Feedback on Homeless Vets

First, an abbreviation of an essay (See "Archives" below for full version) posted August 21, 2013.

"The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans believes that close to 400,000 veterans will experience being without a home sometime during the course of a year.

Now that the overburdened military and veterans hospitals begin to discharge those traumatized by the long conflict, we can expect to soon see the parks, the open doorways, the alleys and the cardboard boxes, overflowing to the extent never seen before with the walking (traumatized) wounded.

If the Federal Government does not begin the process of addressing this challenge, other social service agencies will be soon forced to do so."

I see these people almost every day at work. Horrible, devastating injuries (both physical and psychological). Where to go from here ? I wish I had an answer.

Dianne Dickensen (Hospital Employee)

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Philip,

Unfortunately this country has spent far too much time simply giving lip service to returning and injured veterans....injured both mentally and physically. A magnetic ribbon on the car is a feel good thing...but does little to address this challenge.

Remember the conditions returning injured vets were subjected to at Walter Reed....a travesty! Of course, the spending hawks in the Congress don't care about such things. I'm sure the infamous "sequester" also has a negative effect on taking care of our veterans.

The one other point I'd make is the apparently futile nature of the Iraq involvement. It's one thing to actually fight for OUR freedom...another to participate in quagmire with no real purpose save perhaps a make-work project for Cheney's Halliburton...other than that...WHY? So far...the sole result has been death, destruction, huge expense and creating a nest of angry hornets in the Middle East who are NOT going to back down! So, not only has this been a particularly nasty conflict...but to what end? Oil?....apparently there is no oil for us involved....to maintain our freedoms?....in what manner?...I cannot find any legitimate explanation for this longest of meaningless quagmires apparently without end. We can leave...but we leave behind a lot of angry, revenge-minded Islamists.

I remember way back well prior to the involvement in Iraq....Cheney appeared on some cable "news" program outlining precisely why it would be a fool's game to make war with Iraq....had all the right answers and was exactly correct. He even used the term "quagmire"....then the administration did it anyway!

Mission Accomplished indeed!

-F. C. Tucker

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A horrid truth. We are still such barbarians underneath it all. -Sheral Maloy

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It is just amazing to me, the messes we keep getting ourselves into and no one in the Administration seems to recognize that we're getting in one nor what to do to correct it once in. All Administrations are guilty of this but none to the extent of this one. The Bush hawks got us into the Iraq war which was just stupid, and as you point out, is certainly contributing to the homeless problem.

Will we ever come to our senses? It won't make much difference to us now, but my kids, grandkids and my great grand child are sure due to suffer. God save us all.

-C. L. Caldwell

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Phil,

I'm surpised.

You of all people, who have had first hand experience in helping homeless Vets, are pointing the finger at the Federal Government, when you know and the Feds acknowledged they can't do it alone!

It took Federal, State and local governments, together with the private sector involvement in helping Vietnam Homeless Vets.

It was the combined help of caring citizens, professional substance abuse help, job training help, medical/psychological help, job interview training, private housing, transportation and three squares a day provided by volunteers who cared. This was the successful model with an admittedly higher success rate than anything else.

Yes, there were the self centered do nothings and thieves but they were the minority and were weeded out.

The best the Feds can do is spy on its citizens (NSA now has the capacity to accesses 75% of all US emails), deny freedom of expression (IRS re Tea party), deny freedom of religion (military) unless it is atheistic (a belief system), involve itself in all my medical care (Obama Care), AND put 1 in 7 citizens on welfare, AND allow 11-15 million working + 11-15 spouses+ 20-30 million kids illegals into the country, and refuse to investigate how an ambassador and 3 got killed in Libya AND reportedly 400 stinger missiles went missing.

Yep, the FEDS have a real success track record!

- Don Nevins,

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Philip Richardson, Observer and Storyteller

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If you wish to comment, Phil can be reached at:

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My thanks to Jim Bromley for providing an ARCHIVE of prior blogs.

"AgainRight"