Today the NJ Giants are having a parade in New York City and a celebration at the Meadowlands, and as a NJ Giants fan I am totally stoked. I have my Giants Super Bowl hat, my Giants Super Bowl shirt, and my crappy two year old Sports Illustrated Giants windbreaker.
But I also have an American flag in front of my home, a memorial flag for a family member who died in combat, and I am saddened that the veterans of the Iraq War are not having a parade.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg explains that the Pentagon has asked that there be no parade while there are still soldiers in Iraq. I find this incredibly specious and astonishing, and just a little ahistorical.
We had a parade after World War II, yet we still have soldiers in both Germany and Japan 55 years later. We had a parade after the Korean War, yet we still have soldier serving in the DMZ.
So why wouldn't we have a parade at the end of this war?
We at Fair Share Housing are not exactly sure what part of letting veterans live in a two-family home qualifies as "social engineering." It seems a bit more accurate to say that trying to stop veterans from living in your town is "social engineering."
Fortunately, Cesaro was outvoted by members of his own party to allow veterans to live in Parsippany, showing that there are people of both parties that believe that people who served our country deserve a place in our communities.
We at Fair Share Housing Center are not sure what the moral or political calculation is that makes politicians like Christie and Cesaro think that keeping veterans out of communities is acceptable. It's wrong - and frankly offensive. And it's good to see that people like Tom Wyka and Cesaro's council mates are not going along with it.
It's perhaps a little surprising, then, that Gov. Christie thought that this was a good time to shut down a proposed development for disabled veterans in Salem County - which, absent his interference, could have broken ground and provided both homes and jobs by Pearl Harbor Day next year.
This is Scott Olsen. Marine. Iraq War veteran. Shot in the head by a police projectile in a raid of Occupy Oakland, California authorized by the city's mayor.
The raid, chaotic and harsh, was almost immediately televised via live stream to Occupy cities around the world, and later seen on commercial television. I posted the video below. The mayor authorized the crackdown, in which Marine Olsen was injured, and then she left town. She denies her men used rubber bullets or flashbang grenades. But his injury is consistent with a head injury caused by a projectile known less lethal bullets, which are used by police in riot guns used to disperse crowds.
Olsen has had brain surgery. He can move, and he can write, but he still cannot speak. He was wearing a Veterans for Peace shirt when the insult came to his brain on the streets of Oakland. Veterans for Peace.
There is something wrong here.
I started off writing a post about how it's easier and more emotionally satisfying to wave the flag on exactly two days a year - Veterans Day and Memorial Day - and think of vets for about 12 minutes and be done. I mean no disrespect to local observances of those events; I attend my local events every year, and my town's events mean a great deal to their organizers and to me. But the diary I started off writing was about how we don't listen to vets enough. My best day in Washington D.C. is going to the WWII memorial, scouting around for really old guys, and asking them questions. Ditto, the Vietnam Memorial there, and some of my best conversations have started off having to listen, again, to why Jane Fonda's a commie. If you can get past that, it is an enriching and illuminating conversation to listen to men and women tell you about their lives, and experiences. So different from those of us who never signed up, never got drafted.
There isn't any better use for my tax dollars than to provide every advantage and leg up for people who helped build the country we now know. And that means paying quicker attention to medical needs specific to the wars we've sent them to - Agent Orange and its destruction to the bodies of Vietnam vets. Loneliness in WWII and Korea vets whose friends are gone. Head injuries, mental stress, and suicide risk for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
But we're not listening hard enough to our Scott Olsens, either. Or to people like Marine Sergeant Shamar who confronted NYPD officers at Occupy Wall Street, and now is calling for former Marines to don civilian uniform and join the Occupy protests as OccupyMARINES
Bill Orr just wrote about the gathering that will bring together Occupy Wall Street participants with those at Occupy Trenton, vets and peace activists. It's where Scott Olsen would be today if he was well. He'd be wearing that Veterans for Peace shirt.
As more veterans begin to return to their homes in New Jersey, they face grim job prospects, a weak economy, dysfunctional government and increasing wealth disparity. They will find strong support from the Occupation movement which is rapidly becoming a forceful countervailing voice for economic and governmental reform.
Occupy Wall Street Marchers on their way to Washington arrived in New Brunswick last night and plan to be at Occupy Trenton in the WWII Memorial across from the State House late this afternoon. Members of Occupy Princeton and Occupy New Brunswick along with other local organizations will be joining them in the march to Trenton. Some New Jerseyans, including the Coalition for Peace, are also planning to join OWS in their forward march on Saturday into Pennsylvania.
"Got Our Stuff Back!" Following court orders to return OT property confiscated by State Troopers, a truck arrived yesterday at 4:00 PM. Rather than bringing the items into the memorial, workers dumped them along a back road two flights of stairs up from the memorial. Some stuff, including an IMac computer, had been damaged. The process was documented by video.
"Got Our Tent City" OT received a permit for their tent city and started setting it up last night amidst the rain. They plan to have it available for use tonight by OWS marchers and as a second venue for their activities. The Trenton Battle Monument will also be the backdrop to OT's second location where tents and other structures are allowed. It will add a workable space for a media outlet, for larger meetings, and for tired Occupiers to rest undisturbed. Tent City is located at North 25 Park (N. Warren St. near Tucker St.)
For the most up-to-date schedule information go to OT's website or NYCMarch2DC. or twitter at #occupythehighway, or call OT at (609) 222-4790.
Senator Shirley K. Turner (D-15th), whose district includes Trenton in a telephone interview today, said, "The issues the occupiers are concerned about, I am concerned about - the lack of economic justice. Constituents have complained to me about items taken from them by the police. The occupiers are not being treated well. People are starting to wake up to the fact that government serves the greedy, not the needy. We can't keep cutting the State budget on the backs of the poor and the middle class with the working person being crushed."
After a rainy night and ongoing bad weather Occupy Trenton began its 14th day at the World War II Memorial. Last night members addressed Trenton City Council, their lawyers are finalizing a lawsuit, organizers are talking with people about coming to an event in Trenton, and they are coping with keeping the venue open 24/7 in the midst of bad weather, no shelter, and generator problems. They stream live at their website where there is also a CHAT LINE and NEWS section to update the public.
Although they don't use the word "rally," Organizer Heath Weaver said "we have been talking with people about pulling together some veterans organizations and other folks to come to Trenton." Edward Anthony said, "We're looking forward to continuing our outreach to the local communities." At 11:00 AM members joined a Webinar: How to Organize a Resilience Circle, with such topics as "using base communities" and the "linking method to build your group."
Edward Anthony and others last night addressed the Trenton City Council, which was already familiar with the occupation. Mayor Tony Mack was not there, but Edward stated to the Council that Mayor Mack acknowledged the site is under the city's jurisdiction. Edward indicated that the council did not contest the point and one councilperson offered some help. Edward added there was "light applause after some of us spoke," and Heath said "the general response was good." Mayor Mack's office has not yet returned a phone call on the matter.
David Perry Davis, Esq, an Occupy Trenton lawyer, said he is working with Edward Barocas, ACLU Legal Director, in preparing a lawsuit which they will review today. He hopes to have it finalized in the next 24 to 48 hours.
More on the letter troopers used to confiscate items and on legal matters below the fold
For some reason the blokes and babes on the other side of the political spectrum seem to think they have a stranglehold on Patriotism. This past weekend I had the opportunity for a photo assignment for Baristanet documenting Memorial Day celebrations in the area. I'm not sure I gave the editors what they expected, but the reaction was overwhelmingly positive. I thought I'd share the link to the item on Baristanet which proves that even Progressives know a think or two about patriotism and service to country.
The three eldest members of Congress - senators Frank Lautenberg (at 87, Congress' oldest) and senators Daniel Inouye & Daniel Akaka of Hawaii - Democrats all, are also its only remaining World War II veterans. Lautenberg served in the Army Signal Corps in the European theater.
Today, in just a few minutes, Lautenberg will be at the Rutgers Student Center kicking off a collaboration with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. There will be a training to teach New Jerseyans how they can participate in this oral history project of American vets. And then, Lautenberg's office and the Rutgers Oral History Project will be recording the war stories of 5 New Jerseyans:
Arthur Seltzer (Cherry Hill), a WWII veteran who survived D-Day
Tom Mahoney (Union Township), WWII vet who survived Pearl Harbor
Danielle Peloquin (South Brunswick), Vietnam veteran
Joe Nyzio (Bordentown), veteran of Iraq
Justin Sasso (Holmdel), veteran of Iraq.
This is at 11am in the Rutgers Student Center Multi-Purpose Room, 126 College Ave. in New Brunswick (Google map). Also attending are Rutgers President Richard McCormick and other university officials, NJ Deputy Commissioner of Veterans Affairs Ray Zawacki and reps from several veterans organizations. I don't see Veterans for Peace among them; some of the most interesting stories I've heard are from veterans actively engaged in peace work.
After WW II Johnny's return was greeted with "Hurrah Hurrah." After Vietnam his return was not so happy. Yesterday the last combat troops left Iraq, and gradually Johnny and Jane will return to New Jersey. They leave behind a country with significant unresolved issues and a war for which the results are yet to be determined. Of the 50,000 (plus contractors) who are staying in Iraq, many will not be immune to combat. Of those who are leaving, many will be reassigned to Afghanistan or other theaters. Other New Jerseyans will continue to be assigned there to join the "non-combatants."
Most returning to New Jersey are excited to be reunited with loved ones and friends and feel a huge sense of relief. However, they face an unemployment rate about double our 9.7%. (Nationally for veterans the rate is 21%.) Many have physical wounds and ailments requiring treatment from our overburdened VA hospitals. Most will experience some level of post-traumatic stress disorder, in some cases severe enough to lead to suicide. Earlier this month, Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) hosted a forum for hundreds of Central New Jersey veterans addressing concerns about health care, the GI Bill, veterans employment, and other issues.
A NJ Senate committee released this week a non-partisan bill that would provide an income tax credit up to $10,000 to veterans who require psychological counseling and treatment. Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) said she will also introduce a separate measure calling on Congress to pass a bill requiring that returnees receive a telephone call from properly trained personnel to determine their emotional, psychological, medical, and career needs and concerns at least once every 90 days.
"Vet-2-Vet," a toll-free confidential help line, created five years ago by the NJ Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and UMDNJ responds to over 3,000 calls a year, but operates on year-to-year funding. Sen. Fred Madden (D-Turnersville) introduced legislation that would require the state to permanently fund the program.
What can we do? Welcome vets home with open arms. Support legislation for better medical care, counseling and job services. Encourage employers to hire vets. Urge our government to withdraw even more troops from Iraq and start the process immediately to bring an end to our fruitless war in Afghanistan.
Palmyra resident Bryan Adams, a pre-business student entering his junior year at Rutgers University-Camden, has been named to the highly competitive Tillman Military Scholars program.
The $6,000 award is presented by the Pat Tillman Foundation, a national organization inspired by the distinguished life and legacy of Tillman, a professional athlete and military hero who was killed in the line of duty. The Rutgers-Camden student is one of only 60 men and women nationwide to receive this honor, which support military veterans seeking to improve their own lives while continuing to serve their country and communities in a variety of ways.
Congratulations to Bryan. He is a great guy working hard to fight for the rights of his fellow veterans. The award is very much deserved.
Governor Christie wants to give local towns the chance to get rid of civil service protections as part of his toolkit and get rid of what he calls "unnecessary mandates." Some of those mandates help ensure that veterans are able to get access to employment opportunities they sorely need. That realization has lead to this bill:
Assemblyman Domenick DiCicco (R-Gloucester) Tuesday announced he will introduce legislation on Thursday that would require all municipal and county governments to extend hiring preferences to veterans, regardless of whether they follow the state Civil Service pertaining to it.
That last line is why he needs this bill. To provide cover as he goes along with the Governor because one of Christie's proposals would take away civil service protections and the issue has been raised by groups including Veterans for Education. They say that while on the surface DiCicco's bill looks good, it's really a disaster:
In reality Civil Service Reform is horrible for NJ's returning veterans. The advantage to the Civil Service exams and Veterans Preference is that they provide State Mandates to all of NJ's counties and municipalities and Veterans Preference is easier to monitor and enforce when it's directly tied to the state.
By allowing each town to do their own thing, Veterans groups believe it would be harder to monitor what goes on because it's not centralized. Veterans believe that the change will become a huge deterrance to getting jobs they should have access to at a time when they need it the most with Vets having double the unemployment rate of the national average. Of course DiCicco wouldn't need this fix it bill if he didn't go along with the Governor creating the problem in the first place.
I'm a Democrat living in Hunterdon County, so I have some sense of the uphill slog it must be to organize and raise $$ for Democratic action in Sussex County - - NJ's northernmost Democratic County Committee and home to Lou Dobbs and the nutsy cuckoo Sussex Tea Party people.
So, I just wanted to give a shout out to Chair Ed Selby and his team for their decision to donate a portion of the proceeds of their Memorial Day Dinner funder to wounded veterans and their families. Our vets risk everything for us. We owe them big. Way to go, Sussex Dems.
A review has found that six additional veterans received incorrect doses of radiation during prostate cancer treatment at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, raising questions about whether still more cases are yet to be discovered.
The VA tried to downplay the additional mistakes, but Congressman Adler and Senator Spector weren't having any of it:
The Department of Veterans Affairs, which has two weeks to file a full report, told the NRC that it was "reporting these six additional events to meet a regulatory requirement, not because of any anticipated harm to these patients."
Still, the finding of new cases now raised concerns for some members of Congress.
"Why didn't they discover it sooner?" Sen. Arlen Specter (D., Pa.), said in an interview yesterday. "Did they deliberately withhold the information?"
U.S. Rep. John Adler (D., N.J.) said he was frustrated that the VA was still finding additional errors.
"These kind of mistakes are unacceptable, and it's time for the VA to conduct a systemwide review of its practices and programs," Adler said.
That's a pretty serious allegation from Specter that they are deliberately withholding information as the investigation is ongoing. With the newly reported cases, that means that 98 men - 86 percent of the total 114 patients - got too much or too little radiation. Congressman Adler has been all over this issue since the news surfaced, participating in hearings and calling for a further look into how these problems could have been allowed to continue. He's also been questioning the explanations the VA has given.
This story isn't going away. Congressman Adler has been trying to get answers to what happened that caused apparent medical misconduct at the VA hospital in Philadelphia resulting in mistakes regarding cancer procedures and treatments. We're now starting to hear about the veterans who received the mistaken treatment and how the VA is trying to explain it away:
Armstrong's doctors, led by University of Pennsylvania radiation oncologist Gary Kao, didn't recognize their error because they hadn't done the crucial last step of the brachytherapy procedure - calculating the actual radiation dosage administered to their patient - investigators found.
For a year, starting in November 2006, the computer workstation with the software used to calculate the post-implant dosages was unplugged from the hospital's network.
All that time, no one took steps to plug it back in, work around it, or tell patient-safety officials, investigators found.
As a result, post-implant calculations weren't performed during that period for Armstrong and 15 other patients, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees medical use of radiation.
Even after the computer was finally reconnected to the network, investigators discovered, post-implant calculations continued to be omitted for an additional seven patients.
So the VA would like people to just accept their explanation that it's the computer's fault because it wasn't plugged in, but then when they plugged in the computer, the work still wasn't done to do the post calculations? It sounds more like the fault of the people who were supposed to be using the computer. Congressman Adler isn't satisfied with the explanations he has been receiving:
"The VA abdicated its responsibility . . . by allowing this program to operate without adequate safeguards or supervision," said U.S. Rep. John Adler (D., N.J.), who has pushed for a congressional investigation.
He'll will try to get some more answers this week when another congressional panel holds a hearing in Washington to question representatives and doctors from the VA, Penn and the NRC. Follow me below the fold for more of the story.
With more veterans returning from service, legislation that has already been approved by the Assembly and Senate unamiously is awaiting the Governor's signature:
The bill (A-3360) would require the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, in consultation with the Department of Veterans' and Military Affairs, to establish the Troops to College Program.
The program would assist New Jersey's public institutions of higher education in coordinating a comprehensive array of services to help veterans make the transition into the college classroom.
The bill also would require an online resource to consolidate pertinent information specifically for veterans attending that institution.
The bill sets certain criteria to assist veterans looking to return to school:
Under the program the commission would be required to include certain information on its Internet site that would be designed to assist veterans in accessing the higher education opportunities that exist in the state. The information must include, but need not be limited to:
Contact information for the campus veterans? assistance officer at each of the public institutions of higher education; and
Information on the array of programs and services available to veterans at each of the public institutions of higher education.
It's good to put all the information in one place, but the heavier lift is making sure our veterans can afford the cost of getting that education. Fulfilling that commitment will be much more difficult, but no less important to helping our veterans gain the necessary skills to succeed. This issue is sure to be front and center when Christie and Corzine get together with the Veterans for Education. Kudos to the efforts of the group for making their needs a more prominent issue in the campaign for Governor.
Veterans for Education, which shows 524 supporters on its facebook organizing page, is announcing that both Gov. Jon Corzine and Chris Christie have agreed to participate in a panel discussion on vets issues.
Vets for Education, started by Iraq and Afghanistan War vets, is the first campus-based veterans organization in the state. Its president is 24-year-old Bryan Adams, Purple Heart recipient and a man who knows first-hand the effects of PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - on many returning vets. He is also the face of an Addy Award-winning tv spot for IAVA - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Veterans for Education has a history sponsoring face-to-face events; they hosted the first debate between John Adler and Chris Myers last year.
I'm glad to see this organization feel its power. They understand that educational opportunity is a key right that we owe our vets, and they advocate with institutions of higher learning to make it as easy as possible for soldiers to participate in distance learning like college correspondence courses, and online coursework in degree fields related to their occupational specialty.
Corzine agreed to the panel discussion at a ceremony this weekend where he signed into law that state and official US flags be made in America. Christie had already agreed.
Date and location are still TBA for the Corzine/Christie matchup. But Veterans for Education says questions will center on issues important to Iraq and Afghanistan vets, including a 14% unemployment rate, and the fact that vets of those wars are becoming homeless at a much faster rate than any other conflict.
You can join Veterans for Education here. They are non-partisan. But any group that advocates for opportunity for veterans, and their education, is progressive, the way I see it.
UPDATE: The hearing has just been rescheduled to Wednesday, July 22, at 10am. - - Rosi
For the second time, Rep. John Adler is turning the harsh light of investigation onto the workings of the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, the hospital many veterans in his constituency turn to for medical help. Tthe House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations meets tomorrow at 1pm. The hearing will be streamed live.
The subcommittee's first hearing focused its attention on Dr. Gary D. Kao, who admitted mistakes in dozens of botched prostate surgeries on veterans, but refuses to take responsibility for what Adler calls the medical mistreatment of almost 100 veterans.
Adler, a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, expressed astonishment that Kao was even allowed to keep his medical license. But Adler's also interested in tackling the apparent failings of the systems put in place to protect veterans. From his statement:
We do not yet have satisfactory answers about the lack of oversight that allowed our veterans to be treated so badly. We must get at the supervisory failures in the system, and hold those responsible for these errors accountable.
There are few more important things my tax dollars should pay for than top-quality medical care for the men and women who risk their lives in our service. I'm sure we all feel that way. And if the stories coming out of these hearings are correct - radiation where there was no cancer at all, 92 of 116 radiation treatments by Kao botched, radiation surgeries performed for nearly a year with equipment the hospital knew was broken - then the Philadelphia VA Medical Center's prostate cancer unit was a horror for those veterans who came seeking relief from a terrifying disease.
Expected at the hearing is a return by Dr. Kao, as well as representatives of Philadelphia VA Medical Center, the University of Pennsylvania, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Department of Veterans Affairs.
Congressmen John Adler and Pat Murphy are teaming up on legislation to help our returning veterans find jobs and education. First they outlined the problem:
Outside the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center, Adler and Murphy released startling statistics, highlighting the rising number of unemployed veterans:
Young veterans - between the ages of 18 and 24 - face an unemployment rate of 14.1 percent. That is 50 percent higher than the national unemployment rate.
In 2001, 176,000 service members were discharged from the military. This year, that number is expected to skyrocket to 278,100. That means in 2009 alone, there will be 100,000 more veterans entering civilian life.
Those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces since 2001 suffer an unemployment rate of 7.3 percent, meaning they are almost twice as other veterans to face unemployment.
Nationwide, the unemployment rate for veterans is 4.6 percent. In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the unemployment rate reflects the national numbers holding at 4.3 percent and 4.4 percent respectively.
Then they talked about some of their proposed solutions to help deal with those growing numbers:
Tax Credit for Small Business
A provision in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act expanded the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to cover recent veterans who have become unemployed. In return for hiring unemployed veterans that separated from the military in the past five years, businesses receive a $2,400 tax credit.
Federal Contract for Veteran Owned Small Business
Legislation introduced by Rep. Adler, and supported by Rep. Murphy would increase opportunities available to veteran owned small businesses. The bill would help veterans obtain contracts and subcontracts from the Department of Veterans Affairs and all federal agencies.
Education Opportunities for Veterans
On May 21, the groundbreaking G.I. Bill made a new generation of veterans eligible for increased education benefits. Military men and women can now apply for a significantly increased level of benefits to pay for the full cost of education at any publicly supported college or university.
These look like some great initiatives to help our returning veterans. Congressman Adler has been all over veterans issues, which makes sense given the sizeable military segment of his district. I'll put two video segments from the local news below the fold so you can see more of what was said.
