Texas Celebrates forcing Iraq Vets to go Begging

I am a Disabled Vietnam Veteran and yesterday In San Antonio Texas I witnessed a disgraceful display of right wing pompousity, self importance and disdain for the idea that all Americans pulling together can take care of their Veterans through Government.

My anger grew and grew as I watched and listened to the CNN coverage of this circus like grand opening. Our wounded soldiers were put on display under the guise of honoring them. I could not contain my anger and almost threw my remote at my brand new HD television set. I settled for turning it off. I sat back on my hospital bed fuming at the idea that anyone would celebrate this political show orchestrated by the right. That our very own Veterans Administration was incapable of providing this kind of "State of the art, High tech" care to ALL our veterans let alone our Iraqi war wounded truly offended me. Who in America with a TV hasn't seen all the high tech gizmos and cutting edge technology provided to our military to make war. If there is any organization in the world that could produce the very best hight tech cutting edge technoligy it IS certainly our very own pentagon. Am I alone in my outrage over the creation of this Mc Donald house styled Charity Center. It reduces our wounded servicemen and woman to beggars and should be rejected. Are liberals and our politicians so cowed by the wingnuts power to condem anyone for "NOT SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS especially our wounded that they dare not protest! The very idea there's a need this kind of charity, a need for our  vets to go begging for this kind of medical care should have sparked a national controversy? Have we all fallen under the right wing myth of Government impotance. it appears so. Many politicos including Hillary Clinton and the Secretary of Veterans affairs were in attendance? Lets not kid ourselves, providing such a service outside the Veterans Administration clearly is a  slap in the face of the VA by the very people who worked hard to make sure the VA did not receive the proper funding it needs to provide the very same services to all our Veterans that these characters now proudly claim to offer to just a select few! What a perfect con! This is wingnuttery at is best, making a mockery of our Government's and by extension all Americans, while kissing their own asses at the same time! The question I have is what do we do in response?

•  Eddie, God Bless you & God help us all n/t

  by Sigrid of Horg on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 06:51:11 AM PDT

•  right on

  my thoughts exactly.  As I have heard a lot about the facility, and of course, thinking it is a good idea, until I started thinking the way you are.  Why is this needed in the land of the self claimed best trained and equipped military in the world?  We can send the troops to war, but can't take care of them or their families when they get injured.  Another example of the neocons precious addiction to "privatization".

  by TexasTwister on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 06:54:27 AM PDT

•  This is a disgrace, these same RWers

  would never darken the doors of the VA, and incredibly some that do use the disabled or wounded soldier like some piece of coffee table ornament for conversation, saying "LOOK AT MEEEEEEE!!!! I SUPPORT THE TROOOOPS!!!! and then dispose the poor GI like some used condom. I have developed an intense hate of the RW.

  by Mr Stagger Lee on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 06:56:39 AM PDT

•  i was thinking the same thing while watching

  imus yesterday, they did a live show from the center for the intrepid, imus was very impressed that they - his right wing buddies, were able to build the center  so quickly, and i'm thinkin' wtf, the government should have had this up in a few months, if they wanted too that is, total disconnect between their self righteous bs and the needs of the people sitting in the audience.    i bet in the years to come, when supporting vets isn't so sexy, the money will dry up. And Thank you    

  by mad cow on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 07:03:55 AM PDT

•  I guess I missed the point yesterday...

  I only heard about the story in a news update. It isn't a VA facility?

  by Olds88 on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 07:08:16 AM PDT

  •  X is Nam vet & couldnt even get help from VA n/t

    by Sigrid of Horg on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 07:32:02 AM PDT

    •  Well, spos he did...20 yrs 2 late & not enuf n/t

      by Sigrid of Horg on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 07:38:38 AM PDT

  •  No

    It was built via private fundraising and the Fisher Foundation.  In addition to the $50M spent, they also rec'd a $22M anonymous donation.  They'll use that to build more Fisher houses.  The guy heading it up is a New Yorker.  He said they wanted to "honor the troops" by doing it privately, though I suspect that they realized if they campaigned for it from the VA or our gov't that it would have taken years more.  Our troops needed help now.

    by kfred on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 07:34:49 AM PDT

    •  I knew I wasn't being cynical enough

      I heard the story and thought, "well, they're doing something."

      Let me guess, the "virtual reality" lab isn't really a clinically tested therapy, but some crappy product placement by a computer company?

      Anyways, can't fault people for getting things done-- but it should be accompanied by disgust that the government isn't moving faster-- we spend more than this in Iraq every day.

      by Olds88 on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 07:59:57 AM PDT

      •  By blaming Government

        you are just falling for their anti Govt lies by the wingnuts. It's the people who hate our Govt,and do their best to cripple it. It is they who were not properly funding the VA. It is they who have been running it for the last 12 years who are to blame. If Bush really want the VA to do the right thing for our troops he would have made sure there would have been no need for the beggers faux medical center.

        by eddieb061345 on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 09:08:02 AM PDT

        •  There are 2 parts of the government here...

          the Administration and the bureaucracy at the VA. I have no doubt the bureaucracy could have made this happen if so instructed by the Bush Administration (and if the Administration bothered to get funding from Congress, who wouldn't dare reject it). Instead, the Bush Administration has been busy teaching VA doctors how to not diagnose PTSD.

          So, although I agree that it is ridiculous for private parties to fund government responsibilities, the priority must be to help vets. There were 600,000 donors, so it wasn't just a small group of wingnuts.

          And Arnold Fisher is a Korean War vet and has been helping vets for a long time. I believe he is doing this out of genuine concern for vets rather than broader political reasons.

          by Olds88 on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 09:54:49 AM PDT

          •  Again this is pure Wingnut spin.

            The fact is our Iraq Vets are receiving the ultimate medical care right now. No facility anywhere in the world offers better quaility care. The facilities at Walter Reed Med Ctr in DC are top notch. The need for another facility in Texas is a canard. The problem facing most Vets is access to quality follow-up care close to home that is lacking. Think about this for a moment. Why Texas? Wouldn't California or Idaho be better? How does a disabled vet who hails from Vermont or Alaska get the regular rehabilitation care he or she needs? Many well meaning Americans were drawn into this right wing scam and Rip off because they truly love our troops and will reach deep to do their part when asked.

            by eddieb061345 on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 10:59:23 AM PDT

    •  Sorry thats Bull

      We already have first rate care now at the VA. I agree it's not good enough but that is no reason to celebrate or suppot this kind of thing.

      by eddieb061345 on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 08:04:51 AM PDT

•  Thanks for the wake up call.

  I hadn't thought about it until reading your post. Why the hell is the VA not providing temp housing for family, transitional programs for recovering vets etc?

  My hubby is partially disabled from long ago, nothing near the issues the guys coming back from Iraq are dealing with. I have spent a few nights crashed out in VA supplied accomodations for visitors and more than a few sleeping in chairs or spare beds while he was in overnight getting things done he needed. I can not even imagine having no support from the VA for someone to be there for long term hospital stays, that has got to be hell.

  People will not know unless the vets coming home speak up about these things. Everyone knows the VA is being underfunded but we need to know more about what people are NOT getting. Those are the things we can throw in the faces of our Congresspeople to shame them into doing what they should have done all along. Keep talking!

  by SDstuck on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 07:16:28 AM PDT

  •  We all deserve the best!

    Including Veterans from WWI and every living soldier who has served. You Husband included.

    by eddieb061345 on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 08:21:21 AM PDT

•  Recommended with cluster.

  Jebus on a cracker, why are we not taking care of our own?

  by Kurlan Naiskos on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 07:57:46 AM PDT

•  So my gut was right!

  I heard about this on the Amarillo right-wing jibber-jabber news station (yeah, flat land will get you good AM radio). It rubbed me the wrong way that there was a military rehab facility that had to be put up with private money. Funny, isn't the Veterans Administration responsible for taking care of our military people in need of health care?

  Fuck these neo-con bastards!

  by Ari Mistral on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 08:27:28 AM PDT

  •  The Secretary of the VA attended this event!

    That tell me more that enough about the Bushbag administration's attitude toward the VA. Doesn't it.

    by eddieb061345 on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 08:31:22 AM PDT

•  Overwhelmed

  Most VA Hospitals and clinics are operating at above expected levels. Service suffers when that happens. People slip through the cracks. Vets have to advocate for their own care but some with PTSD or other mental disability are not able to do this and fall through the holes in the system. The phsyical injuries take time and resources and the numbers coming in from Iraq are overwhelming the rehab system. The rich guy who donated the seed money crowed that the VA would have taken twice as long and cost twice as much to do the same thing. Hey, who the hell has been stripping the VA system of money and experienced personnel the last six years? Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, right? And what has done about that problem?

  by OHdog on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 09:03:30 AM PDT