush Charged $100K for Speech at Wounded Veterans Event 

Only in America could it been seen as acceptable for the man most directly responsible for causing young veterans their wounds, to turn around and charge $100,000 to speak in front of a charity for those same veterans.

While one could argue (though it’s becoming increasingly hard these days with evidence of Saudi Arabia’s role in 9/11), that the invasion of Afghanistan seemed justified at the time, the invasion of Iraq was nothing short of a horrific war crime. Iraq had nothing to do with September 11th, and everyone with half a brain knew that. The Iraq war continues to be a gigantic crime scene. One in which thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were killed. For absolutely no reason. 

Read moreGeorge W. Bush Charged $100,000 To Speak At Charity For Wounded Veterans

VA turns U.S. military vets into suicidal drug addicts while Big Pharma rakes in profits

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– VA turns U.S. military vets into suicidal drug addicts while Big Pharma rakes in profits (Natural News, June 11, 2015):

A year ago, as the summer of 2013 dawned, the Obama Administration was hit with yet another scandal, one that would resonate with Democrat and Republican voters: VA Hospitals around the country were falsifying appointment records in order to satisfy treatment quotas, leaving scores of veterans without care which led to the deaths of perhaps 1,000 men and women who had honorably served their country.

Read moreVA turns U.S. military vets into suicidal drug addicts while Big Pharma rakes in profits

Cops Asked to Check In on 74 Year Old Man – Break In and Kill Him Instead

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Reported about this here:

– Family asks cops to check on 74-year-old vet after surgery, and they break in and kill him

James Allen

– Cops Asked to Check In on 74 Year Old Man – Break In and Kill Him Instead (Activist Post, Feb 10, 2015):

A North Carolina family asked Gastonia police to check in on a family member who was recovering from surgery. In an ideal world, this would be a wonderful service to be performed by police with a grateful community that would offer them thanks.

Unfortunately, these notions have nothing to do with the business model of modern day policing, which does not serve those it views as its enemy. Indeed, although it might be the public that helps keep the coffers full by various means, it is a public still viewed as the number one threat by the police who benefit from them – by various means.

Read moreCops Asked to Check In on 74 Year Old Man – Break In and Kill Him Instead

1000s Of Veterans Busted For Massive Benefits Fraud

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– 1000s Of Veterans Busted For Massive Benefits Fraud (ZeroHedge, Nov 1, 2014):

When work is punished and grift is not, is it any surprise that, as The Washington Times reports, nearly 60,000 triple dipping Veterans picked up $3.5 billion in benefits (collecting their military retirement pay; and disability benefits from both the Veterans Administration and Social Security too). The arrangement is legal, but since everyone else is abusing the system, from crony banks to deadbeat dads to squatting slummers, it was only a matter of time before even veterans decided to dip, then dip again and dip some more. Sen. Tom Coburn, noted it was “hard to understand,” but perhaps the hardest thing to understand is why it took veterans so long to realize we live in a world without consequences.

As The Washington Times reports, tens of thousands of veterans collect their military retirement pay and disability benefits from the Veterans Administration and disability checks from Social Security too, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. All told, nearly 60,000 triple dippers collected $3.5 billion in benefits.

Read more1000s Of Veterans Busted For Massive Benefits Fraud