The Conservative Plan to Fix the VA Has Vets Hopping Mad

Some members of the commission established by Congress to evaluate the Department of Veterans Health Administration have proposed drastically reducing the size of the VHA by closing its health facilities and transferring the care of the nation's millions of military veterans to the private sector. But in a letter sent to the chair of the Commission on Care, leaders of eight of the country's most prominent veterans' advocacy organizations blasted the proposal....
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/04/veterans-groups-really-dont-idea-privatized-va-system

Veterans Aren't Having Sarah Palin's PTSD Scapegoating

"Palin is using PTSD as an excuse to shift blame away from her son's domestic violence."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/veterans-sarah-palins-ptsd_us_56a10331e4b0404eb8f0726b

Great Day for Veterans (Forethought Radio)

Portland, Oregon, public high-school students disallowed from participating in a religious Catholic Grotto performance. Gideon bibles removed from Northern Illinois University hotel rooms. We announce Brooke Mulder as the winner of FFRF’s “Nothing Fails Like Prayer” contest for her secular invocation before Glendale, Arizona, city council. Then we hear veteran Steven Hewett (introduced by veteran Steve Trunk) talk about his successful lawsuit to remove a Christian War Memorial from the city of King, North Carolina.
Interview:
http://ffrf.libsyn.com/great-day-for-veterans

Republican Combat Vet Eviscerates ‘Xenophobic’ Conservatives: ISIS Wins If You Block Refugees

“The Statue of Liberty cannot have a stiff arm. Her arm must continue to keep the torch burning brightly,” Russell continued. “If we use our passions, anger, and fear to snuff out her flame by xenophobic and knee-jerk policy, the enemy wins. We have played into their hands, period.”
http://www.alternet.org/immigration/republican-combat-vet-eviscerates-xenophobic-conservatives-isis-wins-if-you-block

Homeless veterans in Sacramento find hope.
https://youtu.be/2C0Z47cObQo

Exclusive: Air Force Whistleblowers Risk Prosecution to Warn Drone War Kills Civilians, Fuels Terror

Has the U.S. drone war "fueled the feelings of hatred that ignited terrorism and groups like ISIS"? That’s the conclusion of four former Air Force servicemembers who are speaking out together for the first time. They’ve issued a letter to President Obama warning the U.S. drone program is one of the most devastating driving forces for terrorism. They accuse the administration of lying about the effectiveness of the drone program, saying it is good at killing people—just not the right ones. The four drone war veterans risk prosecution by an administration that has been unprecedented in its targeting of government whistleblowers. In a Democracy Now! exclusive, they join us in their first extended broadcast interview.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/mE9NV_wzzrQ

"Numbing & Horrible": Former Drone Operator Brandon Bryant on His Haunting First Kill

Former Air Force pilot Brandon Bryant is one of the the first U.S. drone operators to speak out against President Obama’s global assassination program. Bryant served as a sensor operator for the Predator program from 2007 to 2011, manning the camera on the unmanned aerial vehicles that carried out attacks overseas. After he left active duty in the Air Force, he was presented with a certificate that credited his squadron for 1,626 kills. We hear Bryant’s recounting of his first-ever lethal drone strike and the impact it continues to have on him today.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/S6sqUJaxMdM

Exclusive: 2 Air Force Vets Speak Out for First Time on Why They Want the Drone War to Stop

In an unprecedented open letter to President Obama, four U.S. Air Force servicemembers who took part in the drone war say targeted killings and remote-control bombings fuel the very terrorism the government says it’s trying to destroy. Two of the signatories, former sensor operator Stephen Lewis and former Air Force technician Cian Westmoreland, tell us why they are speaking out for the first time about what they did. “Anybody in the Air Force knows that an air strike has collateral damage a significant amount of the time,” Westmoreland says. “I’m saying it wasn’t all enemies. It was civilians as well.”
Interview:
https://youtu.be/ArlvkgvfvgA

U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Fights For $15 Minimum Wage

A U.S. war veteran is now fighting another battle at home for a $15/hour minimum wage.
https://youtu.be/DszM-HtKiyM

Why Aren’t More Candidates Listening To Veterans On Medical Marijuana?

Veterans tell ThinkProgress that many Republican candidates are "just completely unreasonable and buy into the 'Reefer Madness' ... Read more

WHISTLEBLOWER: Halliburton provided contaminated water to Soldiers • BRAVE NEW FILMS

Ben Carter, a former Halliburton/KBR water purification specialist, discusses discovering Halliburton was providing dangerously contaminated water to troops, and the serious long-term implications. WATCH THE FULL FILM FREE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q8y-...
https://youtu.be/BJ63PyHEiVo

Missed Treatment: Soldiers With Mental Health Issues Dismissed For 'Misconduct'

NPR and Colorado Public Radio also conducted an investigation, based on hours of secret recordings from James, hundreds of pages of confidential documents from Fort Carson, and interviews with dozens of sources both inside and outside the base. And that evidence suggests the Army failed to pursue key evidence in its investigation, ruling out claims of mistreatment from nine other war veterans without ever interviewing or even contacting the men.
Interview:
http://www.npr.org/2015/10/28/451146230/missed-treatment-soldiers-with-mental-health-issues-dismissed-for-misconduct

Why does the Right Hate Grandmas and Veterans?

Thom Hartmann debates Romina Boccia, Grover M. Hermann fellow in federal budgetary affairs-Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation, Website: www.heritage.org, over Republicans in Congress using veterans and Social Security in their effort to get what they want on other issues.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/XEk8r13yNv8

22 U.S. veterans die by suicide every day

TRANSCRIPT
Oct 16, 2015

PHOEBE GAVIN, ThinkProgress & US Army Veteran, OIF ‘07-’08:
On average, 22 US veterans die by suicide every day.That’s due to stigma and issues in the mental health care system

Stigma prevents veterans from seeking out the help they need, but even for those who do seek treatment, many lack access to consistent, quality care.

A big cause is the VA’s massive mental health provider shortage. In 2013, 60 percent of its medical centers had a hard time recruiting or retaining it’s mental health providers.

Lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation to set up mental health residency centers in rural and underserved areas, but some veterans aren’t just waiting for the government. Around the country, veterans are breaking down stigma by becoming mental health professionals themselves.

Now, isn’t that something?
https://youtu.be/oXIq4EiptI8

Lindsey Graham: We Can't Fix The VA Until We Cut Your Social Security

So Pete Peterson has funded yet another conference geared toward convincing people (in this case, college students) to... cut entitlement spending and... Read more

14 San Francisco Cops Vs. Homeless Man With One Leg

A physically disabled homeless man was detained by 14 police officers in downtown San Francisco. They pinned him to the ground by his prosthetic leg for allegedly waving his walking stick in a “threatening manner.”
https://youtu.be/2iTeK9K-bFs

The U.S. Declared War On Veteran Homelessness — And It Actually Could Win

This is a tale of two cities. In New Orleans, there are signs of hope that veteran homelessness can be solved. But Los Angeles presents a very different picture.

http://www.npr.org/2015/08/04/427419718/the-u-s-declared-war-on-veteran-homelessness-and-it-actually-could-win

The Breathtaking Hypocrisy Of The Republican Freak Out About John McCain, In One Letter

On Saturday morning, Donald Trump blasted Senator John McCain, quipping that he was “not a war hero” because he was captured. “I like people who weren’t captured,” quipped Trump.
.... Read more

GOP Presidential Candidates Decry Trump’s Attacks On Veterans, Were Bankrolled By Swiftboat Funder

The politicians who accepted large campaign contributions from the man who bankrolled false attacks on John Kerry's record are ... Read more

So Republicans Want Us To Believe They Care About Attacking Veterans?

As John Amato discussed here yesterday, the Republicans are supposedly outraged over Donald Trump's remarks about John McCain, with the 2016 GOP clown...  Read more