Brain Injury Funds Diverted and ???

This sucks – and it’s been going on for awhile.  What is really odd is that no one seems to ever get to the bottom of this kind of VA problem.  I wonder how much it has to do with the autonomy of the VISN directors?

A letter to Shinseki from Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., centers on allegations from a former VA physician who says he was forced out of the agency in retaliation for raising questions about money for brain injuries, the “signature injury” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center reports 10 percent to 20 percent of troops with combat exposure there suffered concussions from roadside bombs.

via Lawmakers: Brain Injury Funds Diverted.

Veteran’s Friend

This is just a news release but the word should be spread about this great guy:

State Rep. Chris Turner Named Legislator of the Year by the Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars

First Freshman to Receive Prestigious Award

AUSTIN – Today State Representative Chris Turner was named “Legislator of the Year” by the Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).  With over 90,000 members and 403 posts across the state, the Texas VFW is the largest veterans organization in the state. The award was presented during the opening joint session of the annual VFW state convention.

According to the Texas VFW, Turner is the first freshman legislator to receive this award.

“Representative Chris Turner has been a staunch advocate for our state’s veterans and their families,” said Roy Grona, Texas VFW State Adjutant-Quartermaster. “Because of his work and leadership on veterans issues, more Texas veterans are getting the help they need and deserve.”

“I am incredibly honored and humbled by this recognition,” Turner said. “The Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars are the true heroes to the 1.7 million veterans in our state. I am proud of the work we did to pass the lottery scratch-off bill, which is benefitting countless veterans across the state of Texas.”

During the 81st Legislative Session, Representative Turner authored and passed several pieces of legislation benefitting veterans and their families. Most notably, Turner authored House Bill 1299, creating a scratch-off lottery ticket to benefit the Permanent Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA).  The FVA provides grants to aid veterans and their families in times of financial need and support PTSD counseling and other veterans’ services.  The lottery ticket was released on November 9, 2009 and has raised over $5.5 million for the FVA.

Turner, who was named “Freshman of the Year” by the bipartisan House Veterans Caucus and given the “Leadership Award” from the Texas Veterans Commission and “Legislator of the Year” by the Vietnam Veterans of America, Texas State Council, also passed legislation requiring institutions of higher education to designate a financial aid specialist to be trained on issues related to veterans’ programs, including the GI Bill and the Hazelwood Act.

He was also the House sponsor of legislation to allow state employees, who are members of military reserves or National Guard, to continue to accrue their sick and vacation leave time while they are on active military duty

Axis of Justice calls out Toronto

I guess Miami should be very proud to have the abusive behavior of local governments named “The Miami Model”

The Toronto police even went one step further this year, claiming that they were arresting people on a just-recently-passed law prohibiting people from getting near the official security fence. People were outraged that this new secret law was passed and not publicized. Until it turned out there was no such law. Yes, police made up their own law, arrested people for breaking it, and then admitted that they’d lied about the whole law thing anyway.

via G20: More Lies and Abuse | Axis of Justice.

Mashing up federal stats with maps – Nextgov

Fun!

Data.gov, the federal government’s clearinghouse of downloadable information, plans to release new gadgets that will enable the public to easily create mashups of maps and statistics, according to officials working on the enhancements.

via Data.gov’s next big thing: Mashing up federal stats with maps – Nextgov.

US to business: “Take our weapons – please”

This is a real problem and Scott highlights the problem of allowing contractors to keep software proprietary.  He doesn’t have to point out what happens when a company that designs weapons and is then acquired by a foreign company, or off-shored – and then we’ve lost control.  This problem is bubbling much as the crappy home loan problem bubbled.  Eventually someone will be crying “whodathunkit?”  John Scott thunk it – that’s who.

For years, the U.S. military has been losing an asymmetric battle that involves not improvised explosive devices, bullets or al-Qaida, but instead swarms of defense industry contractors seizing control of taxpayer-funded ideas because government policy and regulations were engineered to buy iron and steel, not to deploy a software-based military.

via Pentagon Is Losing the Softwar(e) – Defense News.

Calling an idiot an idiot – a new strategy for the War on Scary Terror Monsters?

I’ve long maintained that your suicide bomber is not the brightest star in Allah’s heaven.  This article is great and calls into question the strategy of turning these religious idiots into some kind of supermen.  Short of actually starting a speed dating culture in these countries, pointing out how desperately stupid and uncool it is may be a great way of discouraging further jihad-ism.  Just in case you think this article exagerattes, please note that Ghulam Sakhi, a “senior Taliban commander” (read:  cowardly, bigoted idiot) was killed trying to hide in women’s clothing last week.  Ooh – that’s honorable eh?

it’s fair to say that the Taliban employ the world’s worst suicide bombers: one in two manages to kill only himself. And this success rate hasn’t improved at all in the five years they’ve been using suicide bombers, despite the experience of hundreds of attacks—or attempted attacks. In Afghanistan, as in many cultures, a manly embrace is a time-honored tradition for warriors before they go off to face death. Thus, many suicide bombers never even make it out of their training camp or safe house, as the pressure from these group hugs triggers the explosives in suicide vests

via The Case for Calling Them Nitwits – Magazine – The Atlantic.

Sam Seder on MSM Superstition

via YouTube – Gay is icky: Thats Bullshit.

S. Clemons: Wilkerson on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

More evidence of the fact that it is, indeed, time to grow the fuck up:

In fact, our records demonstrated that if you categorized soldiers by sexual inclination and then checked all the factors of good soldiership against those categories, the very best peacetime soldier was a female who was a lesbian. Fewer absences-without-leave, fewer disciplinary actions in general, faster riser in the ranks, and totally dedicated to the job.

Oh yes, and incidentally, she was more apt to stay with the same partner over time than even a heterosexual soldier who was married. How interesting, we thought at the time.

via Wilkerson on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: The Time Has Come – The Washington Note.

Nearly There

Let’s get this straight (no pun intended):  It’s time, and past.  All the haters and hypocrites aside – time to grow the eff up!

Rachel Maddow: “Dont ask, dont tell” repeal draws support from all quarters.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This is no longer a readiness issue, or even a societal one.  It is religious freakery, hate, and fear.  Time to fix it.

Hello Unified Med Command? – What’s Brewin’

This will be interesting.  I wonder how many times they will try to “decentralize” themselves right back to where they were:

The fiscal 2011 Defense Authorization Bill approved by the House Armed Services Committee yesterday calls for replacement of today's Military Health System with a new Unified Medical Command modeled on the Special Operations Command.

via Bye MHS, Hello Unified Med Command? – What’s Brewin’.