Surviving Capitalism (Not) : The VA, Another American War We Don’t Talk About

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The VA, Another American War We Don’t Talk About

Click here to access article by Gordon Duff, Senior Editor at Veterans Today.

This author depicts the way our capitalist masters "support our troops"--or don't.

As a 100% combat disabled veteran and editor of the largest military and veterans new site, I have spent years dealing with abuses and fraud at the VA. The body count for the VA itself is actually higher than any war, they kill more American veterans than wars have ever killed of our military. If only I were making this up, and I am not.

For those who are unaware, there is a pecking order at the VA. Only those who are 100% disabled, something the hierarchy makes it almost impossible to qualify for, get all available treatments. Processing a compensation claim for a totally disabled veteran can take years. Mine took 12 years, the oldest I have worked on has taken 43 years. Many take 25 years. In most cases, the veteran dies while waiting for appeals.