Kurt Schrader For Congress (5th) District November 2010

My Fellow Vets from 1/162, With election time fast approaching, it is time to think about who has your back when it comes to our needs as disabled vets and Human beings in general. I usually do not get on a political soap box, I prefer to let my pen do my talking on election day. These last few years I have learned some hard lessons regarding the political party I once was affiliated with. For those of you who remember me from our trip to the big catbox, I had grey hair and you guys called me old man and gramps and stuff like that. That I thought was great, because even though in some cases I was twice your guys ages, you still accepted me.
Now, to show you how old I am... I voted Republican since Reagan, Does that tell you how long I had been drinking the Republican Kool-aid?... Now, I bought off on the Iraq mission like we all did and now I come home from that mission with some problems.

I tried going to my local State Representative Kevin Cameron who is a Republican and his office would not even return my phone calls. As a matter of fact Republicans in general take the road that it is ok for you to be exposed to a chemical that will kill you years down the road even though a contractor working for the government was in charge of the site and let it happen unnecessarily... I guess that way you die sooner and they do not have to pay out so much on your worthless soul. I believe the Iraqi People needed help, but did we go there to help them, or ourselves to their oil? I am beginning to think the latter. The reason I say this is because the first priority was to get the oil flowing, not stabilization of the country. Saddam was not leaving and the U.S. wanted that Iraqi Oil on the global market, so we had to go kick him out.

Now the Republicans complain about the cost of having to foot the cost of healthcare for disabled combat veterans..If they would stop making them unnecessarily, this would not be an issue. Look at all the time , money, equipment and most importantly the human cost. Hell look at Vietnam and the thousands lost there, those men and women did everything their country asked of them and more. Just think of the waste of American Resources there...How many potential Congressmen and Women and or President's, scholars, scientists and just plain good people who could be making America a better place today but never got the chance...God bless them for serving their country. That's the human Cost I am talking about...The part the Republicans refuse to acknowledge.

I myself am voting for Kurt Schrader for my Congressional District here in Oregon (5th) He worked hard to make sure that us Oregon veterans are getting help with jobs when we come back from deployment and help with reintegration into civilian life and also for soldiers to be immediately notified if they have been exposed to dangerous chemicals. Do not get me wrong, I am all for a balanced budget and fiscal responsibility, but is losing over 4000 lives in Iraq for no clear objective fiscal responsibility?... Think, along with that gasoline we are putting in our cars, does it also contain some of the blood of our servicemen and women? Yes, I even did a commercial for him, and I did it because I believe in him and I meant every word I said!! I do not want to tell you how to vote...but to think about who has your best interests at heart before you vote!!
Kurt Schrader is committed to us Veterans and he has my vote!! :D
Here is the Link to the commercial

To The V.A.... "We Won't Get Fooled Again"

Today I would like to write about the V.A. and their decision to add a subsection to the Gulf War registry for environmental issues such as Sodium Dichromate. Now, That is all good and everything, but what about our brother veterans from Vietnam who got Agent Orange and other crap dumped on them. When I joined The service in 1982, they were still giving out this bug repellent that they had used in Vietnam, and anything plastic it came in contact with...it literally melted. Yeah, those guys literally had to use it or get eaten by some big ass bugs, not much of a choice huh.

Now, I know alot of Vietnam Vets have a dislike for current vets, even saying, they "Chose to fight" and "They knew what they were getting into" so they got what they deserved. And the reason they give these type of opinions is because we were not drafted. I am sorry guys, I was born during the very early part of your war and had nothing to do with you being drafted. I am truly sorry for that, but what has been done cannot be undone and we need to work together.

I know what alot of you people are thinking, this guy is a whiner. I had no problem doing my job as an infantryman. And yes, while bullets and bombs will kill you, at least it happens pretty quick and you are not left to suffer. Then you do not come home and procreate and your offspring look like their DNA was strained through a tube sock. This all happens because some cheap Contractor S.O.B. uses the cheapest materials available to get the job done and Humanity be damned.

To the Gulf War I vets, these poor men and women have been jerked around so many times it is crazy. The V.A. never seems like it can settle on what if anything they can do for them.

Now, I have been to the Portland V.A. Hospital for the Gulf War Registry Screening, this was March 24th 2010 and saw Dr. Grebenow. Before hand they had sent me a large packet of paper to fill out regarding my exposure and my symptoms. I took considerable time filling it out with great detail and took it with me to my appointment. Now I was NOT AT ALL IMPRESSED!! with this Dr. or the exam, it appeared to be an appeasement process so us veterans would shut up. The reason I say this, is because he never once looked at all the paper work I filled out. He then would ask me questions, and instead of letting me answer them, he would finish my answers his way. What the hell was the point of driving 110 miles round trip for nothing? Now, I am not trying to be mean or anything, but this needs to change!!

Then at the end of the appointment, he asked me "What do you know about Sodium Dichromate?" kinda as if to find out with what type of B.S. answers he was going to be able to get away with telling me. So I told him "I know it's a corrosion fighter"
to which he replied "we do not have any data on short term exposure to Sodium Dichromate... At least someone was finally being honest!!

I really want to be of service to my fellow veterans, but it is really hard to travel for long distances for me because my bones and joints ache all the time and my left eye is real sensitive to too much sunlight.

So to the V.A. if you read this, I am willing to help, but you must put forth a earnest effort to help all veterans and Educate your Doctors and Staff, they are there to help veterans, if they do not like their job, maybe they need to look elsewhere. And please, if you are going to make us fill out a whole bunch of paperwork for a exam, have the doctor go over it with us during the exam. I listed all my symptoms on that damn paper packet, but we did not even talk about half of them.

Better yet, I think I am going to start showing up to my appointments with a micro tape recorder and a sign hanging around my neck saying "This Appointment may be recorded for quality assurance purposes"

Let's talk about the V.A.'s claim process.. It has done a 180 degree from what I can tell. V.A. Training letter 10-03 lays it all out and has straightened alot of stuff out. And I gotta give Mr. Shinseki MAJOR props for that!! YOU ROCK!!

Where are the Republicans?

Today I am having a horrible migraine..I can barely see out of my left eye, and have it covered up like I am some damn pirate. Having been to the V.A. Hospital, I see the big campaign signs along I-5 for the upcoming elections. Now, my problem is that I have been a registered republican since I was old enough to vote. Now, after being sent off to war by a Republican Presidential Administration I come home with a bunch of problems which I need help with.

Where are the people from the Republican Party? Not one Republican office holder has contacted me, even on a local state level and I am talking about you Kevin Cameron!
My Local State Representative (Republican) I have not heard a word from you...neither have my fellow veterans!

We have been helped tremendously by Chip Shields and Suzanne VanOrmand, both are Democrats...and neither from my area. I am beginning to think that if you do not have anything to offer the Republican party in the way of being able to help make them money, then you are not a person they care about. What a sad realization this has become for me. I guess G.O.P. stands not for Grand Old party, but more like Gas Oil Petroleum. It seems like the party that freed the slaves in the 1860's wishes to create another class of slaves by stomping on the back of hard working and hard FIGHTING Americans to make more money for themselves.

I do not agree with the Tea Baggers and their philosophy and the only people who will help ordinary folks are the Democrats, so I guess I am going to have to do what my conscious tells me and disavow the Republican Party. Sometimes you just have to recognize a poor investment and cut your losses. I am now an INDEPENDENT that leans Democrat!!

I borrowed the pic from www.mssparky.com
I Love Ms. Sparky, she can write a hell of a blog!!