Five swap for SGT Bowe Bergdahl. After
all, the US does not negotiate with terrorists.
But as the accusations fly and the “scandal” increases, something else
stood out to me. It was a statement by
Harry Reid.
deal. He went on to explain that the
Guantanamo Detention Center (GTMO) should be closed as soon as possible. Reid sees this swap as a way to close
GTMO. And whether or not you agree with
the whole GTMO thing, there is one thing that got me fired up.
GTMO. He has repeatedly talked about how
horrible it is for detainees. It’s so
bad that we should close it immediately. And he isn’t alone. Nancy Pelosi thinks the anger over GTMO is more dangerous than the five Taliban we freed!
They are dying trying to get care.
Many have to drive hundreds of miles to get to a VA facility, just to be
told they have to wait even more. The VA
claims that it is understaffed and underfunded.
spokesman, Al Qaeda prisoners get better treatment than our veterans.
Doctors and medical personnel are at their beck and call. Got
a cold, a fever, a toothache, a tumor, chest or back pain, mental health
issues, PTSD? No problem, come right on in. Military doctors are waiting to see you.
The VA and Gitmo eligible patient-to-health care provider ratios
speak volumes.
While the Gitmo ratio is 1.5 to 1, for America’s 9 million veterans receiving VA health care and 267,930 VA employees, the ratio is 35 to 1.
According to the Inspector General report,
over 1400 veterans had to wait over 17 months to be seen. 1700 more veterans weren’t even on the secret
waiting lists. Now there are reports of
dozens of veterans dying while waiting or being denied treatment. One daughter received a phone call to
schedule an appointment her father had been waiting on after her father had
already died.
And yet, in 2008, President Obama was warned
about the VA wait times. But instead of
focusing on that exact thing, he focused on improving the conditions for the
detainees in GTMO. While there was
almost no accountability systems put in place for the VA, there are numerous
accountability systems for the treatment of detainees.
In addition, when the President speaks at
West Point, to the graduating class of Army officers, he talks about a counterterrorism
fund of up to $5 billion that would supply advice and training to other
countries to combat terrorist threats. He doesn’t talk about taking care of them
when they are older and have returned from the battles that he, himself, may
send them on.
My mind drifts to all the operatives,
interrogators, attorneys, and others who have faced harassment, accusations,
and sometimes prosecutions relating to the treatment of detainees. How many people are facing this at the
VA? Shinseki resigned, but not because
he had to. The President was still
defending him.
So where is the accountability? Our veterans put their lives on the line for
this country. Yet we treat the enemies
of this country significantly better? Not only are they treated better; they
are released back to their families.
What do our veterans get? Our veterans get to wait. And if the wait is too long, they get to die.
Our words may be saying that we appreciate
our veterans but our government’s actions certainly do not show it. In fact, their actions show that the rights,
feelings, treatment, and perception of our enemies are worth more than those of
our veterans, the ones who have bled and died for our country. WE need to pressure our representatives to get
on the ball and fix this now. Start
moving on fixing this situation, and do it now.
Write, email, call your representative.
“Stop the stupid and start this today!” ~
Montel Williams
Montel Williams has started a hashtag
campaign (#VASurge) to help bring more light to the issue. I am encouraging everyone to use it and show
your outrage regarding this issue.
