Where the Patriot Act failed to give the United States Government the resources it needed to invade your privacy, and circumvent the United States Constitution, H.R. 1424 - the Emergency Relief Act of 2008 has given them the power to not only undermine the American People, it literally allows them to rape and pillage the United States Constitution of all your rights as an American Citizen.
When Congress failed to pass H.R. 1424 I was relieved because the initial legislation would have caused more harm than good to the citizenry of the United States of America. Unfortunately, one week later, Congress reintroduced a revised Bill and passed H.R. 1424 with a vote of 263 yeas to 171 nays claiming that this one piece of legislation would “provide authority for the Federal Government to purchase and insure certain types of troubled assets for the purposes of providing stability to and preventing disruption in the economy and financial system and protecting taxpayers, and for other purposes.”
Showing posts with label Federal Funding Abuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Federal Funding Abuse. Show all posts
Monday, October 13, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Part 3: THOSE LEFT BEHIND
“... for his widow and his orphan…” Abraham Lincoln
What happens to the widow and family when a veteran passes on to the great parade ground in the sky? We know they must endure a life without them. Without their laughter, their tears, their smile and companionship they enjoyed for so many years. In the case of the veteran I mentioned in part one of this series, the spouse has endured not only the loss of a husband, but also the loss of much more than one person can endure in life; the loss of healthcare coverage.
While many friends and fellow veterans have felt the loss of George Davis’ passing, none feels it the same as his wife, Patricia who stood by him for thirty-four years. Through life’s difficulties, they stood together without wavering. George was the wind beneath her wings and his sudden death struck her like a bolt of lightening, sending shockwaves to her core.
The daughter of a strong military man herself, her family was proud in how she stood tall during the first few months after losing her husband. While trying to move on with life, it has been difficult without George by her side. Unfortunately, now she faces the toughest fight of her life, a fight that entails pain, frustration, and abandonment. Each day is a new lesson in life for the struggles of those left behind when a veteran dies.
Like most veterans, George worked hard in the civilian world and tried to take care of those around him, yet he never filed for benefits under the VA. Why would he, his employer provided him the benefit of healthcare insurance, so why bother to seek out any other type of coverage to take care of those emergency medical issues. His sudden massive heart attack, causally related to his service connected diabetic condition, left his wife, without health care insurance. As with so many employers, George's boss could not find it in his heart to continue her coverage therefore; she has been left to fend for herself while mourning the loss of her husband. Four months after the loss of George, her world was suddenly turned upside down when she was given the news she needed a total hip replacement. That was in mid-October of 2007.
It has now been almost five months that she has had to endure severe pain and lack of sleep as a result of not receiving proper medical assistance for her hip. Without the benefit of having healthcare insurance, she is stuck in the proverbial loop of political red tape. She does not qualify for public assistance because she owns a home and her assets are over two thousand dollars. She does not speak Spanish, nor an illegal alien of a foreign country, which gives her access to free medical care her in the United States of America. Her condition is now considered preexisting; this prevents her from obtaining new health insurance. Being the wife of a Vietnam Veteran, she turns to the Veterans Affairs Department for widow benefits.
Dependents of those eligible for benefits consist of the surviving spouse and minor children that might be currently living under the age of eighteen. If a dependent has been enrolled in the program known as ChampusVA, they can receive medical benefits just like under Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Only problem is, in most cases the veteran does not know this benefit existed, or did not file for benefits to cover their spouse before they died. Any intelligent human being would wonder why they didn’t do this. Well the information given out by the VA it is not only confusing, it is down right mumbo jumbo. A person needs a deciphering code in order to understand if they are eligible or not for various benefits.
Under the VA criteria for coverage of these benefits you must prove that you spent at least one day with “boots on the ground” in order to qualify. This is also one of the main issues under the Blue Water Case. How could they have spent time on the ground in Vietnam when they were aboard floating vessels? Therefore, any widow benefits sought would be denied based on this criteria. Here we have a spouse of a Vietnam Veteran who is in crisis, struggling with a medical emergency and is stuck in the political red tape of a program that was established to render aid “for his widow.”
When I joined forces to help advocate on behalf of Veterans benefits, I never once thought about the spouses, or the families that would be left behind; the veteran had not died, so why would I. I only thought about the issue at hand, called upon my vast network, and voiced the opinion I knew would help honor those who put on the uniform. Never once did I look at what benefits were available for the widow or widower of these brave individuals. I also never envisioned that the Blue Water Cases would have a direct link to someone I knew personally, that of George Davis and his wife Pat. You see Pat Davis is my older sister.
In an attempt to help Mrs. Davis, I have spoken to many city, state and federal agencies, as well as medical providers, who have asked me the same string of questions: "was she born in this country? Not a foreigner ok, does she qualify under the criteria of social services – less than two thousand dollars of assets?" Only to be told that if she was an illegal alien she could qualify for free medical assistance. What is wrong with the mindset of our society? We are willing to help others, but not our own.
As an American, Mrs. Davis is being denied access to necessary medical assistance in the United States because of the current system. Under the current medical system, if she were not an American, she would have received the necessary care long ago. One case I learned of recently was of a student at a nearby college, here in this country under a student visa who brought her mother here illegally for an operation. The mother, an illegal alien smuggled into this country from Columbia, South America for the express purpose of obtaining free healthcare at the Univeristy of Virginia Medical Facilty at Charlottesville, Virginia. The hospital administrator knowing the woman was here illegally, approved a total hip replacement at the protest of surgeons and medical staff who could not doing about it. I come to find out that hospitals do not check for immigration status in our current healthcare system. Why has the Department of Homeland Security not checked into this problem?
At the cost of over one hundred thousand dollars (doctors’ fees, rehabilitation, and medication), the American taxpayer pays for emergency medical assistance to illegal aliens, yet the wife of a veteran is denied access to the same medical care and assistance. One has to wonder what is wrong with a country that is willing to take care of those who come here illegally, and not take care of their own who is in serious pain and anguish. I doubt Mrs. Davis is alone in her fight. There must be thousands of widows out there who have had this same problem. Widows left behind who are the silent majority, between the ages of 58 and 62, who are stuck between the working class and the senior citizen benefits they are to young to receive. Will there ever be a time when these individuals and our veterans do not have to fight. Will they be taken care of without having to give up their life savings for emergency medical care?
Where are the benefits President Lincoln once pledged this government would provide to those who served in uniform? Why are the benefits that President Hoover signed into law so hard to obtain? Why should a widow be strapped with paperwork and red tape when they hold a death certificate and DD214 of a veteran in their hand? Where is the respect for those who protected and defended our country? Where is that grateful Nation our veterans defended?
What happens to the widow and family when a veteran passes on to the great parade ground in the sky? We know they must endure a life without them. Without their laughter, their tears, their smile and companionship they enjoyed for so many years. In the case of the veteran I mentioned in part one of this series, the spouse has endured not only the loss of a husband, but also the loss of much more than one person can endure in life; the loss of healthcare coverage.
While many friends and fellow veterans have felt the loss of George Davis’ passing, none feels it the same as his wife, Patricia who stood by him for thirty-four years. Through life’s difficulties, they stood together without wavering. George was the wind beneath her wings and his sudden death struck her like a bolt of lightening, sending shockwaves to her core.
The daughter of a strong military man herself, her family was proud in how she stood tall during the first few months after losing her husband. While trying to move on with life, it has been difficult without George by her side. Unfortunately, now she faces the toughest fight of her life, a fight that entails pain, frustration, and abandonment. Each day is a new lesson in life for the struggles of those left behind when a veteran dies.
Like most veterans, George worked hard in the civilian world and tried to take care of those around him, yet he never filed for benefits under the VA. Why would he, his employer provided him the benefit of healthcare insurance, so why bother to seek out any other type of coverage to take care of those emergency medical issues. His sudden massive heart attack, causally related to his service connected diabetic condition, left his wife, without health care insurance. As with so many employers, George's boss could not find it in his heart to continue her coverage therefore; she has been left to fend for herself while mourning the loss of her husband. Four months after the loss of George, her world was suddenly turned upside down when she was given the news she needed a total hip replacement. That was in mid-October of 2007.
It has now been almost five months that she has had to endure severe pain and lack of sleep as a result of not receiving proper medical assistance for her hip. Without the benefit of having healthcare insurance, she is stuck in the proverbial loop of political red tape. She does not qualify for public assistance because she owns a home and her assets are over two thousand dollars. She does not speak Spanish, nor an illegal alien of a foreign country, which gives her access to free medical care her in the United States of America. Her condition is now considered preexisting; this prevents her from obtaining new health insurance. Being the wife of a Vietnam Veteran, she turns to the Veterans Affairs Department for widow benefits.
Dependents of those eligible for benefits consist of the surviving spouse and minor children that might be currently living under the age of eighteen. If a dependent has been enrolled in the program known as ChampusVA, they can receive medical benefits just like under Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Only problem is, in most cases the veteran does not know this benefit existed, or did not file for benefits to cover their spouse before they died. Any intelligent human being would wonder why they didn’t do this. Well the information given out by the VA it is not only confusing, it is down right mumbo jumbo. A person needs a deciphering code in order to understand if they are eligible or not for various benefits.
Under the VA criteria for coverage of these benefits you must prove that you spent at least one day with “boots on the ground” in order to qualify. This is also one of the main issues under the Blue Water Case. How could they have spent time on the ground in Vietnam when they were aboard floating vessels? Therefore, any widow benefits sought would be denied based on this criteria. Here we have a spouse of a Vietnam Veteran who is in crisis, struggling with a medical emergency and is stuck in the political red tape of a program that was established to render aid “for his widow.”
When I joined forces to help advocate on behalf of Veterans benefits, I never once thought about the spouses, or the families that would be left behind; the veteran had not died, so why would I. I only thought about the issue at hand, called upon my vast network, and voiced the opinion I knew would help honor those who put on the uniform. Never once did I look at what benefits were available for the widow or widower of these brave individuals. I also never envisioned that the Blue Water Cases would have a direct link to someone I knew personally, that of George Davis and his wife Pat. You see Pat Davis is my older sister.
In an attempt to help Mrs. Davis, I have spoken to many city, state and federal agencies, as well as medical providers, who have asked me the same string of questions: "was she born in this country? Not a foreigner ok, does she qualify under the criteria of social services – less than two thousand dollars of assets?" Only to be told that if she was an illegal alien she could qualify for free medical assistance. What is wrong with the mindset of our society? We are willing to help others, but not our own.
As an American, Mrs. Davis is being denied access to necessary medical assistance in the United States because of the current system. Under the current medical system, if she were not an American, she would have received the necessary care long ago. One case I learned of recently was of a student at a nearby college, here in this country under a student visa who brought her mother here illegally for an operation. The mother, an illegal alien smuggled into this country from Columbia, South America for the express purpose of obtaining free healthcare at the Univeristy of Virginia Medical Facilty at Charlottesville, Virginia. The hospital administrator knowing the woman was here illegally, approved a total hip replacement at the protest of surgeons and medical staff who could not doing about it. I come to find out that hospitals do not check for immigration status in our current healthcare system. Why has the Department of Homeland Security not checked into this problem?
At the cost of over one hundred thousand dollars (doctors’ fees, rehabilitation, and medication), the American taxpayer pays for emergency medical assistance to illegal aliens, yet the wife of a veteran is denied access to the same medical care and assistance. One has to wonder what is wrong with a country that is willing to take care of those who come here illegally, and not take care of their own who is in serious pain and anguish. I doubt Mrs. Davis is alone in her fight. There must be thousands of widows out there who have had this same problem. Widows left behind who are the silent majority, between the ages of 58 and 62, who are stuck between the working class and the senior citizen benefits they are to young to receive. Will there ever be a time when these individuals and our veterans do not have to fight. Will they be taken care of without having to give up their life savings for emergency medical care?
Where are the benefits President Lincoln once pledged this government would provide to those who served in uniform? Why are the benefits that President Hoover signed into law so hard to obtain? Why should a widow be strapped with paperwork and red tape when they hold a death certificate and DD214 of a veteran in their hand? Where is the respect for those who protected and defended our country? Where is that grateful Nation our veterans defended?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Part 2: Fight for Benefits
“…to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan…”
- Abraham Lincoln –
On March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, then President of the United States, made a pledge during his second inaugural speech, wherein he pledged to care for those who served our nation in uniform. The imfamous words “...to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan” gave birth to what is now known as the Veterans Affairs Department of our government. With these simple words, he pledged the United States of America and its government’s obligation to care for those who served, were injured during a time of war, and to provide for the families of those who perished on the battlefield. What happened to that pledge?
In typical Washington, DC fashion, it would take sixty-five years before Congress would become organized and present President Hoover with a program outlining and establishing the Veterans Administration. When President Hoover signed the executive order, mandating the governments’ responsibility to provide these necessary medical services for our veterans, he should have left instructions to never abandon its original intent and obligation.
As with many programs established by our government, the original intent of this program has been lost. Over the years, the VA has gone through many changes, growing pains, the majority of them related to a change of administrations. As I look at the system today, I can clearly see how President Lincoln’s pledge has been lost between the cracks of political mismanagement.
Veterans who have served since the establishment of this program have encountered blatant disrespect by those who work within the hollow walls of this agency. Feeling as though they have been reduced to beggar status, many shy away from obtaining these benefits due them for their service. Therefore, it is exhausting when trying to obtain these benefits. Benefits that were considered a special thank you, to those who put on the uniform in the defense of a grateful nation. Where is this grateful nation?
These are the same men and women, who served with honor and dignity, who now need to be defended and taken care of as promised. In today’s world, the constant battle for these veterans has become a sea of political red tape. They have been subjected to undue stress during the remaining days of their life; never being able to live out those days with dignity and peace with family and loved ones.
Far too many cases have been embroiled in battle over proof of service, or establishing presumptive service connection to a medical injury or illness. Yet, their condition is obviously related as is evidenced by previous cases that have been proven combat or military related illnesses. The question remains why they are continuing to use the case-by-case scenario when they know these issues are related to military service. Does the Veterans Affairs want these members to die before ever receiving benefits? Is it because the funds once earmarked for them, could be allocated to newer programs to help make the VA look good – educational programs, public service announcements, kinder more softer type of programs that are all about improving the image of the VA and not helping the veteran.
Case in Point for my argument: In 2006, I was brought into a fight and educated regarding an issue currently before Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding the United States Navy; known as Blue Water.
The Blue Water Navy are those individuals who served off-shore during the Vietnam War, providing gunfire support, search and rescue, supply delivery, aircraft carrier-based jets, and numerous other direct combat support activities in support of land based troops. Even though their vessels were often only 50 or 100 feet from the shore line, and traveled miles up some of the larger rivers, these sailors are being denied medical care and compensations for disabilities caused by dioxin, the carcinogenic component of Agent Orange. This denial is despite the fact that all medical studies have shown Blue Water Navy personnel have a higher incidence of cancers and other illnesses than the land-based soldiers, who do receive VA health care and disability compensation because they had boots on the ground. {The Blue Water Navy includes Coast Guard and Marine personnel stationed offshore Vietnam during the period of the Vietnam War.}
My argument is this: no matter what, these service members served during a time of war in the uniform of the United States military. Agent Orange fumes were in the same air they breathed as well as those on the ground. Many have endured life long damage from breathing in fumes, or drank tainted water; poisoned by the toxins from dioxins [Agents Orange, Blue, or White]. There are cases of sailors receiving wounds while on deck, others with ailments associated with asbestos and the list goes on. For many of these veterans, the benefits will never be paid according to the VA; they were not considered “Combat Related.” They never had “boots on the ground” in Vietnam. As stated before, Blue Water Navy vessels were close enough to shore, to see and hear the explosions of bombs being dropped from planes, see the glow of tracer fire and hear the cries of their fellow Americans, or the enemy, as the wounds of war took hold of them. If not considered combat veterans, then what should they be considered - active bystanders?
One would say these Sailors were fortunate to have never stepped foot on the ground of a country in the midst of war. Those in charge of disbursing these benefits promised have penalized them for never having that opportunity. The authorities do not consider them as “Combat Veterans,” just a veteran of Vietnam. This to me is an injustice and play on words. This use on words is their escape hatch so they do not have to pay out benefits for serving their country honorably. They have been abandoned by their own country. This is not only a travesty but also a disgrace.
If we were to compare who gets more respect in this country – those who serve with honor and dignity in uniform, or those within the entertainment industry and criminal world who earn tens of thousands of dollars – society will choose the later. Society has chosen the entertainer because they live in a fantasy world where the hero makes millions of dollars and has lost their values, dignity, and understanding of what it is to be an American.
Many of our current soldiers are feeling the same pain their predecessors are feeling. In today’s environment, they are being subjected to the same case-by-case scenario when they request treatment, services, and benefits promised to them upon entering the military. Like their fathers before them, they feel abandoned for answering the call “Serve your Country.”
Therefore, the main questions posed by this writer are this: Why does the U.S. Government not fulfill their obligation to those who have served? Is it right that this government neglect the wishes of a previous President and defy his own pledge? On the other hand, is it simply poor fiscal planning responsibility, or was it they never intended to fulfill their end of this once honorable pledge in the first place?
- Abraham Lincoln –
On March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, then President of the United States, made a pledge during his second inaugural speech, wherein he pledged to care for those who served our nation in uniform. The imfamous words “...to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan” gave birth to what is now known as the Veterans Affairs Department of our government. With these simple words, he pledged the United States of America and its government’s obligation to care for those who served, were injured during a time of war, and to provide for the families of those who perished on the battlefield. What happened to that pledge?
In typical Washington, DC fashion, it would take sixty-five years before Congress would become organized and present President Hoover with a program outlining and establishing the Veterans Administration. When President Hoover signed the executive order, mandating the governments’ responsibility to provide these necessary medical services for our veterans, he should have left instructions to never abandon its original intent and obligation.
As with many programs established by our government, the original intent of this program has been lost. Over the years, the VA has gone through many changes, growing pains, the majority of them related to a change of administrations. As I look at the system today, I can clearly see how President Lincoln’s pledge has been lost between the cracks of political mismanagement.
Veterans who have served since the establishment of this program have encountered blatant disrespect by those who work within the hollow walls of this agency. Feeling as though they have been reduced to beggar status, many shy away from obtaining these benefits due them for their service. Therefore, it is exhausting when trying to obtain these benefits. Benefits that were considered a special thank you, to those who put on the uniform in the defense of a grateful nation. Where is this grateful nation?
These are the same men and women, who served with honor and dignity, who now need to be defended and taken care of as promised. In today’s world, the constant battle for these veterans has become a sea of political red tape. They have been subjected to undue stress during the remaining days of their life; never being able to live out those days with dignity and peace with family and loved ones.
Far too many cases have been embroiled in battle over proof of service, or establishing presumptive service connection to a medical injury or illness. Yet, their condition is obviously related as is evidenced by previous cases that have been proven combat or military related illnesses. The question remains why they are continuing to use the case-by-case scenario when they know these issues are related to military service. Does the Veterans Affairs want these members to die before ever receiving benefits? Is it because the funds once earmarked for them, could be allocated to newer programs to help make the VA look good – educational programs, public service announcements, kinder more softer type of programs that are all about improving the image of the VA and not helping the veteran.
Case in Point for my argument: In 2006, I was brought into a fight and educated regarding an issue currently before Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding the United States Navy; known as Blue Water.
The Blue Water Navy are those individuals who served off-shore during the Vietnam War, providing gunfire support, search and rescue, supply delivery, aircraft carrier-based jets, and numerous other direct combat support activities in support of land based troops. Even though their vessels were often only 50 or 100 feet from the shore line, and traveled miles up some of the larger rivers, these sailors are being denied medical care and compensations for disabilities caused by dioxin, the carcinogenic component of Agent Orange. This denial is despite the fact that all medical studies have shown Blue Water Navy personnel have a higher incidence of cancers and other illnesses than the land-based soldiers, who do receive VA health care and disability compensation because they had boots on the ground. {The Blue Water Navy includes Coast Guard and Marine personnel stationed offshore Vietnam during the period of the Vietnam War.}
My argument is this: no matter what, these service members served during a time of war in the uniform of the United States military. Agent Orange fumes were in the same air they breathed as well as those on the ground. Many have endured life long damage from breathing in fumes, or drank tainted water; poisoned by the toxins from dioxins [Agents Orange, Blue, or White]. There are cases of sailors receiving wounds while on deck, others with ailments associated with asbestos and the list goes on. For many of these veterans, the benefits will never be paid according to the VA; they were not considered “Combat Related.” They never had “boots on the ground” in Vietnam. As stated before, Blue Water Navy vessels were close enough to shore, to see and hear the explosions of bombs being dropped from planes, see the glow of tracer fire and hear the cries of their fellow Americans, or the enemy, as the wounds of war took hold of them. If not considered combat veterans, then what should they be considered - active bystanders?
One would say these Sailors were fortunate to have never stepped foot on the ground of a country in the midst of war. Those in charge of disbursing these benefits promised have penalized them for never having that opportunity. The authorities do not consider them as “Combat Veterans,” just a veteran of Vietnam. This to me is an injustice and play on words. This use on words is their escape hatch so they do not have to pay out benefits for serving their country honorably. They have been abandoned by their own country. This is not only a travesty but also a disgrace.
If we were to compare who gets more respect in this country – those who serve with honor and dignity in uniform, or those within the entertainment industry and criminal world who earn tens of thousands of dollars – society will choose the later. Society has chosen the entertainer because they live in a fantasy world where the hero makes millions of dollars and has lost their values, dignity, and understanding of what it is to be an American.
Many of our current soldiers are feeling the same pain their predecessors are feeling. In today’s environment, they are being subjected to the same case-by-case scenario when they request treatment, services, and benefits promised to them upon entering the military. Like their fathers before them, they feel abandoned for answering the call “Serve your Country.”
Therefore, the main questions posed by this writer are this: Why does the U.S. Government not fulfill their obligation to those who have served? Is it right that this government neglect the wishes of a previous President and defy his own pledge? On the other hand, is it simply poor fiscal planning responsibility, or was it they never intended to fulfill their end of this once honorable pledge in the first place?
Monday, February 11, 2008
BERKELEY THE UNGRATEFUL CITY
Tomorrow, February 12, the City of Berkeley’s City Council will again hear arguments regarding the removal of a recruiting station run by the United States Marine Corp Recruiters, within their city limits. Before they make their final decision, I suggest they look into their own past.
Berkeley City Officials have heard from citizens across the country denouncing their decision to pass two items condemning a Marine recruiting center that opened a year ago within their city limits. The first item called for the city clerk to send a letter to the Marines telling them they are unwelcome. The second was to grant Code Pink, a known anti-American Radical Group permission to park in front of the recruiting office every Wednesday afternoon and allow them to disrupt access to the recruiting station and other businesses in the area with their Anti-American onslaught of degrading slurs against those in our military.
Throughout this past week, I have received thousands of emails regarding their decision. I was just as outraged to hear that elected officials within the borders of the United States of America would denounce members of our own military forces as being unwelcome in their city. How had we become a communistic country and I not know anything about it. My first thought was to contact the President and Governor Schwarzenegger demanding that no National Guardsman or military units in and around the City of Berkeley be activated now or in the future should they warrant emergency assistance. Logic took over and I began thinking about their federal funding.
Apparently, I was not alone in my thought process; Senator DeMint announced the next morning, he would begin lobbying to remove federal funding earmarked for the City of Berkeley. Then I received a message that a very well connected executive, Brian G Dennard, sent a letter to Mayor Bates informing him that he will no longer do business with anyone in the Berkeley area. Bravo to Mr. Dennard for his take charge initiative. I wonder if any other American business will take his lead and do the same thing. As I put together the triangle on the fiscal aspect of this city, I began to also think about the history and its origin. What I found was very interesting to say the least. First, let me start with the fiscal information I found.
Since fiscal year 2000, the city of Berkeley has received in excess of $73,541,486 in federal funding to help fund various programs in their city. According to their current budget, the City is to receive federal funding in excess of $1,678,280 in support of their disability, employment training, healthcare, homeless, housing and rehabilitation, advocacy and youth programs. These amounts do not factor in state funding received from the Federal government that has filtered to the City by ways of State Grants from Homeland Security funds. However, it does show that the city receives approximately a third of its budgetary requirements from the Federal government.
The history of this city is quite another matter. Berkeley has always been associated with its radical uprisings and anti-military behavior, but little do they realize how much their roots are entrenched in military history. If city leaders would take a history lesson into their own past, they would not be so ungrateful towards our armed forces today.
According to their own website, they describe themselves as “The city of Berkeley rests in a natural amphitheater, sweeping down from the coastal hills to the shores of San Francisco Bay. You can see out to the far Pacific horizon, framed by the Golden Gate; you can see the distinct skyline of San Francisco; and the gentle peak of Marin County's Mt. Tamalpais.” What they don’t revealed in this description is that if it were not for the United States Military they would be nothing at all, just a blip on the map with nothing to show for its efforts. So soon, they forget in this sleepy little town how grateful they should be to the United States Military.
It was an emotional rollercoaster in the early 1900s for the Bay area. An earthquake hit nearby San Francisco in 1906. A huge fire destroyed over 640 structures in the city of Berkeley in 1923 and then the crash of 1929 brought this city to its knees. The University of California at Berkeley struggled financially throughout this same timeframe; only to be brought back to life with a grant from the United States Military towards its Gilman research and development in the fields of physical, inorganic, and nuclear chemistry. It would only be a few years later that this same University would receive millions of dollars in Military grants and gain the recognition as a historical landmark in our history books.
There would not be an increase of economic development or growth in the City of Berkeley until the 1940s when Pearl Harbor was attacked and World War II began. The United States Military brought the town back to life when it leased 12.56 acres of land in order to established Camp Ashby, in 1942 as part of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation and its garrison. With Camp Ashby came the United States Army’s 770th Military Police Battalion with over 645 soldiers and officers for training. During the war, Kaiser Shipyards brought thousands of jobs into the local area with its Shipbuilding contracts from the War Department in nearby Richmond and San Francisco Bay area.
According to National Archives Records, in 1942, even the University of California at Berkeley was very much involved in the war effort. Gilman Hall’s top floor, the famous Room 307 known as the “Attic” was where Glenn Seaborg and his fellow team of scientists conducted classified testing for the War Department. Seaborg later took the knowledge learned to the Manhattan Project and helped develop of the Atom Bomb. When the war was over Camp Ashby’s lease ended in 1946 and its soldiers transferred to other units. Kaiser Shipyards and their employees had successfully built over 4600 ships in the war effort.
Today the City of Berkeley seems to have such disdain towards our armed forces, even though it is because of our military that they are not just a blip on the map of California. I implore the members of the city counsel to think about the history of your own town. Remember who rescued you from ruins and how your ancestors stood proud against communism while helping this country win a war against them. Do not allow the communistic behavior of Code Pink and its followers to destroy your very existence and future economic well-being. Should you decide to continue an alliance with Code Pink and what it stands for, do not be surprised if your city does not go bankrupt in the very near future. Heed this warning, City of Berkeley; if you continue on your present course, recommendations will be forthcoming to remove your charter from the rolls of famous American Cities. If you wish to be your own little dictatorship country, withdraw from American boundaries and create your own country. All eyes of America are watching you. Economic destruction is only a click away.
Berkeley City Officials have heard from citizens across the country denouncing their decision to pass two items condemning a Marine recruiting center that opened a year ago within their city limits. The first item called for the city clerk to send a letter to the Marines telling them they are unwelcome. The second was to grant Code Pink, a known anti-American Radical Group permission to park in front of the recruiting office every Wednesday afternoon and allow them to disrupt access to the recruiting station and other businesses in the area with their Anti-American onslaught of degrading slurs against those in our military.
Throughout this past week, I have received thousands of emails regarding their decision. I was just as outraged to hear that elected officials within the borders of the United States of America would denounce members of our own military forces as being unwelcome in their city. How had we become a communistic country and I not know anything about it. My first thought was to contact the President and Governor Schwarzenegger demanding that no National Guardsman or military units in and around the City of Berkeley be activated now or in the future should they warrant emergency assistance. Logic took over and I began thinking about their federal funding.
Apparently, I was not alone in my thought process; Senator DeMint announced the next morning, he would begin lobbying to remove federal funding earmarked for the City of Berkeley. Then I received a message that a very well connected executive, Brian G Dennard, sent a letter to Mayor Bates informing him that he will no longer do business with anyone in the Berkeley area. Bravo to Mr. Dennard for his take charge initiative. I wonder if any other American business will take his lead and do the same thing. As I put together the triangle on the fiscal aspect of this city, I began to also think about the history and its origin. What I found was very interesting to say the least. First, let me start with the fiscal information I found.
Since fiscal year 2000, the city of Berkeley has received in excess of $73,541,486 in federal funding to help fund various programs in their city. According to their current budget, the City is to receive federal funding in excess of $1,678,280 in support of their disability, employment training, healthcare, homeless, housing and rehabilitation, advocacy and youth programs. These amounts do not factor in state funding received from the Federal government that has filtered to the City by ways of State Grants from Homeland Security funds. However, it does show that the city receives approximately a third of its budgetary requirements from the Federal government.
The history of this city is quite another matter. Berkeley has always been associated with its radical uprisings and anti-military behavior, but little do they realize how much their roots are entrenched in military history. If city leaders would take a history lesson into their own past, they would not be so ungrateful towards our armed forces today.
According to their own website, they describe themselves as “The city of Berkeley rests in a natural amphitheater, sweeping down from the coastal hills to the shores of San Francisco Bay. You can see out to the far Pacific horizon, framed by the Golden Gate; you can see the distinct skyline of San Francisco; and the gentle peak of Marin County's Mt. Tamalpais.” What they don’t revealed in this description is that if it were not for the United States Military they would be nothing at all, just a blip on the map with nothing to show for its efforts. So soon, they forget in this sleepy little town how grateful they should be to the United States Military.
It was an emotional rollercoaster in the early 1900s for the Bay area. An earthquake hit nearby San Francisco in 1906. A huge fire destroyed over 640 structures in the city of Berkeley in 1923 and then the crash of 1929 brought this city to its knees. The University of California at Berkeley struggled financially throughout this same timeframe; only to be brought back to life with a grant from the United States Military towards its Gilman research and development in the fields of physical, inorganic, and nuclear chemistry. It would only be a few years later that this same University would receive millions of dollars in Military grants and gain the recognition as a historical landmark in our history books.
There would not be an increase of economic development or growth in the City of Berkeley until the 1940s when Pearl Harbor was attacked and World War II began. The United States Military brought the town back to life when it leased 12.56 acres of land in order to established Camp Ashby, in 1942 as part of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation and its garrison. With Camp Ashby came the United States Army’s 770th Military Police Battalion with over 645 soldiers and officers for training. During the war, Kaiser Shipyards brought thousands of jobs into the local area with its Shipbuilding contracts from the War Department in nearby Richmond and San Francisco Bay area.
According to National Archives Records, in 1942, even the University of California at Berkeley was very much involved in the war effort. Gilman Hall’s top floor, the famous Room 307 known as the “Attic” was where Glenn Seaborg and his fellow team of scientists conducted classified testing for the War Department. Seaborg later took the knowledge learned to the Manhattan Project and helped develop of the Atom Bomb. When the war was over Camp Ashby’s lease ended in 1946 and its soldiers transferred to other units. Kaiser Shipyards and their employees had successfully built over 4600 ships in the war effort.
Today the City of Berkeley seems to have such disdain towards our armed forces, even though it is because of our military that they are not just a blip on the map of California. I implore the members of the city counsel to think about the history of your own town. Remember who rescued you from ruins and how your ancestors stood proud against communism while helping this country win a war against them. Do not allow the communistic behavior of Code Pink and its followers to destroy your very existence and future economic well-being. Should you decide to continue an alliance with Code Pink and what it stands for, do not be surprised if your city does not go bankrupt in the very near future. Heed this warning, City of Berkeley; if you continue on your present course, recommendations will be forthcoming to remove your charter from the rolls of famous American Cities. If you wish to be your own little dictatorship country, withdraw from American boundaries and create your own country. All eyes of America are watching you. Economic destruction is only a click away.
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