VA looks at new effort to reach homeless veterans

I know that news from the 41st Congressional District – and not ours – doesn’t interest a lot of people here. Perhaps it should. Look at what Congressman Lewis is doing for veterans.

Comments by Jerry Lewis:

“On any given night, 131,000 veterans can be found sleeping on the streets and in homeless shelters across America. These former men and women of uniform now represent one-third of the nations homeless population. In our own Inland Empire community, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates there are nearly 2,000 homeless veterans who struggle every day to find a place to sleep and to eat a decent meal.

Under the leadership of my good friend, Secretary Eric Shinseki, the VA has pledged to end homelessness amongst our nations veterans in five years. This ambitious goal will provide nearly $4.7 billion a year in healthcare, housing, job training, education, and other services targeted at not only helping veterans exit homelessness, but also at preventing veterans from becoming homeless in the first place.

On March 4th, 2010 at the FY2011 Budget Hearing for the VA, I spoke with Secretary Shinseki about this important issue. In our conversation I pledged to support the VA in its efforts and I challenged my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to also support this national imperative. As we proceed with the work of Congress in the months ahead, the House Appropriations Committee on Veterans Affairs will now make ending homelessness amongst our nations veterans a top priority.
With this investment, our country will seek to ensure that no man or woman who serves our nation is forgotten.” Photo source

Vigilant Pug Helps Save Drowning Cat

Chloe the Pug saved her sister Willow, a Siamese cat, recently. Forget about fighting like cats and dogs. These two are best friends.

Read the story here.

New Jersey raid nets biggest illegal indoor grow in state’s history

This bust kinda reminds me of the French Connection, but it’s the Vietnamese Connection in this case! Arrested were:Thu N. Nguyen, 44, Tuan A. Dang, 35, and Ngoc H. Bui.

Excerpt:

“Along with a vast array of indoor cultivation equipment, 3,370 growing plants, 115 pounds of harvested marijuana and $65,000 cash was seized in the raids on five different large homes, which one law-enforcement official described as "mansions."

Go here for the full story.

Looks like robbers are hitting hard times like the rest of us

Our Great Recession has taken it’s toll on all professions. That includes robbers. It’s becoming more of a crap shoot than ever for thieves who gamble on their illicit earnings.

The woman in the following story is a good example of what I’m talking about. These are indeed hard times.  

Police: California robber holds up 11 people, gets $6

Are you ready for the toilet of the future?

The heated seat sounds like  a good idea to me. The rest of this toilets gadgets are just a little to “Buck Rogers” though.

“Amenities include heated seats, sound effects, lids that raise automatically.

Dr. Michael Sykes, a San Diego molecular biologist who runs the International Center for Bathroom Etiquette blog says he’s surprised at how long it’s taken for high-tech toilets to hit the U.S.”

Photo by Kim Terca / Page One PR

VA to automate its Agent Orange claims process

This is BIG NEWS for veterans. An alert reader sent me this story: VA to automate its Agent Orange claims process

“The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that it will fully automate how it pays claims for illnesses related to exposure to the chemical Agent Orange to keep an overburdened system from collapse.

It is the department's first effort at automating claims processing in its 80-year history, says VA chief technology officer Peter Levin. It comes as the agency struggles to cut a backlog of more than 1 million disability claims, appeals and other cases.”

Terrorists come in all colors and countries

Pa. woman accused of recruiting jihadists

What does a terrorist look like? They’re dark-skinned and are Muslims right? Wrong! It’s time we understand that the enemy comes in all colors and from all countries. Even right here in America.

I’m not talking about terrorist cells. I’m talking about a person like Colleen R. LaRose who carries on her own jihad against the USA and other Western countries like Ireland and Sweden.

Indictment alleges American used Internet to spark terror overseas

1. She went by the name “Jihad Jane.” It reminds me of another traitor to our country during the Vietnam war – Jane Fonda aka “Hanoi Jane,” who has never been tried for her collaboration with the enemy because she was a movie star with a lot of money and political connections.  

                                        Ireland arrests linked to the above case
Authorities in Ireland on Tuesday arrested seven people accused of joining a plot to kill the Swedish cartoonist, and U.S. officials said the two cases were linked.

Safety advocates say product can cause infant suffocating

I’m somewhat skeptical about this style of baby sling (see photo) being branded as dangerous.

This same basic design for carrying babies goes back hundreds of years in numerous cultures. All of a sudden it’s a death trap? What do you think?

Is it an over-reaction? Are American men and women just so stupid that they wouldn’t notice if their child was suffocating in a sling like this?

The concern: infants can suffocate, and at least a few have.

photo source

Banks and financial institutions continue operating like the recession never happened

Are you wondering what reforms have been imposed upon the banks and financial institutions that caused our economy to nearly collapse while we were bailing them out? None. Nothings changed. They still play their games. They still hold the strings to power in our capitalistic country.

How much hope is there for real financial reform you may ask? In my opinion, none. Look at those clowns in Congress. They’re so polarized that they can’t agree on the simplest subjects. Throw in the lobbyists for those financial institutions, and you can see why there won’t be any real change in the financial regulatory system soon. Consumers lose as usual. It’s a corporate world after all!

So far in congressional debate, it’s lenders 1, consumers 0

“As Congress this week inches toward a new set of rules to avert another global financial collapse, it is focused on two conflicting goals: reforming the banking system to protect consumers while still giving lenders the freedom to take risks.”

photo source

Are Veterans Being Given Deadly Cocktails to Treat PTSD?

PTSD is not something you can cure with drugs. As a matter of fact, there’s no definitive cure.

With counseling, group therapy, and years of support, a person can still lead a relatively normal (I’m really not sure what normal is) life. Sometimes it’s necessary to add drugs to peoples PTSD treatment.

For example, I take Trazone at night to sleep. Zoloft,  a common anti-depressant drug that’s been around for over a decade, is also used as part of a treatment program. There are other drugs out there that have proved their worth as partial components for PTSD therapy.   

But, a potentially deadly drug- Seroquel -  manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has been linked to the deaths of soldiers returning from war.

Although it has not been approved for treatment of PTSD, Pentagon purchases of Seroquel nearly doubled between 2003 and 2007. Elspeth Ritchie, medical director of the Army's Strategic Communications Office told the Denver Post the drug is "increasingly utilized as an adjunct for PTSD."

Yet the FDA continues to approve it!