7     November 10, 2006 - 12:50pm | alasscan

Politicians, citizens and Veterans Day

We have spent time on this blog writing about our favored politicians. How many will take the time to write those politicians about our Veterans?

Across town sits an elderly gentleman. He hasn't been able to take a full breath in many decades. He is a disabled veteran and a senior citizen.
He is one of the dwindling Veterans that served in two wars, he is 85. He worries how he will pay for his medications due to the 'donut hole' in
medicare and for those of you that don't realize it disabled war veterans pay for meds at the VA facilities.

Across the room is a man that has not been able to sit or stand comfortably and has not known a pain free day in decades. He still is employed. He couldn't eat for a week on what he receives from VA he must work fulltime. The vacation time he earns is always used up as sick days because he has used up his actual sick time. He is a disabled veteran.

Across the miles, in a faraway state there is a headstone. That disabled veteran did not die in the war, but due to constant pain and severe depression he came home from a war with. He had visited his VA facility every month for nearly a year trying desperately to get help and received no help. He gave up. He took his own life.

These are only a few Veterans that I personally know. There are many thousands of Veterans suffering as you read this. Needlessly.

Veterans Day.

For those of you that do not realize how much suffering these veterans do daily from far away wars I wanted to remind you.

For those of you that think our VA system cares for or about our Vets I would like to tell you that it is sadly lacking. The Vets I just told you about are from long ago wars. Yet as I am writing this we are creating more disabled veterans. We did not take care of the ones we already had. What do you think is going to happen to these new ones?

The waiting lists are long. The cost is not free. The treatment is severely lacking. If you need a formulary medication you will seldom get it through VA. You will need to seek private medical care for that and pay for that and the medication out of pocket.

If you do get disability you have to fight for it for long periods of time. Most of the time you have to go through many more months of appeals to receive what was glaringly obvious from the beginning of the process.

Whatever your political affiliation, whatever your beliefs, remember what our service men and women are paying, have paid and will continue to pay in service to this country.

Talk is cheap. Write your politicians. All of them. This is not about politics this is about the basics of being humane. This is about taking care
of those that have given so much to take care of us. If you have the time to write in this blog about the politicians you want elected, you have
the time to write letters to those politicians. These Veterans defended you with all that they had. Can you not defend them with words?

When you fly your flag for Veterans Day remember there are many that are no longer physically able to lift that flag, there are many that cannot even
afford to buy that flag and there are so many that cannot see that flag. Do more than fly the flag. Take time to write a letter, many letters. Take time to
really show the Veterans how much you appreciate their service and how much you do care that they are treated with dignity, respect, and the best of medical care. I know this is long, but then so has the plight of the Veterans been long.

To all you Veterans out there......Thank you......I do remember.

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  6     November 9, 2006 - 11:09pm | opal

Thank you

I too appreciate the outlet this blog provided for me during this political season. Although the gubernatorial candidate I supported lost, I take solace in the fact at the National and the State level some Legislators recieved the comeuppance they so richly deserved. I may be optimistic in my view, but I look forward to finally seeing some checks and balances.

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  5     November 9, 2006 - 9:47pm | swiftriverboatvets

You Did It, Kyle

Kyle:

Thank you for taking the time in this forum to allow the truth to emerge about certain candidates. It always does, eventually.

Those candidates who will obfuscate the true facts from the public, will only hurt themselves in the end.

And thank you, ADN, for providing this blog site.

SRBV

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  4     November 9, 2006 - 8:55pm | ilovelucy

B'Bye

Thanks for liking my name. I'd say something about the Gov's race but it would be sour grapes so I'll keep my mouth shut.

Things are looking great on the Nat'l front - talk about sunshine & fresh air.

Mike_L, I'm with you on the donuts (I'd vote for Dunk'n Donuts) but you'd better cool it - we need you around to help mau-mau the Republicans.

I'll leave you with a quote that made me think of certain politicians:
"There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)

Peace out.

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  3     November 9, 2006 - 7:09pm | wrangellmtn

I agree

I agree with the sentiments of the other bloggers - a sense of relief that this chapter is over -- and that another is just now beginning.

Although I was initially hopeful of another outcome for the gov's race; all things considered, I'm getting excited about watching Sarah take a turn at running the show.

I think to the extent she can turn a clear ear towards Sean and other more centered voices in the Party and the State, she will do well - and hopefully so will the rest of us.

One thing I'm pretty sure of - we've got to have the most attractive governor in the country.

In contemplating the race further, I think Sarah's accessibility alone could have gotten her to the finish line first. She does an amazing job of communicating an openness and warmth to others. Indeed, this is a far cry from what we Alaskans are used to in our State's top leaders.

So, more power to you, Sarah.

To the rest of you bloggers - it was fun meeting in cyberspace and listening to what you had to say.

To Kyle and the ADN, thanks for offering the blog. All the best. See you down the trail...

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  2     November 9, 2006 - 10:40am | mike_l

and she being brand new

as much as I hate to admit it, I look forward to seeing a new face in Juneau -esp an attractive one. Though I will miss Kyle's handsome mug next to the blog link every day, and some of the hypo-manic posters and their psycho-babble, I too am running out of steam. Kyle -I do hope you get a blog going for the MUNI elections in 2007. They provide a good forum for the public and the arm chair quarterbacks.

I sincerely hope Democrats will reach across the aisle to cooperate with Sarah and her administration. We have too many important issues to waste on partisan politics.

My only suggestion is that Palin NOT hire Susan Harvey, Jerry Ward, or Robin Taylor for any position. Even though some of these folks supported her from Day One, don't let them taint her administration.

Also, please relocate the capital to Anchorage or McCarthy. I prefer the latter.

Doogan won by 40 points, which just tickled me silly to see tlamb99503 get such a whuppin. Remember -he said on this blog that he will NOT run for school board in 2007. Hold him to those words.

Lastly, and most importantly, please do whatever is necessary to bring a Dunkin Donuts and/or Krispy Kreme store to Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau.

"Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly; devils fall because of their gravity."
-G.K. Chesterton

"Humanity I love you because when you're hard up you pawn your intelligence to buy a drink."
-e.e. cummings

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  1     November 9, 2006 - 1:26am | disenchanted01

Thanks

for bringing campaign discussion to life. With so many people willing to discuss Alaskan issues its a wonder there isn't an Alaska discussion website. There's still plenty of issues facing Alaska after the fervor of the election calms. Happy Trails, North to the Future!!

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