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July 26, 2007 | There are two very important developments that need the immediate attention of the American public.
The Dole-Shalala Commission Report that vividly illustrates how the U.S. government does not support our troops has been released. As Paul Rieckhoff stated on HuffPo today, "...the Dole-Shalala Commission released their draft report, proving to the American public that the Walter Reed fiasco is just the tip of the iceberg. This draft report illustrates the enormous scope of hurdles facing our nation's wounded veterans. Many troops and veterans are forced to wait months and even years for medical appointments and disability pensions. Some veterans forced to wait have committed suicide, while other have fallen deep into debt. Last week, the Secretary of the VA Jim Nicholson ended an embarrassingly bad tenure by resigning from his post. This week, a group of disabled Iraq veterans are suing the VA for failing to provide them with care and resources. The situation is extremely urgent. Our veterans' healthcare system is facing tremendous challenges at every level and the Department of Defense and the VA are not ready to respond. This report should be a wake-up call for all Americans, reminding them that supporting the troops requires more than empty rhetoric and magnetic bumper stickers." The full story can be found at the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) web site. The Final Report of the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors can be read in it's entirety here. _______________ In other important news, two former staunch Reaganites distance themselves from the current GOP administration run amok by stating that the new interpretation of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions dishonors the United States. P.X. Kelley, commandant of the Marine Corps from 1983 to 1987, and Robert F. Turner, co-founder of the University of Virginia's Center for National Security Law and a former chair of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Law and National Security, go so far as to resurrect quotes from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to illustrate their concerns that, "the president has given the CIA carte blanche to engage in 'willful and outrageous acts of personal abuse.'" War Crimes and the White House - The Dishonor in a Tortured New 'Interpretation' of the Geneva Conventions - By P.X. Kelley and Robert F. Turner ___________________________________ 7.26.2007 |