Combat Veteran Jose Belen

Combat Veteran Sues Jeff Sessions Over Medical Marijuana For PTSD

One combat veteran is not taking “no” for an answer for treatment with medical marijuana after failed treatments of his PTSD with pharmaceutical drugs.

Jose Belen, a combat veteran with severe PTSD following one tour in Iraq, received treatment for his condition from VA that left acting like “basically the Incredible Hulk.”

Agency doctors treated Belen’s PTSD with venlafaxine and nortriptyline, which failed. Meanwhile, Belen wants medical marijuana as a treatment, but DOJ’s Jeff Sessions stands in his way.

Venlafaxine Side Effects

Venlafaxine was tested on veterans and is used to treat PTSD but it does have side effects; “Patients with major depressive disorder may experience a worsening of depression, agitation and other symptoms, including thoughts of suicide, especially at the beginning of the treatment.”

RELATED: Gulf War Illness Linked To DEET Exposure

Cannabis Is “For Me”

“Cannabis, for me, has allowed me to find the smile that I lost the day I got into combat,” Belen said. “I was somebody different before I crossed into Iraq. It’s not about getting high. It’s about me being able to have eight hours of sleep without a nightmare.”

Belen is joined by four others in a lawsuit against Sessions to reverse the present DOJ crusade against marijuana while allowing treatment of PTSD with psychotropic drugs that exacerbate PTSD symptoms.

One element of the lawsuit against Sessions is that marijuana should not be classified on the same list of controlled substances like LSD and heroin.

RELATED: VA Testing Meditation As PTSD Treatment

Jeff Sessions Sucks On Medical Marijuana

Sessions has taken a contradictory position on medical marijuana than that of President Donald Trump who supported the right of veterans to use medical marijuana instead of pharmaceutical drugs.

Trump has also voiced commitment to working on the issues of veteran suicide and PTSD, saying in October, “You know, when you hear the 22 suicides a day, it’s a big part of your question, but when you hear the 22 suicides a day, that should never be. That should never be. So we’re going to be addressing that very strongly.”

Meanwhile, Session expressed doubt about the benefit of medical marijuana. Last year, he lumped marijuana into the same category with opioids and said he would start fighting the opioid crisis by “starting with marijuana and other drugs.”

Of course, this is complete nonsense and Sessions is rolling back progress in the use of medical marijuana in favor of more expensive and dangerous pharmacologic drugs.

Source: https://www.newsweek.com/veteran-suing-jeff-sessions-marijuana-803405

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57 Comments

  1. I to, am a disabled veteran, navy twice, almost lost my rt leg, crushed my left and everything else jarred from hell. tore my liver almost in half. which makes it to where I can not take any for or medication, not an aspirin even. but I was never into drugs or pills. I have always enjoyed Marijuana and never looked at it as pain relief till you are sitting in a wheel chair for almost 10 months learning to walk again. for PTSD, anxiety, stress, and the only thing for pain vice hot bath soaking. it has literally kept me from killing myself. I am 45 a biomedical engineer with a masters in business law, and a few other degrees. from seeing 125+ countries and seeing many cultures. the destruction of pills and alcohol. Marijuana is the life ring so many need. not just vets but I am a two time navy vet worked in the VA many years and help out when I can. Marijuana is the only safe answer. I would challenge Jeffery Session to a debate, because I am armed and ready to fight for my veteran family

  2. Someone else probably already said it, but in my opinion, this should be made into some kind of class action.

  3. Share on here not on email don’t be Chicken Shut what Representatives and Senators actually was approved by the Veteran Affairs Committee.

  4. @Benjamin Krause – Is it possible to change the settings, so that if we forget to add the apostrophes around a websites URL, that we can go and edit the comment, to fix such in order to not keep our post out of moderation to reduce the wait so others can see? Thanks.

  5. In the VA’s strong tradition of Whistleblower Retaliation. VA Secretary David Shulkin is calling for a cut of 27 full time employees from the Veterans Affairs Office of Investigator General. The cut is now in the 2019 budget. This is following the release of the IG’s report on Shulkin’s European Vacation.

    The following Link is to the FY’19 budget hearings today at the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Stating very clearly Shulkin’s proposed cut of those 27 positions form the IG’s office.

    House Hearing At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX4rxIUhWOw&t=7m59s

  6. Here are therapies / treatments for PTSD .
    1. EMDR
    2. Emotional Freedom Technique
    3. Rapid Eye Technology
    4. Accelerated Resolution Therapy
    5. Healing Touch
    6. Prolonged Exposure Therapy
    7. Acupuncture – From personal experience
    8. Dialectrical Behavior Therapy
    9. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
    I suffer from Depression , Anxiety , PTSD and OCD . I have greatly reduced all through series of acupuncture treatments . There are ” Community Acupuncture Clinics ” , nationwide . Offering it at low cost / sliding fee basis .

  7. As the manure turns at the VA. Or as the BS deepens. Dems shout Russia! Russia! Russia!

    ________________

    Congressman requests Justice Department review of ‘spoof’ account for VA chief of staff

    By NIKKI WENTLING | STARS AND STRIPES
    Published: February 15, 2018

    “WASHINGTON — The top Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs appealed to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday to initiate a review of claims by Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin that his chief of staff’s email had been hacked.

    Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., said the allegations were “very serious” and merited a review by the Justice Department into whether fraud, computer intrusion or other cyber crimes had been committed.

    Earlier Thursday, Shulkin spoke with reporters after testifying to the House committee. He said somebody had “taken over” the email account of VA Chief of Staff Vivieca Wright Simpson.

    “We have found that somebody has taken over the chief of staff’s email and is sending emails like it’s her,” Shulkin said. “That’s concerning to us. We need to look into it.”

    Walz’s letter to the Justice Department states that there is alleged evidence of a “spoof” account mimicking Wright Simpson’s official account.

    “Emails from this ‘spoof’ account were allegedly sent to personnel within the agency,” Walz’s letter reads.

    This all comes the day after VA Inspector General Michael Missal released a report that outlines “serious derelictions” by VA personnel and found Wright Simpson altered an email and made false statements that led to travel expenses for Shulkin’s wife to be paid with taxpayer dollars.”

    Full Article At: https://www.stripes.com/congressman-requests-justice-department-review-of-spoof-account-for-va-chief-of-staff-1.512001

    1. I dunno about this. If this is true, surely there are concrete examples of “spoof” emails that have been sent.

      I say if the VA is desperate to claim their systems may have been hacked, let some serious federal law enforcement investigation take place.

      Who knows what else might turn up if investigators start poking around in VA systems.

      I also wonder what the explanation will be that after spending billions on IT, why their systems are so unsecure that hackers can send emails from within their own system.

      And finally, I wonder if the VA runs their own internal email servers, or if they have outsourced that to contractors like other fed agencies have.

      1. I believe they are still using G-Mail for most of their more sensitive communications.

        An example is the Dr. Chima Ohaegbulam , of New England Baptist Hospital to Dr. William “Ed” Kois regarding concerns at the less than Third World Health Care Facility named Manchester VAMC.

        Not the Email at the following link Dr. Kois is not using his VA email account but his gmail account to communicate about the care of patients at the facility.

        email At: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3895006-VA-5.html

        Also Congressman Walz stating Shulkin is trusted and that the IG was wrong because of a hacker.

      2. You know what just hit me?

        Since Walz and others are willing to stand up for Shulkin misusing travel funds and being misleading or lying to the IG…what chance do we vets have of exposing misusing funds, fraud, waste, malpractice, lying, etc. to those same Congressmen?

  8. I have no doubt that cannabayabbadoo has helped. My recurring nacht-traume have subsided. I also get some relief from various arthropathies. Nothing miraculous, but very helpful.

    Quandary of quandaries. The VA is paying major bucks for my meds – insane pig pharma $4k/month stuff if I was on the outside. I’m due for my annual and after two years have a real PCP to see (Oh God -thanks to Paxton?). I need to take my lab tests and have been going without my stuff for a few weeks. No good. But, I don’t want my labs to show my consumption out of fear of having these expensive meds yanked away. Paranoid? You bet. Too paranoid? Dunno. The meds (Humira) have given me a whole lot of mobility back and I no longer sleep in a chair. Even my shrinkette told me to use the stuff. But – it ain’t legal. I doubt our intrepid veteran will get very far in his suit against the Attorney Munchkin. We can only hope.

  9. Veteran Affairs Secretary says he’ll pay for his wife’s trip despite “direct assault” on his character

    By Alexa Liautaud
    Feb 15, 2018

    “Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin doesn’t think he misused taxpayer dollars when he visited Europe and attended the Wimbledon women’s final with his wife, but he has promised to pay the Treasury back anyway.

    After vehemently denying he had improperly used taxpayer dollars for the trip, Shulkin told the Military Times Wednesday he would pay back at least a portion of the contested funds to the Treasury.”

    Full Article At: https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/gy85kx/veteran-affairs-secretary-says-hell-pay-for-his-wifes-trip-despite-direct-assault-on-his-character

    _______________

    He will also be paying some big bucks to his legal team!

    1. Lawmakers give VA secretary a pass on travel scandal

      By ARTHUR ALLEN
      02/15/2018

      “”Trust on this committee is strong,” added ranking member Tim Walz. He said he was prepared to ask the Department of Justice to examine allegations Shulkin raised in a POLITICO interview that a hacker might have sent an email from his chief of staff that altered information about the purpose of his visit.

      The email falsely suggested Shulkin was receiving an award in Denmark, which, under arcane ethics regulations, meant the VA could pay for Shulkin’s wife’s trip expenses.”

      Full Article At: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/15/david-shulkin-veterans-affairs-travel-413214

      _____________________

      Guess Tim Walz thinks that the Russians did it.

  10. VA official who lied about Shulkin’s Europe trip hid healthcare scandal from Congress in 2014

    by Pete Kasperowicz
    Washington Examiner
    Feb 15, 2018

    “A Department of Veterans Affairs official accused of altering an email to get a free trip to Europe for Secretary David Shulkin’s wife is the same official who tried to hide the VA waitlist scandal from Congress in 2014.

    But as of late Wednesday, the VA declined to comment on whether there was any effort within the department to fire her.”

    “Wright Simpson is the same person who in 2014 tried to get VA employees to hide evidence of the VA wait-time scandal from members of Congress.

    At the time, CNN reported that two lawmakers complained that their efforts to discover more about that scandal were stymied by Wright Simpson.

    When Reps. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., and Mike Doyle, D-Pa., called the VA to ask about a glowing report from the Pittsburgh VA, they were told by an official that he was told not to tell lawmakers about the extent of the waitlist problem.

    “Specifically, congressional sources say, Wolf said she was told not to do so by Gary Devansky of the Pittsburgh-based Veterans Integrated Service Network 4, on behalf of Vivieca Wright, the Veterans Health Administration’s Director of Network Support,” CNN reported.

    Her involvement in the scandal that rocked the VA in 2014 didn’t hurt Wright Simpson’s career prospects. In 2017, the VA named her as the department’s interim chief of staff, and she has since taken on that role in an official capacity.

    Noted VA whistleblower Scott Davis said Wright Simpson’s involvement shows the “corrosive culture” at the VA under the Obama administration has continued under Trump.”

    Full Article At: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/va-official-who-lied-about-shulkins-europe-trip-hid-healthcare-scandal-from-congress-in-2014/article/2649147

    _________________

    Basically lying to Congress and Fucking up at the VA is a promotable offence in Shulkin’s administration.

  11. VA; has their own Country, making money with their own Companies, scheming with their own Corruption, and all run by a bunch of Cunts.

    1. I don’t know what with Country especially the Veteran Affairs Administration can suggest so I tried to fixed it.

      1. I’m trying to understand. I can’t seem to get through the clutter. The pathway is causing the trichomes to spew out this liquid honey, then it crystalizes like shards of glass. Every where I turn I get cut. Running out of meds for the pain. Now crazy thoughts are banging from side to side in my brainz. I’m gonna jump, gonna jump, like a monk going branch to branch. Need to get some green shrubbery to hide myself in relaxing thoughts. Got a light Bub?

      2. ANuttterVet I got email I believe it was you but whoever did it should share on here Thanks.

  12. It will be thrown out with prejudice. Sessions has nothing to do with making law, he is the Country’s top policeman and must enforce the laws Congress makes. As such this guy is suing the wrong person(s) as even if he wins there is nothing Sessions can do to change anything

    1. The point is not who interprets the law according to their whim. The point is the government has stopped acting in the best interests of The People according to his suit and has been doing damage as a result.

      Jeff interprets Constituional law and has made a personal mission to achieve his own vision of America. However this is not a power that We The People have granted – it was a power the government created for itself. The problem of course is we gave Jeff an enormous armed force loyal to him as a boss whom he can choose to send to your front door. He is the personification and poster boy now for the idea that we no longer reserve the rights in America to the individuals and the States. The rights taken by the government in this matter were not rights The People gave them AT ALL. The rights to regulate a crop grown for personal use inside a state ABOVE ANY OTHER consideration or under ANY argument is a state issue alone. Jeff acts like a moron but beyond that he is the one the government has put forward and armed with a giant army of men and is now trying to reign in because he went WAY off script.

      As I see it this lawsuit simply needed a name attached and the best one to attach it to is the one making threats against sovereign state authority in this matter – Jeff Sessions. His zeolot behavior in this matter is precisely what we needed to get this into the courts and call it what it is; a power taken by the federal government that was not granted by The People.

      1. The point is that Sessions does not interpret anything, he has to go by the law as it is written. And to go after Session with this lawsuit (which will be tossed by the first judge that gets it and be tossed with prejudice meaning he cant ever file a lawsuit like this again) makes about as much sense as suing the keystone cops for you getting a ticket. So instead of going after someone who cant do anything and showboating, go after Congress as they CAN do something

      2. Elections cannot by themselves cause such an issue to appear eventually in front of The Supreme Court. At some point, as now, the issue MUST be taken to the first step in that chain of command through whatever means and strategies evolve in the legal process.

        We are not talking about a nation, remember. We are talking about a sick vet, a sick little girl, and some other sick people, EACH of which has priority over the masses and CERTAINLY priority over a government agenda of some kind.

        It would be impossible for these few sick people to change the will of Congress and that is the WHOLE idea behind our system of three seperate balancing bodies in government.

        This lawsuit may indeed affect change but I will not dehumanize the few sick humans that this is REALLY about. We each have a right to equal protection under the law and I absolutely believe when they do not get it from Jeff and his merry band of armed law enforcers then Jeff is the one that you should tell on when you go have your day in court.

      3. Dont let it go sideways, I AGREE with you. But what good is it going to do for this issue when the Judge throws it out with prejudice (meaning that it can never be filed again) all because he is suing the wrong person, a person who cant do what he is trying to demand they do. The ONLY way to get this changed is to get Congress to act or to replace them with people who will or can and Sessions is not one of them.

    2. Dan, you are correct in that Sessions has a duty to enforce the laws passed by congress, but there is the concept of prosecutorial discretion.

      We see prosecutorial discretion when the DOJ declined to prosecute Shulkins Chief of Staff.

      We saw prosecutorial discretion when Obama decided entering our country illegally would not be prosecuted. Hell, they even sued Arizona claiming immigration enforcement was a federal prerogative, and the states should stay out of how the feds enforced any laws involving illegal aliens.

      I agree a lawsuit may go nowhere. What it will take is several states AGs forcing Congress to change the law. Or a very long effort by citizens demanding congress change the law.

      I don’t see that happening as long as congress remains funded by Big Pharma.

      1. I agree 1000% with you. This is why I said that instead of going after Session who cant change anything, the Vet would be better served by taking this case to the Congress who CAN do something. Anything else is just a waste of time.

  13. The more I see of what Sessions has been doing and what he has not been doing, the more I realize he is a damn fool that should be doing something else.
    I could possibly cut him some slack for being distracted by all of the “Muh RUSSIA”! bullshit going on in DC, but its becoming clear he is out of his depth.
    He recused himself from the “Muh RUSSIA”! issue without putting up a fight over it being a false charge demanding he recuse himself. He folded like a cheap suit.
    The DOJ and FBI need some serious leadership to clean up the absolute shit that has been allowed to grow in those agencies, and other agencies, after 8+ years of lawlessness. Yet Sessions is focused on evil weed?
    The FBI knew of the Florida school shooter 5 months ago, and so far it looks like they did nothing, other than talk to a guy about a comment made by the shooter on his YouTube channel.
    The FBI knew of the Boston bombers, the husband and wife involved in the San Bernardino shooting and the New York bomber. The FBI didn’t stop any of those incidents.

    No. Instead the FBI was busy playing spy games with a British fantasy writer and being used as tools by Hillary and the DNC.

    Yet Sessions thinks the feds should go after vets wanting to use MJ as treatment for PTSD in the face of so much evidence of the VA failing to treat it by pushing toxic drugs. Gee, that veteran suicide rate should be the first fucking clue that whatever the VA is doing is not solving the problem.

    Trump needs to recognize some swamp rats escaped the drain right into his own administration, and act.

  14. Link to the article on the Burn Pit ruling “https://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/02/15/court-determines-military-burn-pits-caused-lung-disease-in-service-members.html”

    Edited to add: The linked story suggests veterans affected by Burn Pits have the VA to “lean on”.

    If only the author did a little research, he would know the VA isn’t doing shit other than creating a list of names on a registry.

  15. Off topic: A Department Labor Office of Workers Compensation judge just ruled military personnel and contractors exposed to Burn Pits with their health compromised are connected to lung disease.

  16. Did you ever wonder just why it is or how it was that marijuanna even got pit on the list of government regulated products? This is a Constitutional Republic with the rights reserved to the States.
    The way they did it was to claim the authority of the interstate commerce clause and laws. The fed is allowed to regulated trade between the states.

    The legal begals who wanted prohibition used the argument that since marijuanna is transported across state lines to sell it then under the enumeratd powers of the interstate commerce clause the fed had a right then to regulate it just like cotton or corn.

    So the initial regulatory action was a back door clause meant to keep the states civil towards each other when trading products with each other. Most I spoke to about this had no idea how this came to be. Then there have been all kinds of “supports” added to the house of cards. Again, placing it on the CSA as a Cat 1 drug of no theraputic value was just a other bastardization of a law meant to protect against mostly heroin really. Of course this has been seen by at least three generations as a complete lie and the states flipped the feds the middle finger on this one now.

    The ONLY true power the fed has over plants grown in a state are when they are traded across state lines. Otherwise it is a state issue, but it became a HUGE successful power grab by D.C. It gave permisssion for federal troops to come into a state and uproot crops, burn them, then imprison those who grew them and it is a power Jeff wants back desperately.

    Here is dosing info. There is only a handful of folks able toisolate pure Delta 9 THC and the Marine is one of them and the vid shows one dosing technique for using the med for severe PTSD symptoms and for pain.
    “https://youtu.be/cFBl3pXJaW0”

  17. I’m betting if Jeff Sessions partook of some ‘Sour Diesel’ strain, he would not be such a sourpuss. Someone obviously stole his weed as a kid and burned his grow-patch in daddy’s woods as a kid…or he simply has an extra chromosome in the way ‘The Grinch’s’ heart was so many sizes too small.

    Dr. Oz has even been stating that cannabis should be used for treatment of PTSD.
    How many working at the VA don’t use cannabis because they abuse MUCH stronger shit? Yep, that’s the answer…

  18. Y’all gots to read this article out yesterday from;
    “Military.com”
    Titled:
    “VA Secretary Shulkin ‘Misused’ Taxpayers Money for Euro Trip: Watchdog”

    Dated: 14 Feb 2018
    By; Richard Sisk

    It give lots of details on that “Holiday Excursion” Shulkin, three other upper echelon VA employees, Security Detail and his wife took!!!!!!!

  19. In my opinion, “Schyster Shithead Shulkin” believes way too much in “Reefer Madness”!
    And, I agree with Rep. Coffman where Shulkin has absolutely NO MORAL COMPASS!
    All he cares about is “money and power”! Those are two very powerful “aphrodisiacs”! Once a person gets a little taste, they want more! This is exactly what I believe Shulkin has done! He’s had a small “taste”, NOW he wants the whole thing!

  20. Rep. Mike Coffman calls for VA secretary to resign after report finds he misused taxpayer money

    By: Blair Miller
    Feb 14, 2018

    ““It is time to clean house at the VA and it starts with the resignation of Secretary Shulkin,” Coffman said in a statement. The “clean house” comment made a return from January, when Coffman said the department should do as such because of the issues involving the Aurora VA.

    Coffman said the report shows that Shulkin violated the nation’s trust in the VA even further.

    “After closely reviewing the IG report, and the findings that VA Secretary Shulkin and his staff misled ethics officials and lied to investigators, I have concluded that it is time for him to step down,” Coffman said.

    “This administration inherited a VA mired in a culture of corruption and bureaucratic incompetence,” he continued. “Secretary Shulkin has done little to clean up the VA and given the facts of this IG investigation, it’s clear to me that he lacks the moral authority to get the job done.”

    The inspector general referred the report to the Justice Department, which decided not to prosecute in the case.”

    Full Article At: https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/politics/rep-mike-coffman-calls-for-va-secretary-to-resign-after-report-finds-he-misused-taxpayer-money

    1. Why is the VA buying up old buildings in need of rehab? Then trying to rent them out. Is the VA now becoming a property management company that is focused on creating strip malls?

      _________________________

      Sausalito unhappy with VA treatment of historic building

      By Mark Prado
      Marin Independent Journal
      Posted: 01/31/18

      “Sausalito’s World War II-era machine shop is structurally unsound, with one of its walls near collapse — the latest issue that faces the building.

      City officials are blaming the poor condition of the building on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which acquired the 27,500-square-foot structure in 2006. The VA has put out a call for developers to rent, operate and fix the hangar-like structure. Seven developers submitted proposals and three were selected, with presentations due in April.

      As an interim step, in October the VA began reinforcing the roof, replacing broken windows and generally protecting the building — located in Marinship — from more deterioration, part of a $10 million project.

      In the course of that work, it was discovered that the north wall showed a risk of collapse and the mothball work has been halted. A structural engineer will be brought in to assess the stability of the north wall and other walls before continuing.”

      Full Article At: https://www.marinij.com/general-news/20180131/sausalito-unhappy-with-va-treatment-of-historic-building

      1. So, now VA’s upper echelon is becoming “Realtors”!
        WHY is the VA buying old dilapidated buildings? What “use” are they, other than a form of taking monies from the taxpayers, to spread around?
        Who ARE the construction companies bidding on the contracts? Are they related to VA’s upper echelon?
        Lot’s of questions needing answers!

      2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
        Office of Construction & Facilities Management
        The Machine Shop 25 Liberty Shipway: Sausalito

        The Opportunity

        “The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is seeking a development partner for an opportunity in Sausalito, California to redevelop the historic former Marinship Machine Shop site. The site includes an approximately 37,800 square foot vacant building, currently registered on the National Register of Historic Properties, on a 1.7- acre parcel. Acquired by the agency in 2006, VA is prepared to move aggressively to partner with a private-sector developer to redevelop this site.

        Located at 25 Liberty Ship Way, there are two buildings located on the project site, including the historic former Machine Shop. As one of the first WWII-era buildings within the City of Sausalito and Marin County, the property is recognized by the California State Historic Preservation Office (CA SHPO) as a historic property and, as of December 2016, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

        Pursuant to Section 111, Title 54 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), VA has the authority to enter into out-lease or exchange agreements for historic properties in its portfolio that are no longer needed for current or projected agency purposes. VA may lease these historic properties to non-Federal entities for up to 99 years, or exchange any property for a comparable historic property.”

        At the VA’s Website: https://www.cfm.va.gov/realProperty/HRP/MachineShop/index.asp

        _____________________

        So Basically the VA bought the building in 2006 and file to have it listed as a historic property which happened in December 2016. Now since it is a listed as a Historical property they can restore it using VA Budget and start renting it out.

        Exactly like they did with the 5 Star luxury Hotel in Paris.

        Have to note that it would be an ideal waterfront property for setting up a Bud Manufacturing, Grow Operation, now that it is fully legal in California. Nothing like the VA owning a growing opportunity.

      3. Which translates into: “….lots of money going into someone’s pocket at VA!” ie: Shulkin’s pocket?

      4. Why would the VA have purchased a building in 2006, then sat on it for 12 years before deciding what to do with it?

        Why is the square footage overstated by over 10,000 feet in their announcement when compared with the news article? I would assume a local community would know very clearly how much square footage is in a building that size since they would want to collect the correct amount of property taxes. Or account for any tax break given.

        Is that being overstated because its a scam? Someone paying for 37,000 square feet, but payments for 27,000 square feet are what is recorded by VA accounting and someone pocketing the difference?

      5. Thinking of spending a little time researching this one. I already know that the building was purchased by the VA at the height of the housing bubble. That is a time when all properties were being appraised at nearly twice their real value. So I am wondering who bought it cheep then sold it at a much higher price to the VA.

        Most likely it was someone working at the VA, or at the very least, working with someone at the VA who could authorize the purchase of the property.

        Also, am wondering how many properties the VA currently owns that were sold to the VA during the Bubble. How many billions are being spent on maintain those properties?

        With the VA now setting up all these Max-Head-Room clinics in places like strip malls, you know there is a lot of fraud going on there.

        Now with the VA spending another $10 million just to maintain this one old building until they can find a renter. Makes you wonder how much of the VA Budget is getting used in this way.

        I know that the VA spend $110 million on the Hotel in Paris to prep it for leasing. That was in 1997 during the Clinton Years.

      6. I just can’t understand the thinking of any bureaucrat that this single deal was a good idea. Spend a pile of money to buy a building that should be condemned, spend more money over years to maintain it in a minimal state, then want to spend more money to renovate it when it is so structurally unsound a wall is collapsing.

        Nobody is that stupid, so that leaves corruption as the answer.

        It would be interesting to find out who owned the building prior to the VA. Property assessment records are public, and often available online. Ownership history might take more digging. An address of the building would be helpful. It would show what the building was assessed at, and what taxable value was placed on it…before and after the VA got involved.

        I’m curious if a private owner had the property before the VA, or if owned by the community. If it were owned by the community, there may have been political pressure to unload it on the VA.

  21. That is the goal of this pharma racket. Many psychotropic and antidepressants have hideous side effects. Anywhere from the jitters to irreparable tardive dyskinesia.
    Many cardiac meds have worst symptoms than weed, including depression.
    They want to mobilize a good segment of the population by any means.
    Now the other racket being introduced is to stop the food stamp program and buy people food instead.
    A real quick way to poison the masses.
    Warfare in a region where fighters are taking pure morphine is like shooting zombies. You have to unleash the bombs on them. You wont win in Afghanistan and America is creating young people with no sense of reality, especially after yesterday’s school shooting.

  22. I took venlafaxine for my depression for about six months or so, and it really did nothing for my depression. It did, however cause me to develop “brain zaps”. They became so bad I had to move my head to see in different directions because if I moved my eyes only, it felt as if electrical shocks were going through my head. I weaned off of them but I still get the zaps every now and then. I think it was seven years ago when I stopped. I was told that I would most likely have this for the rest of my life. Thanks VA
    f8f

    1. I took that stuff too for a few months. I got the same reaction. For a split second I would here something like a million screaming souls instantly dying in my head. I immediately got off the shit because it gave me panic attacks,(like having a tree falling on you with your feet glued to the ground). Like you Dennis, I’ll stick to my pen.

    2. @F8f,
      I got brain zaps from that PTSD stuff that they gave me. I started seeing birds flying just outside my sight too at night lolz if that makes sense. Never did see them directly but just out of sight. It sent my suicidal ideation through the roof and I ended up in the mental ward with severe self injury – nothing like the person I was before I took the VA medicine for PTSD.

      You take that stuff and strap in for a wild ride. Most here won’t know what you mean by “brain zap” but it is exactly what it sounds like; it is a sensation of an electric shock going through your mind and head at least for me. Those drugs take Veteran X and turn them into Veteran Y and the results can be wildly unpredictable.

      1. every time I moved my eyes anywhere but straight ahead, those electrical shocks zapped through my brain. I was taking a quarter of a tablet every four days to try and keep them to a minimum. I finally gave up on taking the Venlafaxine and now I just deal with the zaps. They are not as bad and as often, but they get to remind me of how the VA messed me over again.

    3. I’ve heard of medications causing the brain zaps. Especially Cymbalta. I have chronic illness and I am familiar with that community and the zaps are common in these circles too. It’s the medication that is poison. Medical marijuana saved my life and it is so much safer than these drugs. I hope you all find relief. I also have PTSD from a violent assault and know it is something that is there for years. We just learn to cope with it. Thank you all for your service. You deserve better solutions.

      1. thank you! I have tried marijuana and it does not agree with me. If this stupid state (IN) would allow the CBD oil and the Indy VAMC would not take away my pain medication, I would love to try it. I do not want to risk a positive pee test and give them a reason to pull my narcotic.
        f8f

  23. 02/15/2018

    Dear Benjamin Krause,

    It is about time someone starts dragging these people into the courtroom as the suicide rate will climb from lack of real action [slow to react].

    Soon we will hear unfiltered conversations about the real problems the veterans are having with PTSD.

    Most Phoenix citizens cannot believe 600 [VA’s numbers released in 14 & 16 + 100 for 17] are dead over at the Phoenix Hospital since 2014, cause by negligence and bad management, and the Wait times.

    Do we still have veterans liquefying in the morgue [Hines]?

    Do we still have contractors stealing money and equipment from our veterans?

    Do we have Insurance Companies double or triple billing our VA System still?

    Do we have Directors and Local politicians misusing the Lands and assets?

    Are the Drug Companies still shipping too many drugs to the Hospitals?

    What is the VA doing about the shortage of Doctors, NPs, RNs, and LPN?

    What are the Unions doing?

    Who is going to investigate the IT money scandal?

    Why are the VA Hospitals holding on to poor performing employees and Staff?

    What is Trump’s new office doing [the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection/Brandon]?

    As the VA/Sessions refuses to change, there are a few other issues I am sure need to be addressed too.

    Sincerely,

    Don Karg

  24. I went to the link of the article Ben posted and once again saw Jeff’s picture. His face has ALWAYS seemed damn familiar….then it dawned on me!

    Did you ever see paintings of old royalty days? Back then to keep the power of the crown in the family they often encouraged the young royals to only bear the offspring of just family members.

    I was thinking as I look at Jeff…You know dressed in the correct period clothes of the 14th through 16th century England, Jeff would be a spot on match for some of those old oil paintings of those old time royals I’ve seen. I swear.

    Let me take a hit now of some highly purified premium Oregon hash oil and look at the picture again. Who knows? Maybe I will smile. In fact, it’s a sure thing… Maybe we should let voters decide the issue instead of royalty in this case….

    1. @Dennis- Your comment activated my cerebral synapse to listen to my rather old LP of “Six Wives of Henry The Eighth”, by Rick Wakeman from the band ‘YES’, and even before the help of my cat’s vaporizer (it’s not mine, I swear), I can see the resemblance of the ancestral or incestral ways. (I also always hear the banjo from movie ‘Deliverance’ when I see Jeff Sessions).

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