Veterans to Be Dis-Armed

Some months ago, it was revealed that the Wounded Warriors Project while performing noble causes and doing great work on behalf of long-term injured soldiers had an anti-gun agenda as noted with the matter of not appearing on a radio show.

Sadly, PTSD is one of the top areas where our active troops and veterans suffer so much so that suicide and criminal actions have become an epidemic unto itself. We cant know the exact numbers however those treated at the Veterans Administration, yet those treated exceed 250,000 or more than 30%.  Treatment of PTSD has not received enough attention much less has the treatment been for the most part effective. In the case of the former Marine Eddie Ray Routh who killed Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield, Routh was released from PTSD treatment only two days before that fateful day against adamant demands from his family.

Now it has been established there are issues with returning veterans and their plight on PTSD, however, it does beg the question, how many returning veterans are thrown under the bus with regard to their mental capacity when in fact, they are healthy and completely functional? A label has been attached to returning veterans along with many other citizens of the likelihood there is a homegrown terror threat in all of us as written and published by the Department of Homeland Security without so much as a whimper and reaction from dedicated rational patriotic Americans across the land.

Now, in the past months it has been a marquis topic to step up the quest to enact more serious gun legislation which affects legal and sane gun owners in future hopes it will reduce killings on soft targets such as those at Virginia Tech, the Aurora movie theater, Sandy Hook Elementary school and the Sheik church to mention a few when, legal gun owners follow the law and have not been found to be a part of these murders. Yet, when it comes to veterans, they continue to be at the core of the mission to keep firearms out of the hands of those trained and skilled to use them in high threat circumstances even in our homeland.

In recent days, in has come to our attention that veterans are receiving letters that prohibit veterans from transporting, purchasing, possessing or receiving firearms all without some formal investigation to the rationale for these demands by the Department of Veteran Affairs. The actual letter can be read here.

Just what is the Department of Veteran Affairs using for to disarm veterans? Well, there is a well coordinated document that has been uncovered that address all the bases that Veteran Administrations across the country to use to affect veterans owning firearms.

It is time now for all retired military and active soldiers to have their voices heard, perhaps this can be a start of that dialogue. We grieve for those that no longer walk with us due to having given their lives in a combat theater and certainly those at home that have fallen at the hands of those who are victims of deranged gunmen. We must have an active debate on the effective treatment of PTSD and the obscure decisions by the Department of Defense via the Department of Veteran Affairs to disarm veterans.

Mandates at the agency level and lawmakers have become judge and jury on all citizens and they are drunk with the power of the pen and their agendas.

Sequestration: Entitlements vs. National Security

Much has been mentioned in the last 18 months regarding the far and wide devastation of Sequestration that was the brain child of Barack Obama and Jack Lew in the White House. To further the support for the government cuts, this mission was meant to hurt as it was brought to Harry Reid to gain support and support Reid gave. This answers the question on why the Senate would not take up law and measures passed but the House as Harry Reid is ‘all-in’ with the White House, leaving the people’s work and voices both on the floor and silent.

A Super Committee was created to work through the process to avoid Sequestration where again the measure failed. The White House and the lobby groups have been on a loud and vocal quest to blame Republicans and the House of Representatives for what looms as Sequestration takes affect on March 1, 2013. The House has worked diligently to pass laws that stop the devastating cuts most especially those to defense while none of the measure by the House have been provided attention or vote by the Senate.

Lets take a look at what Sequester impacts on both sides. This is not a complete list and the depth of the cuts are not explained as that can be determined by a review of the associated links provided.

What gets cut:
TSA
FDA food inspectors
Head-Start
Defense
Parks Service
National Guard
Border Patrol
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Secret Service
FEMA
Air Federal Marshalls
FAA
Special Education Teachers
Center for Disease Control
NASA
Security and Exchange Commission
Foreign aid with particular emphasis on Israel and Mexico (130 countries affected)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (nuclear weapons)
What is exempt

Social Security
Railroad employees retirement
Veteran’s Administration benefits
Unemployment
Tribal and Indian Trust Accounts
Child nutrition
Children’s Heath Insurance
Pell Grants
Medicaid
SNAP, food stamps
Highway Safety Grants
Motor Carrier Safety Operations
Federal pay
Child Support Enforcement
FDIC
Farm Credits
Tennessee Valley Authority
In a snapshot assessment of what stays and what goes, it is clear that programs related to National Security and Foreign Affairs are getting the wave off in Sequester while domestic programs geared to funding the indigent remain. In short, the dangerous world will be even more dangerous and education and healthcare remains protected. We have yet to understand the large numbers of those that will be unemployed and what our enemies will take advantage of regarding our homeland.

Analysis: Impact of sequestration on non-defense discretionary spending

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42050.pdf