A Message From The Band of Brothers

Harlingen, Texas, January 27, 2010:  There are an estimated 27 million men and close to two million women who are veterans or serving on active duty in the armed forces of the United States.  They rank among the most patriotic of our citizens, are predominantly conservative in their political ideas and in recent years tend to be moving away from membership in either the Democrat or Republican Party.  We sent a call out to those veterans who were now among the ranks of independent voters and asked them to tell us their concerns as we entered another national election year.  They were asked to list and rank their top political issues. Though only the top three concerns were requested, most lists ran far longer.

This collective group of individuals named national security as their primary worry.  Though it was followed by a variety of concerns about healthcare, excessive spending, the economy, high taxes and immigration there was no topic that garnered more dialog than the veterans’ observations that our entire national security effort is totally inadequate. It is not surprising that national security concerns were at the top of any veteran’s list.  What was interesting, however, is that topic was the lead concern by three out of five respondents and appeared on seven out of ten lists.

Ranking their concerns in order of group importance, the veterans listed: 1.National Security
2.High Taxes
3.Healthcare
4.Economy
5. Excessive spending
6. Immigration
7. Lack of honesty, honor and fiscal responsibility by Congress
8. Ear Marks
9. Term Limits
10.Energy independence

Charles Northington of Plano, TX is a veteran of the Army Air Corps and a retired Captain of the United States Public Health Service. He spoke of national security saying, “America and the world cannot allow Radical Islam to establish a caliphate or any other union of the Muslim nations.  Such a union would guarantee another round of religious crusades in the near future.  Also, we cannot allow international criminals such as the mafia or the drug lords in Mexico, South America, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East to literally take control of nations.

“America must develop means of stopping other nations and groups from supporting the Radical Islamist terrorist and the international criminals.  Such programs must give some concern to relationships with non-radical Muslim groups or governments.”

Robert Pullease served as a Marine Staff Sergeant in Vietnam.  He feels political correctness is eating away at our national security.  “When you bend the rules to keep from hurting someone’s feelings you end up endangering and infringing on the rights of everyone.  These are not disadvantaged people.  They are law breakers.”

A twenty-year Navy veteran, John Billings says the main threat to our country is inattention to national security.  “We need full time security”, he says, “This means NOT giving constitutional rights to terrorists and not having rules of engagement placed on our troops.”

John Clayton, a retired Air Force Master Sergeant says, “National Security should be the priority always.  I believe in a strong defense and to hell with the appeasement factor.” He would assure this needed attention to defense by electing only individuals of proven integrity and honesty “ instead of those in bed with the political correct crowd.”

A business development manager and a former Marine Captain, Dick Brammer says he wants to see, “A forceful anti-terror campaign, including keeping Gitmo open and no civilian trials for terrorists.”

Many of the veterans called for governmental action against CAIR (Council of American Islamic Relations) calling it a known terrorist sympathizer.  They also want the government at all levels to admit we are at war with Islamic terrorists and end the political correctness that surrounds all actions related to these people who are engaged in an act of war against our country.

Grant Beck is a retired Marine Sergeant Major from Jacksonville, NC.  He wants us to get someone with a backbone to run for office.  He wants to see his leaders to “Tighten up all borders and get the immigration situation under control.” He also wants our leadership “Standing up straight and with a steady gaze, willing to spread the word around the world that this is the greatest nation on earth.”

Gale Gabriel is an Air Force veteran and independent voter.  “What do I want?  Total crackdown on any terrorist activity is necessary.  If water boarding is considered torture, so be it.  American lives are far more valuable.  We are not the aggressor.  Send them to Gitmo for a quick military trial, or how about paying Mexico to imprison them for life.  It would be cheaper than keeping them in our prisons.  Harsh??? Damn right!  Keep this country strong.”

Bill Murphy of Alvin, TX says, “Three top things, toughness on terrorists, strong support for Israel and fight for the unborn!” Another Texan, John Borley says, “Stop Mirandizing and coddling terrorists through our U.S. Court system.  Use a tribunal and get intelligence information from terrorists that can save American lives in the future.”

Veteran Jim Adams now retired from the FBI writes, “Terrorism – we have got to do a better job of handling it. This includes more than Afghanistan.  The entire Middle East has large populations that would love to see us disappear.  We cannot change ideals, so we need to find a better way to deal with it.”

Retired Colonel James Carothers of Slidell, LA had extensive comments on national security.  He believes we should have a global theme…”Build America – Defend America” and strongly points out, “If you are not contributing to at least one of the above, you are just ‘overhead’.” He believes political party affiliation is irrelevant to this theme.

Carothers explains himself in this way, “We are in a long war.  We don’t have a choice in this matter; the elements of conflict are fixed and will not change.  Give them the ‘pointed end’ of our superior technology. Stop allowing and enabling Muslim Extremists to conduct combat operations in Minneapolis, New York, Washington, Pennsylvania or any sovereign American territory.”

He concludes saying, “Interdict 5th Column Muslim infrastructure (domestic) within America.  Stop prison recruitment effort.  Stop the flow of dollars from domestic charities to Muslim Extremists. Defend the homeland aggressively.  Protect American citizens from the Muslim Extremist threat and fight on their turf…not ours!”

There were many strong words written in the messages from these people.  The words are all from individuals who have given our nation substantial years of their lives.  They have defended the Constitution and because of them and millions of their brothers-in-arms we still enjoy freedom.  If elected officials should listen to anyone, it should not be the backroom dealmakers, but those among our citizens who stood tall when their country called. If the politicos can’t do that one simple thing, they should…

Remember Massachusetts!

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Independents Rising - But We Still Have A Predatory Congress

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Harlingen, Texas, January 18, 2010: Scott Brown has come to Washington and is being wooed by Republicans and Democrats alike.  That his election was a historic moment is not in question.  That he is potentially a political game changer is a surety.  But, those of us who cast ballots to place our elected representatives in the seats of power must not forget we still have the same political elites in power who were there before the first vote was cast on that fateful Tuesday morning in Massachusetts.

Is there anyone in America who still giving Congress the benefit of the doubt?  Is anyone still of the mind that these are kindly, benevolent, dictators who are looking out for you and me?  If such a person or group exists their common sense is surely in question.  At this hour we find ourselves at the mercy of the most predatory Congress in the history of this country.  The huge election in Massachusetts may change the tone, as they all scramble to find the best face to put in front of the public, but it does not change the villains who reside behind those Capitol Hill doors.

For those you, who think the Brown election trumpets in a new era of Republican rule, be reminded that the same GOP officials who squandered their majority through waste, neglect, arrogance and mismanagement are still in office, even if their numbers have diminished.

It was not Republicans who elected Scott Brown.  It was not Democrats who have given him a chance at national office.  It was an overwhelming number of Independent voters who have finally said ‘enough ‘ to the Washington fat cats.  When Brown said in debate that the office he was seeking was ‘the people’s seat’ he spoke a hard truth.  Across the country, people have become disillusioned with political parties.  From the Tea Party Movement to local political forums the American people are demanding a return to constitutional governance.

This is nothing new for Americans.  The Father of our Country was the first who voiced distain for political parties.  When George Washington took his oath of office, there was no such thing as a political party in this new United States of America.  By the time he left public life, he was warning his countrymen about the dangers that could arise from the forming of any political organization.

In his farewell address Washington said, “All obstructions to the execution of the Laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and a fatal tendency.  They (political parties) serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of the party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels, and modified by mutual interests.” Washington’s words went unheeded and by the time our second president had completed his term of office, political parties had become a reality.

If anything meaningful can be learned from the Massachusetts election, it should be that the Independent voter is far more important than any political faction.  Those voters in the Bay State saw very clearly that we have a predatory Congress in power that has completely ignored and has shown total distain for the will of the people.  Those same voters took action to correct that serious flaw in our current congressional makeup.

As we move though the months marching toward November, all Democrats should worry about their future electability.  At the same time there should be no glee in the ranks of the GOP.  They too, have been part of the problem, not part of the solution.  They too are at risk of ending their political careers.  Those office seekers who can embrace the Constitution and common sense will prevail and the predators will find a scant menu to satisfy their hunger for power as ‘The People’ start filling the seats of power.

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Veterans and Military Retirees - Always Congressional Targets

Harlingen, Texas, January 13, 2010: The easiest targets for Washington politicians to hit are the veterans and military retirees.  They are easy because few of them fight back when negatively impacted by the beltway dealmakers.  Far too many of them depend upon the various veterans and retiree service organizations to speak in their behalf, not understanding that many of those organizations have a leadership that has repeatedly failed its members on a wide variety of issues.

Without the men and women who picked up arms and stood tall on the ramparts, the United States of America would not exist today. There is no other fraternity that has given more to their country or has been victimized more by Washington D.C. than the men and women of the armed forces. 

Just as that is an undeniable truth, it is also true that once their years of service are completed, be it because of wounds, failed health or the passage of time, our elected leaders rush to violate and invalidate every promise made to these same warriors while they were defending the nation.

Congress promised to take care of our veterans, yet 25% of the homeless population is made up of those who served their country and little to nothing is being done to get them off the streets.
Substance abuse among veterans and even retirees is extremely high, as is untreated mental illness.  Washington handles those problems with mere pennies on the dollars that should be spent.

Disabled military retirees fought for 108 years to gain concurrent receipt of disability pay and their pensions, as was granted to all other federal employees.  During all those years Congress denied them, and still the matter has not been totally resolved.

At this hour more than 900,000 disability and medical claims are remaining unresolved by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Many of these petitions have been languishing in those VA in-boxes for up to three years.

…. And now rides in a dark horse called Healthcare Reform.  Who it will end up trampling is anyone’s guess, but it is even money bet that the people receiving Medicare, Tricare for Life (a Medicare supplement for military retirees over age 65) and even Tricare (several programs for active duty and recently retired military personnel) would be hurt if legislation were finalized in its current form.

Across the country the warrior clan is speaking out on this issue and their words do not bode well for those who now hold office.

Retired Air Force Colonel Jay Lagree of Delaware writes, “The folks who seek seats in the House or Senate should be hearing from retired military who are angry at the senate which has proceeded to gut our Tricare for Life. We all need to be writing our newspapers, our congressional representatives and most important each other as we battle this terrible bill.”

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Revie, USA (Ret) of New Mexico lives with a 100% disability.  He has spent years as an advocate for the retired community and veterans.  Says the colonel, “The big weakness of Tricare for Life is that its reimbursement ratios are indexed to Medicare and if the $500 billion raid on Medicare to support Obamacare takes place, something must give, and I suspect Medicare ratios will decrease, as will the Medicare authorized amounts.”

Dorothy Stafford, the wife of a retired Master Sergeant in Marshall, Texas writes, “I heard Massachusetts senatorial candidate Scott Brown, an Army reserve officer, speak about his opposition to congressional plans for ending Tricare for Life.  “That was the first time I have heard someone mention shutting down Tricare and I am writing my Senators and congressmen stating my opposition to this bill.”

From the Marine Corps retired ranks comes a comment from William Bloomfield.  He believes all the back room dealings in Washington should really get veterans and retirees ‘juices flowing’.  “That is”, he says, “if we can wake them up so that they can read what is going on.  There must be more activity by us in the retired community, especially since some of the service organizations (can you say AmericanLegion) have started drinking the Administration ‘Kool-Aid’ by the bucketful.  It is time to get things stirred up in DC and a lot more.”

Marine Corps widow Jo Dermody informs us, “I call at least twice a week regarding Tricare for Life.  I call my two senators, my rep and Joe Liberman because he is open to try to keep Tricare for Life.  I also call people involved in the healthcare bill and have a letter going out tomorrow to Secretary Gates.  I am exhausted from working on this, but do it in the memory of my husband who was promised things and had them taken from him.  I am not sure the military organizations are fighting very hard for us widows and retirees. If you can think of more I can do, let me know”

Former combat correspondent and fellow Marine, author Charles Henderson of Colorado sent our column titled “Military Retirees, Victims of a Congressional Shell Game” to his friend Senator Jim Webb.  In his letter to the Virginia senator Henderson says, “I hear it again and again that Tricare for Life is not at risk, but then I read the numbers and I wonder if we are being told that the emperor is wearing this fine set of garments, but is truly naked.” He then urges Webb to weigh in on behalf of all senior military retirees.  Henderson reminds his congressional friend “Regarding veterans benefits and what America owes those who fought and died for her, it is not an entitlement.  It is an obligation!  Promises made must be kept!  Without the sacrifices of our warriors, the people in this great nation would quite literally have nothing.  Keeping the promise is little payment for that.”

David Smith is a retired Navy Chief living in the Philippines.  He read the ‘Shell Game’. article about the looming attack on Tricare for Life.  Though he agrees the healthcare reform legislation now pending could seriously damage our current military health care programs, he contacted the American Military Retirees Association about the issues we documented.  The reply of that service organization was they didn’t lend much credence to what I had written and the article was ‘viral’.  Since that is a term meaning something is spread rapidly like a virus, I really hope they are correct.  Our only hope is to reach the entire military community and have them speak out, if we have any chance to solidify the future of all military and veteran health programs. Military retirees and all veterans must make their voices be heard loud and clear in the very halls where all the congressional shell games are played.

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Military Retirees, Victims of a Congressional Shell Game

Harlingen, Texas, January 9, 2010:  Military retirees are very close to losing their hard won Tricare for Life health insurance…and it is their own fault.  The sad truth about military retirees is they usually fail to respond when their rights are violated or their futures placed in jeopardy.  When viewing voting constituencies, the most docile and inactive people are found among the retired military members and their dependents.

Any politician engaged in the deceitful practices of Washington D. C. knows one of the easiest targets to attack is the retired military community.  Politicians view this group as the least harmful of any who make up the ranks of the voting public.  They place those who served in uniform at the top of their least harmful list, thus making them political targets whenever there is a search being conducted to show the public what the political elite call meaningful dollar savings.

There are some strong military retiree advocates who are speaking out on the dangerous situation facing their former comrades-in-arms.  One of these is Colonel Wayne Morris, USMC (Ret), who says, “We know that nothing is safe right now when considering the ongoing efforts of the current administration especially in any and all areas aligned with health care!  Military retirees will quickly become a ‘soft target’ for those who would take away from one group and give to another. I personally see a marked effort on the part of the current administration to divide us on this issue – to cause those who are NOT military retirees, (even those now on active duty) to eventually play against us and the benefits we have thus far been able to retain.”

In support of this idea, the colonel points out there are some ‘so-called’ veteran support organizations already advising retirees to calm down and not worry about our health benefits.  These groups are telling the veterans that Tricare for Life benefits are safe and that retirees have nothing to worry about.  The falseness of such statements can be understood when it is realized that under current legislative plans Medicare will be cut by $500 billion and Tricare for Life is linked solidly to Medicare.  Doing the math anyone can see that such a devastating cut in services and benefits to Medicare would mean similar cuts in Tricare for Life.

Additional searching into this healthcare legislation will reveal that, as now drafted, new healthcare rules would require our advanced aged military retirees on Medicare and Tricare for Life to pay the first $525 of medical costs for the beneficiary and identical costs for any dependent.  The retiree would then pay 50% of the next $4,725 of medical charges up to a total of $6,301 per year.  This is the additional financial load our Congress will place on those who have already given twenty and more years of service to their country.  Many of who left their blood and body parts on the fields of battle.

The Washington version of the old Shell Game has already started.  This is a confidence trick where three shells and a pea are used in what is claimed to be a gambling game.  Actually, as the shells are shifted from position to position, the pea is removed from the table…and the player ends up picking NOTHING.  In the 2,000 plus page Obamacare health insurance bill, congressional lackeys tell us time and again that Tricare for Life is protected. But hey keep shifting those shells. The service organizations have already swallowed the snake oil and are echoing administration claims that TFL is safe. They have already bought into the Shell Game.  We also know everyone in the Democrat Congress is keeping those shells moving and not letting us see that pea.  The end result will be another case of “nothing is too good for those who served in uniform”…and that is what they will get. NOTHING!

Semper Fidelis
Thomas D. Segel
tomsegel@sbcglobal.net

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A Small Touch of Kindness

Harlingen, Texas, January 5, 2010:  It was only a brief news report, when it should have been a banner headline.  An eight-year-old girl used her Christmas vacation to collect 251 new and used winter coats for people who would suffer in the frigid cold of January.  Here in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where thousands of people are impacted by living in one of the most economically disadvantaged regions of the country, there are at least 251 people who will have a warmer winter because of one little girl, the current Little Miss San Benito, eight-year-old Zaralegui Guzman.

At the time I heard about this child and her coat campaign, I was reading the words of best selling author Dean Koontz.  In his novel, From The Corner of His Eye Koontz writes, “Not one day in anyone’s life is an uneventful day, no day without profound meaning, no matter how dull and boring it may seem, no matter whether you are a seamstress or a queen, a shoeshine boy or a movie, a renowned philosopher or a Down’s-syndrome child.  Because in every day of your life, there are opportunities to perform little kindnesses to others, both by conscious acts of will and unconscious example.”

Those tender moments of kindness are all around us.  Events such as this are happening every day of our lives, but we seldom hear about them because of the media credo of “If it bleeds-It leads!”

You seldom hear about people like Bobby Johnson, a hairdresser in Columbia, Missouri.  One of her steady customers went through the trauma of breast cancer.  Bobby was there for her at the times she was the lowest.  The beautician provided her customer with a foundation of emotional and spiritual support.  Bobby’s birthday arrived and with it came a special gift, a check for $5,000.  The customer remains unnamed.

Nor are we often told about preschool children such as those in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, who went to businesses and friends with gifts of cookies…and raised more than $150 so less fortunate children could have a Merry Christmas.

On the morning of December 30 Elsie Clark was in the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and in trouble.  The 79 year old, wheelchair bound, lady had been left at the wrong gate by a careless porter and had missed her flight home to Canada.  Then she was wrongly placed on a flight to Chicago.  When the flight arrived in the Windy City there was no scheduled departure to Canada until the next day.  Elsie was trapped and would have been forced to spend the night in the terminal.

Dean Germeyer, who had visited with her during the flight to Chicago overheard the situation and instead…took Elsie home.  His wife fed her.  They took her on a guided tour of the city, placed her in a quality downtown hotel and arranged for her to be taken to her flight the next morning.  As they departed, Germeyer told the elderly woman, who lives on a fixed income, not to worry about the bill as it had already been paid.

There are special acts, big and little, that are happening all around us.  Shirley Johnson of Waxahachie, Texas anonymously arranged for a young friend to get a much-needed tank of gas.  Someone paid for Martha Staby’s 62nd wedding celebration in Loveland, Colorado. In Chevy Chase, Maryland, Patricia Jager and her husband managed to be on time for a cruise trip, only because a stranger carried the elderly couple’s luggage to the ship. 

All of these things happened because, even in these dark and depressing days, people care about other people.  When all of our commentary and news seems to be about the degradation of mankind, it is a small joy to learn about unknown individuals reaching out to touch the lives of others.

Martha Burnham of San Saba, Texas and her granddaughter were returning home to Sweetwater three hours away, when they found their car wouldn’t start.  Two young men, Orrin Romine and Cody Slayton from Texas State Technical College of West Texas, asked if they could help.  They discovered the starter motor needed to be replaced.  Martha didn’t even have the $132 it would take to replace the motor, so the boys went to a local junkyard, found a replacement part and repaired the damage.  When Martha told them she would send them a check, they wouldn’t even give her their address.  They just said, “All we want you to do is pass the act of kindness on to someone else.”

As Koontz write, “Each small act of kindness – even just words of hope when needed or the remembrance of a birthday, a complement that engenders a smile – reverberates across great distances and spans of time, affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit was the source of this good echo…” Happy New Year.

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