By now everyone has heard about the "rebate" or "stimulus" checks that President Bush has proposed to jump start the economy to keep it from sliding into recession on his "watch" the problem with it, it it's to late, for most of us we are living the recession, lost homes, high cost of gas and utilities, and food  etc. My SSD check was increased 2.3% this year, the problem with that is according to the news, inflation was 4.1% for 2007. So for those of us dependent on Social Security we are behind and just getting behinder.

I was dismayed to read this ElPaso Times news article written by Chris Roberts. The article explains the Department of Veterans Affairs policy of giving preferential treatment to "new" veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans at the head of the line when processing claims for medical treatment, vocational rehabilitation, employment and education benefits.

Veterans Administration Secretary James Nicholson has sent letters to the Senate and House Appropriation leaders about the FY2008 VA Budget. He feels the House attempt to add 3.8 billion above the Presidents requested budget is a waste of funds and will only encourage President Bush to veto the funds the VA needs to continue their work on October 1, 2007 the first day of the new fiscal year.

This is the most moving editorial I have read yet about Iraq. It shows that  the "Bush Critics" OHanlon and Friend from the Brookings Institute are full of chit.

These men tell it like it is, and cut no punches, it is from the heart, and minds of combat soldiers on the front lines day in and day out from the 82nd AirBorne, an elite Army unit.

I feel compelled to write about this due to the Washington Post story on it yesterday and a diary by BentLiberal, as a soldier who tried to kill myself twice while on active duty, both times by overdose and failing to do it, I ended up in the lockdown wards, the most memorable one is floor 13 at DDEAMC, Fort Gordon, Georgia in 1978, most buildings don't acknowledge having a 13th floor so to have the mental ward located on it, just seemed ironic to me.

I have seen many comments on the resignation of one of the worst VA heads in the history of the Veterans Administration in this nation. The veterans of this nation deserve the best care and treatment we as a nation can give them, they were hurt or injured in service to all of us, (this nation) and instead of red tape and excuses, they deserve the benefits we promised them when they enlisted or in some cases drafted.

President Bush attacked the democratic controlled Congress, the Senate and the House for failing to achieve his goals for the nation, immigration reform, the failure to pass the FY2008 budget yet.  He spent his Saturday morning radio broadcast to attack Congress, the Democrats in Congress, not the obstructionist tactics the Republicans are doing.

In the continuing saga being played out at Gitmo, the  military judges threw another roadblock back to the Bush Administrations plan to try these held in captivity there under the new Military Commissions Act.

In an article in todays Star Telegram Edwards Hammonds Executive Director of the  Sunshine Project explains how the Department of Homeland Security under Michael Chertoff, President Bush and the rest of the defense and intelligence agencies are making this nation less safe

My regular readers know that I am a veteran with PTSD.  For those of you who are not familiar with my writings over the past two years, I will do a brief recap.

There are many fine diaries about the WAPO article by  Dana Priest and Anne Hull, and on top of the other work on exposing the mess at Walter Reed and the military's failure to fully care for the injured of this war.

On Meet the Press a few minutes ago, he stated bluntly  he would not close it tomorrow, he would do it right now, move the prisoners into the federal court system and let them have lawyers, this is what America is about, we have been prosecuting people for 2 centuries, the legal system is part of what makes America the nation it is.

I have been trying to get Congress to help 7120 men used in chemical weapons and drug experiments from 1955 thru 1975 at Edgewood Arsenal Maryland that the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration refuse to help.

This was sent to his office, hopefuly it will make it past the gate keepers and he will get to read it, I feel that the aides decide what the Congressmen and Senators will see, so many things that need their attention never get seen.

Content:

I have been watching the news, the campaigns, and I realize we have a very diverse group of Democratic Candidates already in the race for President and the leader of the pack. We probably have the most diverse group to ever be in contention at anytime in history, and it seems absurd that I can not find comfort in any of them.