Posts

Biden Admin Wants More Black Veterans Declared Mentally Disabled in the Name of ‘Equity’

/0 Comments/in , /by

A new “equity” initiative in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) aims to declare more black people to be mentally disabled.

Black veterans currently receive disability payments for mental health conditions at nearly twice the rate of whites. But the Biden administration’s Equity Assessment and Action Steps for Mental Health Compensation Benefits, released Wednesday, said that to attain “equity,” that number needs to be even higher.

“A higher percentage of Black Veterans currently receive disability compensation benefits than white Veterans for mental health conditions (21.7% vs. 12.7%),” the assessment said. “On average, Black Veterans also apply for disability compensation at higher rates and receive slightly higher disability ratings from VA than white Veterans. However, Black Veterans have lower grant rates than white Veterans for mental health conditions (70.3% vs. 76.0%). … In response to these new findings, VA will [be] taking immediate and aggressive action to eliminate this gap and ensure that Black Veterans get the benefits they deserve.”

The justification uses a tortured logic in which, although there is a large discrepancy in blacks’ favor when it comes to actually being granted government disability checks, the Biden administration sliced the numbers until they found a secondary metric in which blacks were slightly behind: The percentage who apply for disability but are deemed ineligible. (Read more from “Biden Admin Wants More Black Veterans Declared Mentally Disabled in the Name of ‘Equity’” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

💪 Dependence on You:

We’ve weathered storms, but today, we rely entirely on your generosity to keep our platform alive. Your support is not just a donation; it’s a partnership in upholding the values that define us. Together, let’s defy challenges and ensure Restoring Liberty thrives for another two decades.

🌐 How You Can Make a Difference:

Your contribution is a vital lifeline for us. By donating HERE, you become an integral part of our mission. Every dollar is an investment in preserving a powerful conservative voice that resonates across the nation.

🙏 Join Us in Shaping the Future:

Help us overcome the financial hurdles that come with independence. Your donation paves the way for continued growth, impact, and influence. Together, let’s empower Restoring Liberty to shape the future of conservative values.

🔗 Donate HERE and be a Guardian of Liberty!

Thank you for being the backbone of Restoring Liberty. With your support, we’ll stand strong for another two decades and beyond!

Veterans Cemetery Replaces American Flag With Gay Pride Flag

/21 Comments/in , , /by

The Biloxi National Cemetery in Mississippi, a graveyard for war veterans, has raised a gay pride flag to fly among the American flags at the entrance to the cemetery.

The decision was made possible by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough’s authorization for all VA facilities to raise the LGBT flag in 2022.

WLOX News, Biloxi’s local news outlet, interviewed a spokesman for the Biloxi VA about the gesture. He stated that the flag is just a “symbol of inclusion” that indicates to veterans, “If you wore the uniform, the VA is here for you.”

We really shouldn’t have to ask this question, but it seems necessary to go back to the basics: Why should an American veterans’ cemetery fly American flags?

Our veterans fought and died for the United States. Flying the American flag in cemeteries symbolizes that our country acknowledges their sacrifices. These brave soldiers defended and honored the United States until their last breath, so we raise the flag to honor them. The flag is also an extension of gratitude to veterans’ families. (Read more from “Veterans Cemetery Replaces American Flag With Gay Pride Flag” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Veteran Suicide Rate Is Over 2 Times Higher Than Federal Numbers, Study Says

/0 Comments/in , /by

Federal records on veteran suicide rates are significantly undercounting the actual number of deaths, according to a study’s interim report.

Operation Deep Dive estimated the suicide rate was 37% greater than that reported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a press release from the suicide prevention group America’s Warriors Partnership (AWP).

When accounting for deaths that are correlated with self-harming behaviors, the study found the number of deaths rose to more than double the number recorded by federal officials. (Read more from “Veteran Suicide Rate Is Over 2 Times Higher Than Federal Numbers, Study Says” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

U.S. Ambassador Says Trump Never Disparaged War Veterans

/0 Comments/in , /by

President Trump never bashed America’s war dead as “losers,” according to the US ambassador to France and Monaco — who was there the day he’s accused of making the disparaging remarks.

Ambassador Jamie McCourt is the latest public official to push back against the report published by The Atlantic late last week.

“In my presence, POTUS has NEVER denigrated any member of the US military or anyone in service to our country. And he certainly did not that day, either,” McCourt told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview.

“Let me add, he was devastated to not be able to go to the cemetery at Belleau Wood. In fact, the next day, he attended and spoke at the ceremony in Suresnes in the pouring rain.” . . .

McCourt was present in 2018 on the day Trump had to call off a trip to the Belleau Wood cemetery because of inclement weather. She denied speaking to The Atlantic, which based its report on “four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day.” (Read more from “U.S. Ambassador Says Trump Never Disparaged War Veterans” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

The VA Needs a Lot of Help. These Members of Congress Are Going to Work on… the Motto

/0 Comments/in , /by

File this under “proposals to paint the barn while the house is on fire.” Two members of Congress want to change the VA’s motto to be more gender-inclusive, according to a report from Stars and Stripes.

Currently, the department’s motto is a quote from President Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 inaugural address that reads: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.”

Instead, Reps. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., and Brian Mast, R-Fla., want the new motto to read: “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those ‘who shall have borne the battle’ and for their families, caregivers, and survivors,” according to the report.

“The brave women who have worn our nation’s uniform and their families deserve to be equally embraced by the motto of the very agency meant to support them,” reads a statement from Rice’s office last week.

However, days after the proposed motto change was announced, six veterans’ groups called for improvements to the quality of care in the department, citing instances that are “nothing short of horrifying,” while thousands of veterans face the prospect of homelessness because the department has been late in sending out their GI Bill payments.

Let’s face facts: With all the help the VA needs to properly do its job of caring for our nation’s heroes, whether or not the motto is inclusive enough for 21st-century sensibilities ought to be at the bottom of the list, if not at the very bottom.

Supposedly people can walk and chew gum at the same time, but we’re talking about the federal government, where even necessary reforms and changes to programs like the VA are infamously slow and where any minor distraction from those necessary reforms has the potential to completely derailed the task at hand.

But, sure, let’s spend time and resources making sure that a quote from President Lincoln doesn’t leave anyone feeling left out. (For more from the author of “The VA Needs a Lot of Help. These Members of Congress Are Going to Work on… the Motto” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Nonprofit Lines for Life Launches New Help Line for Veterans Struggling With Mental Health

/0 Comments/in , /by

An Oregon-based nonprofit is opening a new call center Friday to help veterans struggling with mental health issues.

Lines for Life, a 24/7, 365-days-a-year suicide prevention hotline, has expanded its mission to help veterans in need, KATU reports.

“We’ll be cutting the ribbon on a new call center that’s designed to make sure we’re standing up and supporting the veterans who stood up and defended us over the years,” said CEO Dwight Holton.

The new call center will offer free and anonymous help calls and texts for veterans, their family, and their friends struggling with mental health.

The Veterans Association estimates that since 2008, roughly 6,ooo veterans kill themselves each year. This new call center, in partnership with the Veterans Crisis Line, is expected to field about 1,200 additional calls each month.

“Services like this where we’ve got partnerships with national VA and organizations like Lines for Life are essential to helping meeting those mental health crisis needs and helping folks find a way forward and help build strong families among our veterans,” Holton said.

There is a strong need to help care for the mental health of America’s veterans. According to the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, 20 percent of those who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from either major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.

If you are a veteran in need, contact the free military help line at (888) 457-4838. You can also text MIL1 to 839863. Someone is available to talk to you at all hours of the day. (For more from the author of “Nonprofit Lines for Life Launches New Help Line for Veterans Struggling With Mental Health” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Gunman Takes Hostages at California Veterans Home

/0 Comments/in , /by

A man exchanged gunfire with law enforcement officers before taking three people hostage inside the Veterans Home of California in Yountville, authorities said Friday afternoon.

The hostages are employees of The Pathway Home, a counseling service for veterans who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and not residents of the facility north of San Francisco, Napa County Sheriff John Robertson said at a news conference.

Negotiating teams are trying to contact the gunman, who is believed to be armed with a rifle, he said . . .

The man held other people hostage but released them, Robertson said. He said authorities know the gunman’s [identity] but are not releasing it yet. He didn’t give a motive for the gunman’s actions. (Read more from “Gunman Takes Hostages at California Veterans Home” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Wesley Clark Jr. Says Veterans for Standing Rock Infiltrated by Feds: ‘Threat to Our Democracy’

/0 Comments/in , /by

Seven months after thousands of veterans came to support the Standing Rock Sioux in their fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline, one of the organizers is claiming the Veterans for Standing Rock rally was infiltrated by private military contractors. The action was organized by Wes Clark Jr. and Michael A. Wood Jr., a Marine Corps veteran who recently retired from the Baltimore police force to focus on reforming law enforcement. Clark Jr. is a long time correspondent for The Young Turks. He is also the son of General Wesley Clark who infamously warned that the U.S. government was planning the invasions of seven nations following the 9/11 attacks.

On Sunday morning, Wes Clark Jr. revealed the details via a Facebook status.

“I need you all to share this with every person who went or contributed to Veterans Stand for Standing Rock last December.” Clark Jr. wrote on Facebook. “I did not realize at the time but some of our planning staff were paid military contractors working for the other side.”

Presumably, the “other side” is referring to the police and/or Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline. Clark Jr. goes on to warn participants of the veterans action that these military contractors have their personal details on file and at some point may “round them up.”

They have the names, emails, addresses, phone numbers and personal information for each and every one of us that went out there or contributed money to the cause of protecting both our environment and our Constitution. Please be cognizant of the fact that all of us are on a list and that if there is civil disorder in this country, we will be the first people rounded up.

When questioned further on his comments, Clark Jr. said early on he figured out who a couple of the contractors were after watching them cause “chaos and dissension within the camp”. Clark Jr. describes watching the online activity of a few individuals for six months. When asked if he would provide names of suspected military contractors, Clark Jr. named Loreal Blackshawl, Mark Sanderson and Ed Higgins.

“The others I don’t have as solid proof about but I’ve heard there were almost 150 different contractors who infiltrated the group,” he told AP. “The use of private military contractors in the service of oil companies on American soil against American citizens is a threat to our democracy.”

Michael Woods Jr. told AP, “Of course they tried, I am not sure of a solid link, but I would not be surprised. It seemed every step was unneccessarily difficult.”

The Veterans for Standing Rock event took place between December 4 through the 7. Amidst the freezing temperatures of the North Dakota winter, tens and thousands of veterans and supporters swelled the population of the Oceti Sakowin and Sacred Stone Camps. Following months of violence between native water protectors and their allies, Clark Jr. and Wood Jr. issued the call for veterans to come stand in defense of the Standing Rock Sioux in their fight against the DAPL.

“This country is repressing our people,” Wood Jr. told Task & Purpose. “If we’re going to be heroes, if we’re really going to be those veterans that this country praises, well, then we need to do the things that we actually said we’re going to do when we took the oath to defend the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic.”

It is important to remember that the same weekend the veterans and supporters flooded the camps the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that they would delay the permitting of the pipeline. Following the announcement the atmosphere of the camps was fairly cautious. There were celebrations, but there was also hesitation as water protectors wondered if the delay was anything more than a diversion or a temporary respite. Some pipeline opponents theorized that the flooding of veteran support and the announcement would actually serve as a release valve for the building opposition to the pipeline. Once the mainstream media left and the supporters left, the pipeline was pushed through by ETP and the Trump administration as expected.

Readers should also note that it was previously revealed that private military contractors TigerSwan (and likely others) were involved in aerial surveillance, infiltration of camps, and, according to one former employee, lighting their own vehicles on fire. Activist Post released exclusive video of vehicles being lit on fire by masked provocateurs.

If the words of Clark Jr. can be confirmed it would prove that private military contractors were involved in both the law enforcement battle against the water protectors, as well as the fight against the pipeline itself. This means the entire NoDAPL movement was infiltrated to one degree or another. (For more from the author of “Wesley Clark Jr. Says Veterans for Standing Rock Infiltrated by Feds: ‘Threat to Our Democracy'” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Trump to Announce ‘Tremendous Things’ for Veterans Health Care

/0 Comments/in , /by

Some veterans organizations don’t think a bill President Donald Trump signed Wednesday expanding private care options for veterans goes far enough.

Trump seemed to agree, which is why he said more announcements are coming next week regarding veteran care.

“There is still much work to do. We will fight each and every day to deliver the long-awaited reforms our veterans deserve and to protect those who have so courageously protected each and every one of us,” Trump said in the Roosevelt Room Wednesday after signing the Veterans Choice Program Extension Act.

The bill allows veterans to get private health care treatment outside the Department of Veterans Affairs system, but it will still be paid for by the VA.

Trump said he and Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin will announce more steps to improve veterans’ health care at a press conference on April 27. The press conference, highlighting one of his key issues, comes near Trump’s 100-day mark since taking office.

“We’re going to have a news conference with David and some others to tell you about all of the tremendous things that are happening at the VA, what we’ve done in terms of progress and achievement,” Trump said.

Trump made improving health care for veterans a major theme during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump’s signing extends a law that was about to sunset, put in place as an emergency response to the VA waiting list scandal that first came to light in 2013, when veterans were often denied care, and in some cases even died.

“The veterans have poured out their sweat and blood and tears for this country for so long and it’s time that they are recognized and it’s time that we now take care of them and take care of them properly,” Trump said.

Trump noted the legislation allows veterans to see “the doctor of their choice” without being required to travel a long distanced to receive care.

“It’s not going to happen anymore,” Trump said.

This is only a good first step, said Mark Lucas, the executive director of Concerned Veterans for America, who attended the signing ceremony.

“The Choice Program was passed as a quick fix to the wait list manipulation scandal that broke three years ago, and while it’s helped, too many veterans still are forced to seek care at failing VA facilities,” Lucas said in a public statement. “Congress now has some time to work with Secretary Shulkin on broader, more permanent choice reforms that will truly put the veteran at the center of their health care and remove VA bureaucrats as the middlemen.”

The Choice Program was initially created by the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014. It provided the VA an additional $10 billion in emergency funding to expand veterans’ access to care, but came with a three-year sunset clause. That meant the VA had to either use or lose the $1 billion remaining.

The new bill that Trump signed into law on Wednesday addressed some issues that veteran groups such as Veterans of Foreign Wars had expressed concerns about. The new law eliminates the secondary payer requirement, clarifying that VA is the payer of care, not veterans. It also makes it easier to share medical documentation with Choice Program providers, so veterans don’t have to face unnecessary delays when scheduling appointments.

Though more announcements are coming at next week’s press conference, the VA secretary didn’t want to minimize the new law.

“This is a good day for veterans,” Shulkin said at the Roosevelt Room signing ceremony. “This is a great day to celebrate not only what veterans have contributed to this country but how we are making things better for them, and by working together, we’re going to continue this progress.”

Also, attending the event were Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., and Senate Veterans Affairs Chairman Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., as well as Florida Gov. Rick Scott and House Veterans Affairs Chairman Phil Roe, R-Tenn. (For more from the author of “Trump to Announce ‘Tremendous Things’ for Veterans Health Care” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Which Flag Are These Gay Veterans Fighting For?

/0 Comments/in , /by

Organizers of Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade “reversed course” and said “they would allow a group of gay veterans to march in this year’s parade,” according to a March 11 Associated Press report. “A lawyer for OutVets said late Friday that the group looked forward to ‘marching proudly’ and representing LGBTQ veterans.”

Controversy leading up to the decision to allow the group, OutVets, to march in the parade centered around whether they would be allowed to display the LGBT rainbow symbol. The fight was over their flag.

“Somehow Less”

Bryan Bishop, executive director of OutVets, reportedly said, “It infuriates me to look at the veterans that I know, gay and straight, who have served this country with valor and honor and distinction, and just because you’re a veteran who happens to be gay your service is somehow less than someone who is not of the LGBT community or someone who’s not gay.”

There are serious policy issues surrounding the wisdom of allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the U.S. military. Regardless of those discussions, the fact remains that gay and lesbian women have served in America’s armed forces for a very long time. Some of them actively hid their sexual preferences; some of them under later administrations weren’t asked and didn’t tell. Even more recently, some have been completely open about their sexuality.

Certainly there was nothing stopping gays and lesbians marching as veterans, and being honored as such. For Bishop, however, that would have been dishonoring. Their service would be “somehow less” if they weren’t allowed to represent themselves specifically as gay or lesbian veterans in a St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Two Websites, Two Messages

But veterans of what? It’s instructive to compare OutVets’ website with the website for the National Association for Black Veterans. The NABVETS website features the Stars and Stripes at the top. On the Outvets website there are stars and stripes, too, but divided; the stripes are rainbow strips hung vertically, and the stars are arranged separately.

There isn’t even the suggestion of the American flag in it.

Veterans of What?

And what does it mean to honor a veteran, anyway? For Bryan Bishop, gay and lesbian veterans are “somehow less” if they’re not allowed to march specifically as gay and lesbian veterans. The implication is that they would be less than fully honored if they had to march with straight veterans, that is, as simple veterans rather than as gay veterans.

Which leads me to wonder again, veterans of what? Which flag are they fighting for? Which one do they want to honor? (For more from the author of “Which Flag Are These Gay Veterans Fighting For?” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.