Interesting Information

In the past 19 months since Rich's death, I have found that the VA is a entity unto it's self. It answers only to it's self. The VA is a fiefdom controlled by
James Benjamin Peake who was appointed by George W. Bush. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration has no jurisdiction in Veteran's Administration Hospitals. They are owned and operated by the federal government. The Agency does not license or certify them as it does "civilian" hospitals.
Wikipedia defines "fiefdom" as:
"Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud, feoff, or fee, often consisted of inheritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord, generally to a vassal, in return for a form of allegiance, originally to give him the means to fulfill his military duties when called upon. However anything of value could be held in fief, such as an office, a right of exploitation (e.g., hunting, fishing) or any other type of revenue, rather than the land it comes from.

In contemporary usage, fiefdomism can refer to behavior of bureaucrats or small time politicians when information or programs are isolated and jealously guarded from other bureaucrats or small time politicians in order to preserve their power at the expense of making government worse."

An article on Peake in a blog on the St. Petersburg Times website stated
August 21, 2008
VA boss: Get rid of "older-age guys"
Maybe Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake misspoke. Peake said in an interview that he was happy when younger workers handled benefit claims because they had more computer skills that their older counterparts. Then this quote: "Getting rid of some of those older-age guys in the work force is not that bad. It gives you the opportunity to move forward,” Peake said Thursday. Those comments came at a breakfast meeting hosted by the Defense Writers Group to talk about veterans’ issues. Peake said reducing a backlog of disability and benefits claims will depend on embracing technology. We wonder what some of those "older-age guys" think of that.
Posted by William R. Levesque

It makes me wonder what Peake really thinks of the "older-age vets" ! Send them to a VA hospital and kill them off to eliminate benefits and medical cost?
THANK GOD ONE GOOD THING THAT OBAMA HAS DONE IS REPLACE PEAKE!

The Mesothelioma Center is committed to providing the latest, up-to-date information to their visitors in the hopes of spreading awareness about the dangers of asbestos cancer. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are currently 25 million living individuals who have served in the United States' armed forces. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of these living veterans were exposed to toxic asbestos-containing materials during military service, and may receive a mesothelioma diagnosis. Asbestos.com offers a one-stop resource on all asbestos issues ranging from occupational exposure, to treatment options for malignant mesothelioma. Additionally their Veterans Assistance Department offers extensive experience in filing VA claims and can help any veteran coping with mesothelioma receive benefits from the VA system.

VETERANS and ASBESTOS

MESOTHELIOMA.COM

Many veterans, most specifically, Navy vets who served about World War II-era ships, have developed mesothelioma in their late sixties or seventies as a result of asbestos exposure during their time in the military. Because mesothelioma is an extremely aggressive form of cancer, and because there is no known cure, the majority of veterans who suffer from mesothelioma lose their battle in less than two years following their diagnosis. Their spouse or children become their caregivers, and treatment is particularly expensive.

Mesothelioma.com has created a wealth of resources for veterans, including a Veterans Blog and several sections devoted to information just for vets and their families. Because we have such important information to share with veterans and members of the military community worldwide, I would like to inquire about including a resource link to Mesothelioma.com on the Don’t Tread on Vets “Interesting Info & Links” webpage. I am confident that vets who locate our website while visiting the Don’t Tread on Vets “Interesting Info & Links” webpage will benefit from our information, and we are eager to share what we know with as many veterans as possible. That’s why I’m contacting you for support and assistance.

The mission of VA Watchdog dot Org is quite simple... to inform and advise.  They provide the latest information about the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) and other topics of interest to veterans and their families.  This information is provided free as a public service. You are encouraged to pass it on to others who will find it useful.  All information is carefully documented and links to sources are provided.
     VA Watchdog dot Org is not a VA "hate site." There are plenty of those if that is what you seek.
     They believe the VA provides excellent healthcare to qualified veterans. However, the VA is plagued by chronic underfunding caused by politicians who, every year, do not provide adequate monies to support the healthcare needs of veterans.
     They also believe that the political appointees who run the VA interfere with the professional and dedicated workers of the VA who do not hold politically-appointed positions. Veterans' healthcare is NOT a political matter and should not be entrusted to those who owe allegiance to any political party.
     They also support legislative efforts to take VA healthcare out of the discretionary federal budget and make it mandatory. Such a move would guarantee healthcare for veterans and take the politics out of the funding apparatus.
     Along the political line...VA Watchdog dot Org does not endorse political candidates.  They will, however, point out those politicians who, by their deeds and not just their words, truly support veterans. And, they will point out those who do not support veterans, again, judged by their deeds.
     They have adopted the guiding principles of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV): VA Watchdog dot Org shall be non-political and non-sectarian and their name shall not be used in representing the desires or wishes of any person or group in any political or sectarian dispute, including, but not limited to, legal actions and demonstrations.
     They offer advice on how to file a claim... click here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/how%20to%20file%20a%20claim.htm

VA Watchdog dot Org is not an organization. There are no memberships, fees or dues. They are a privately-owned web site (owners are Larry Scott and Marie Scott) with a simple goal of helping veterans by providing free information.

They collect no personal information from anyone who visits their site. The site is "cookie free." If you correspond by email, your name is NOT put on a list. They carefully guard all email addresses. If you wish to correspond anonymously, use the anonymous correspondence on their page. And, if you wish a more secure form of communication, you may PGP encrypt your email after they have exchanged keys.

     Please use VA Watchdog dot Org to its fullest.

                                                                                           Bilirakis for Congress

    Bilirakis met with the VA and the VA pacified him with a song and dance. Bilirakis NEVER questioned them on the inconsistencies in the letter that I showed him. Bilirakis in turn pacified me with the same crap they fed him. I had hoped that MY Congressman had more backbone to stand up to them. After all, he IS on the House Committee of Veteran Affairs. I did not think that he would be swayed by out of state relatives looking to make a buck off Rich's death and not help his constituents and veterans of his district and state.
    All I see on Bilirakis's website is what good things he has done under Top Stories. There is NO story on how the VA killed Rich or the vet they killed in the Bronx and NO story on what Bilirakis has done to STOP the killing of our vets and other atrocities committed by the ones that should be protecting them. Not mis diagnosing them or turning them away!
    What you do find if you Google Bilirakis is this! http://www.adeleremembered.info/    I am shocked, saddened and hurt that I put my trust in this elected official to help Rich and I.
                                                                     I can not believe this man has been re elected!!!!
    The only good thing that I have managed to accomplish so far is that the James A. Haley VA Hospital has replaced the "clerk" in the ER with a "qualified" person. I'll see how long that last. Now I just have to tackle the 114 other VA hospitals with the same asinine "clerk" in their Er's and the 35 states with the same archaic laws that prevent a companion from suing the VA for malpractice and causing the death and killing our companions.

I have patience and as I told Haley's attorney, "I'm NOT going away".
By the way, Haley's attorney has turned out to be a very nice man who also only wants the best for our veterans, but I am still not going away!

                                                                                                   Tony Orlando
      August 9th, 2008 my son Ed and I went to a "Support Our Veterans" event in Tarpon Springs and met with Tony Orlando. I must say that Mr. Orlando is the nicest, most sincere man I have ever met outside of my Rich.
    Ed and I sat in the auditorium waiting through politicians speak, local talent perform and then when they announced Mr. Orlando he got up from his seat in the audience , walked up on stage and talked about why he supported our vets , what they mean to him and different veterans he has met over the years. He had no entourage with him, just one friend. He sang "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" and another song. Afterward he signed autographs, hugged, kissed and talked with everyone that was there for over an hour, never rushing anyone.
    When he left Mr. Orlando took the time to walk out to the parking lot where there where some Coast Guardsmen with their helicopter and chatted with them for a while.
    He knew about Rich and we talked about it . He was very sincere, much more so then our local Congressman and the VA people were.
Mr. Orlando does his veteran entertainment at his own cost, air fare, travel and hotels.   Too bad Mr. Orlando doesn't have political ambitions.
    He would really help our vets I think and do it because he truly cares, not just for more votes.

    Mr. Orlando will be in Tarpon Springs, Fl again this year on August 29th at the Spanos/Pappas Community Center, Theosfilos Hall for a Veterans Recgocnition Program.  Admittance for veterans is free, other tickets are $25.

Click Hunter to email Mary.