Want A Job? Veterans Affairs Tops Navy For Most Sexual Harassment In Federal Government. Apply Now!

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1. “Rep. Ann McLane Kuster said she plans to get to the bottom of it and will schedule an immediate hearing in the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.” Is it just me or does it sound like I’ve heard this more than a couple hundred times about various ‘problems’ in the VA from politicians, the IG, top management, etc etc. It just never ends, another problem comes along and you hear the “We’ll get to the bottom of this *insert problem, any problem*.

2. I don’t have a lot of sympathy for VA employees crying Sexual Harassment at the work place. What other excuse can they give to get “work related PTSD?”
   I WAS sexually harassed & attacked by another Veteran while attending a Mandatory co-ed Class, I had expressed my past MST and did not want to attend a co-ed Class. I was informed by Mental Health, I had to demonstrate a willingness to try. The Instructor witnessed the whole ordeal, when I called a Crisis HotLine after the experience; thank God she gave me the courage to call Instructor and let him know I would not be returning to his class secondary to the fear, anxiety that this harassment would escalate to trapping me in an elevator or worse!
   Instructor (male) stressed how he had never had anything like this occur in any of his Classes, neatly swept this under the carpet as “inappropriate comments.” No incident report filed, no renta cop ever called to file a report.
   When I expressed my fears of even returning to VAMC – Livermore, CA to my primary Care provider and to Mental Health, I was threatened with not filling my Prescription Medications.
   A patient advocate suggested TeleHealth as he had just completed an inservice for this, and in my case this would definitely qualify me.
   This was turned down by Mental Health Director, stating my family should be able to escort me to needed appointments. When i questioned her, if something like this had happened to her daughter or her mother, would she feel this attack acceptable? I do not have family members accessible for visits to clinic, and VA is fully aware of my limitations.
   Start statistically keep track of the number of Veterans getting sexually harassed, exploited, attacked not only by other Veterans, but Providers!!!

3. Employees, (both men and women) have been screwing over vets for as far back as I can remember. I’ve had the misfortune of being another one of their screwee’s. No! I don’t have any sympathy for any of them. I tried to have some empathy and I just can’t because the BIG butt hurt just doesn’t go away!

4. I know of a predator who was having sex with not only the employees but the patients and the visitors of the patients at the Cheyenne VA as far back as the late 90s.

   Guess who it was?

   A security guard. He was having sex with everyone and I wonder if he was using drugs to immobilize his victims. He is retired and when I see him it takes all my strength to not…….

   My ex-wife worked there and I’ll bet money she was a willing partner.

   Remember the fact that the VA did not have police back then. The guards had whistles and walkie-talkies wearing a white t-shirt and shorts.

5. I will approach this subject from a different, though related, angle.

   This is a topic rife with social landmines, because few issues divide sociopolitical parties as much as the matter of sexuality—to include all related elements therein (i.e., sexual harassment; sexual orientation; the role of sex and gender across a spectrum as it pertains to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus [LGBTQ+] identity regarding political party ideologues; etc.)—in the current societal climate of hashtag movements (e.g., MeToo, TimesUp, etc.). The cult of collectivism demands metaphorical meat for the grinder, blood for the grass, and heads for the platter regarding social change. Therein lies a problem.

   Abraham Maslow is partially credited with having identified the proposed Law of Instrument, when he stated, “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail” (The Psychology of Science, 1966, p. 15), though Abraham Kaplan, Arthur Bloch, and Mark Twain were said to have expressed similar concepts. Maslow’s phenomenon highlights the process of a cognitive bias that implicates over-reliance on familiar tools with which we frame the world around us. Concerning the topic at hand, if all one has is a hammer (one-sided perspective), everything (interaction within society) appears as though it is a nail (sexual harassment). For the sake of example pertaining to sexual harassment, I will use Three-card Monte as the instrument of choice by which people often address this topic.

   I began to consider this matter in depth when attending grad school. The self-labeled feminists and social justice warriors I attended university with advocated for “victims and survivors” of various sexual crimes. It seemed like a noble cause at the time, given the emergence of propaganda such as a documentary entitled The Invisible War (2012), the well-publicized performance of Emma Sulkowicz (“Mattress Girl”) at Columbia University, a subsequent documentary entitled The Hunting Ground (2015), and other sources that allegedly identified what was said to have been an epidemic of sexual assault, rape, and sexual harassment (the “unholy triune,” as each of these elements is uniquely defined) that over the years purportedly reached pandemic proportions. Who wouldn’t want to fight against the existence of indecency that was largely hailed as a “rape culture”?

   As I was interested in working with the veteran population upon graduating, I began to review relevant literature as a means to better understand the unholy triune. Specifically, I wanted to explore best practices for working with veterans who had experienced military sexual trauma (MST). There were mountains of stats supporting what was described as an outbreak of MST. As a former Marine I wondered how it was possible that I was so oblivious to a rape culture the evidence suggested was all around me during my service. Was I willfully ignorant, stubbornly blind, or perhaps influenced by the discomfort of cognitive dissonance? I was as confused as an identified mark that was subject to the three-card hustle on a street corner. I needed answers.

   I figured the first step in understanding a problem was to define its individual elements. I discovered that the DoD didn’t utilize the term MST, because this label was reserved only for use regarding the VA. As far as the DoD was concerned, the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPR) addressed only the criminal offenses of rape, sexual assault, aggravated sexual contact, abusive sexual contact, and non-consensual sodomy (SAPR & The Uniform Code of Military Justice [UCMJ], DoD website), not specific treatment of MST. Leave it to the military to remain black-and-white in its approach to the sensitive topic.

   The VA, however, broadly defined MST as a term referring to experiences of sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that a veteran experienced during military service (PTSD: National Center for PTSD, VA website). For VA purposes, sexual assault and rape are interchangeable terms. This vague definition left me with more questions than answers, so I set out to better understand the unholy triune for a different perspective. For legal standards, I sought the DoJ’s definition of sexual assault, rape, and sexual harassment. I then contrasted these descriptions with the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definitions.

   Sexual assault is any nonconsensual sexual act proscribed by Federal, tribal, or State law, including when the victim lacks capacity to consent (Office on Violence Against Women [OVW], DoJ website). Merriam-Webster defines it as illegal sexual contact that usually involves force upon a person without consent or is inflicted upon a person who is incapable of giving consent. These definitions are seemingly indistinguishable.

   Rape is the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim (Office of Public Affairs, DoJ website). Merriam-Webster defines it as unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against a person’s will or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent because of mental illness, mental deficiency, intoxication, unconsciousness, or deception. While the dictionary’s definition is a bit more specific, there is little question regarding what generally constitutes rape.

   Sexual harassment is tricky, because it’s typically defined differently according to what institution its existence functions in. The DoJ defines it as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment based on gender by managers, supervisors, or coworkers violate the law (Memorandum of DoJ Employees, DoJ website). Merriam-Webster defines it as uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature especially by a person in authority toward a subordinate. Because this post addresses sexual harassment regarding a government agency, it’s important to know that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) defines this element as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. Again, these definitions are quite similar.

   So why expound upon governmental agency standards, differing definitions, and cite personal experience when responding to the current post? This is where the sleight of hand occurs. If this were a game of Three-card Monte, would you have been able to spot the MST money card? Look again.

   Since the subject of this post relates to both the VA and DoD concerning sexual harassment, proposing that the VA has a larger problem with this element, it’s worthy of readdressing how the VA considers sexual harassment. Remember, it defines MST as experiences of sexual assault or repeated, threatening SEXUAL HARASSMENT that a veteran experienced during military service. This means that if your mouth was referred to as a “cock holster,” your hands were labeled as “dick-skinners,” if you ever heard “BOHICA” or “Semper Scrotus,” or any other seemingly pejorative term used to identify an individual’s body part, behavior, or situation by use of sexually explicit jargon, you were subjected to sexual harassment which was said to be on par with having been raped.

   After all, sayings such as these frequently occurred in the military, which was as much an employment setting as it was a way of life. This may allude to why the Navy has such an influx of sexual harassment among its ranks. (Thank you, Marines.) Accordingly, the majority of readers who made it this far in my response, and who served in the military, may agree that each of us were sexually harassed by VA defining standards. I therefore wonder what rubric was used to comprise data relating to the sexual harassment cited in this post. The DoJ’s? The DoD’s? The EEOC’s? Merriam-Webster’s? The VA’s? If the latter, wouldn’t critical analysis of how the VA’s three-card MST trick involving the conflation of MST’s unholy triune defining standard leave one to remain skeptical of the data?

   What did I ultimately learn through brief exploration into the alleged pandemic the process of indoctrination steered me to when in grad school, and shortly thereafter? There was no rape culture. The unholy triune was grossly overstated. Amalgamated definitions of behavior that every single Marine I served with had experienced were used to support an idea of widespread panic among government agencies.

   Namely, the VA was largely responsible for this hysteria by employing overly-broad definitions regarding sexual harassment. As such, I wonder what level of sexual harassment the Merit Systems Protection Board is concerned with. Are we talking about prolonged staring (Birschtein v. New United Motor Mfg., Inc., 92 Cal. App. 4th 994 [2001]) or is the focus upon other matters reported to the EEOC by which only one-percent of reported claims are successful in legal proceedings (Workers Win Only 1% Of Federal Civil Rights Lawsuits At Trial, Fast Company & Inc., Sean Captain, 2017—data relating to Lex Machina analysis)? Are we discussing hashtag mania or legitimate sexual harassment complaints across an expansive spectrum of defining standards?

   As a separate matter and regarding the latter portion of this post, requesting subjective accounts concerning VA employment (“If you are a VA employee or were, I would love to read about your experience with sexual harassment and how the agency handled it.”), I won’t be caught on that porch again. Sharing personal tales about my previous employment with the VA, in hopes to engage in meaningful dialogue with concerned parties, has only led to mob-style disgruntlement in the form of union-bashing, straw-manning, ad hominem attacks, and misplaced rage. Ben, not all of your readers want to participate in constructive conversations. A significant number seem only to want complete annihilation of any delusional projection concerning VA servitude in textual form. In other words (and to state it in more simplistic “grunt” words, as one of your readers so eloquently stated recently), a portion of your readership only want to fight, not converse.

   1. 06/13/2018

      Dear Just Passing Through,

      There is a reason for only 1% being filed at EEOC/DOJ or in the courtrooms in general–$$$$$.

      Years ago I spent years on a project—in 2006 I had found out it paid off in 1998 after the exposure in late October of 1988—OSI El Segundo AF Base [Roy]. Thirty years later the “Cox Report” does not mean much to most people—including U.S. Senators. DCIS and I had a meeting when Obama came to Town.

      Does the phrase—the tip of the iceberg mean anything to you?

      I am concerned with your attitude: “A significant number seem only to want complete annihilation of any delusional projection concerning VA servitude in textual form. In other words (and to state it in more simplistic “grunt” words, as one of your readers so eloquently stated recently), a portion of your readership only want to fight, not converse.”

      The Readers in this segment actually made hard statements out in public and it appears you have over looked them just like those people/management being described, why?

      After being taking advantage of or invaded the response is to fight! Not to talk it over with the criminal! Or do a grandstand Negotiation with a criminal!

      And after working this “mismanagement problem” for four (4) years it is everyone’s conclusion that this Charlie Foxtrot has to come to an end.

      I have seen and talked to VA employees and Veterans—many swear that nothing is going on at the Phoenix VA—why is it after millions of man hours and millions of dollars—we have a single Star rating? Why is it we have 600+ dead from failures at the Phoenix VA and the media still reports 40 dead since the first reports out in 2014?

      I hear you “Just Passing Through” and I also hear you.

      1. @Don Karg

         I think we agree as to why only one-percent of EEOC cases are in favor of the claimant.

         Where you seem to take issue regarding my statement is in reference to my parting advisement to Ben. I believe I understand your position and it is my hope that this response to you will be well-received. You state, “The Readers in this segment actually made hard statements out in public and it appears you have over looked them just like those people/management being described, why?” Not typically one to ignore a direct question, I’ll respond accordingly.

         I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m a disabled veteran, current American Federation of Government Employees (“Union”) member, and was formerly employed by the VA. I’ve stated this repeatedly elsewhere in this forum. While I’ve been criticized by one commenter who frequents this board regarding my use of anonymity (“Just Passing Through”)—despite this individual employing the same anonymous posting behavior—I’ve shared my personal accounts of VA employment as a means of helping others to better understand the complexity, bureaucracy, and challenges related to the agency, all while taking careful precautions to protect my future employability. A significant number of people have chosen to ignore my contribution, only focusing on the fact that I’m affiliated with the Union. They’ve utilized ad hominem attacks, exercised straw man tactics, and have generally maligned me on the basis of what they think I symbolize rather than what I’ve outright stated I represent.

         I suppose one could argue that I’m using a straw man approach without providing evidence of my claims. If you care to cross-reference my stance, search the comment section of the following posts related to this forum: VA-Style Union-Busting Executive Orders To Erode Federal Union Power; FOIA Reveals VA Public Affairs Double Standard On Racism Allegations; and AFGE Union Sues President Trump Over Executive Orders. Otherwise, you may simply accept the assertion I propose.

         Have I “overlooked” readers of this forum, as you suggest? Quite the contrary; I’ve engaged a number of them in what I’d hoped would be meaning dialogue. Is your comparison of my stance in relation to VA “people/management” valid? I argue that it is not. Rather than assuming an authoritative position of power—characteristic of the aforementioned government entity—I’m carefully addressed each salient point proposed by others in regards to the communication I’ve submitted to this forum. The only truthful claim of your proposal is that I was a VA employee (“people”), though I no longer am. For the ad hominem attacks, however, there remains no need to defend my position. Equally, for those who refuse to stay on topic and choose rather to attribute woes of the world to my membership with the Union, I recognize their frustration for what it is.

         Perhaps you take issue with my reference to “delusional projection,” as directly quoted by you and in conjunction with your statement, “I am concerned with your attitude.” First, I find it relevant to explain that my field of study and experience is in mental health. This is important to consider, because it may better explain my use of the aforementioned term. Second, I find it useful to define what a delusion is. According to Merriam-Webster, a delusion is “psychology: a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary.” Try not to get bogged down by the term “psychotic,” as it references a loss of contact with reality—not the societally-accepted depiction of Norman Bates, for instance. Projection, on the other hand, is a defense mechanism by which unwanted feelings or beliefs are projected (displaced) upon someone or something else. As counselor Andrea Mathews clarifies, “The problem is that when people project their ‘stuff’ onto us, they tend to act as if their projection has something to do with who we really are” (Psychology Today, Projection and Identity, April 24, 2013).

         There isn’t necessarily an unwarranted expression of “attitude” involved with what I stated. Perhaps you took my reference to the word “grunt” as somehow offensive. Allow me to clarify. One commenter on another post accused me of speaking over the heads of people, as this individual explained that I was speaking to a bunch of “grunts” and needed to communicate in a different manner. Imagine that, my exercise of free speech is only as legitimate as another’s interpretation of my words. Yet, I digress. I used the word “grunt” to identify the fact that I was simplifying my statement.

         Last, it is possible that you took issue with me stating to Ben, “A significant number seem only to want complete annihilation of any delusional projection concerning VA servitude in textual form,” and, “a portion of your readership only want to fight, not converse.” All one has to do in order to better understand—and dare I suggest validate—my claim is review the comment section of the provided forum topics. Considering each of the elements pertaining to your question, and given my adequate response to each facet of your query, it remains unnecessary to answer “why” I have an “attitude.” Again, my parting paragraph was directed to Ben. My statement was supported by evidence (if one were to simply review it). And existence of an “attitude” is highly subjective in nature; therefore, I stand by the assertion that I didn’t function from an emotively irrational mind frame.

         To address your second string of questions (“I have seen and talked to VA employees and Veterans—many swear that nothing is going on at the Phoenix VA—why is it after millions of man hours and millions of dollars—we have a single Star rating? Why is it we have 600+ dead from failures at the Phoenix VA and the media still reports 40 dead since the first reports out in 2014?), the most appropriate answer is that I cannot possibly be held responsible for, or be expected to provide meaningful feedback concerning, that which I have no direct knowledge of. You can no sooner and accurately explain why I ate eggs for breakfast vice oatmeal than I can answer why the Phoenix VA functions as it does, why veterans and VA employees have provided you with feedback as they have, why the facility in question is rated as it is, or why the quantitative figure regarding deaths you cite exits. You don’t know the unconscious or conscious motivation that drove me to eat eggs instead of oats any more than I can answer your proposed questions.

         I find it interesting that you would choose to lecture me, yet you know very little about me (e.g., “After being taking advantage of or invaded the response is to fight! Not to talk it over with the criminal! Or do a grandstand Negotiation with a criminal! And after working this ‘mismanagement problem’ for four [4] years it is everyone’s conclusion that this Charlie Foxtrot has to come to an end.”). To be clear, I served my country, too. I made the conscious decision to continue service, though civilly, by obtaining education and experience so that I could serve veterans in the VA. I’m currently involved in an EEOC case against VA management regarding my former employment. If it is your intention to declare a time to “fight,” you’re preaching to the choir. If you’re attempting to educate me about the need for the cluster f__k to end, you’re performing the equivalent of trying to convince a fish that it needs water to survive.

         In parting, I’m not quite sure what to make of the line, “I hear you ‘Just Passing Through’ and I also hear you.” If you truly understood my words, I suppose you wouldn’t have responded as you had. If the implication is that of a nudge and a wink, symbolic of sarcasm, I’ve neither the desire nor ability to accurately interpret the underlying cognitive process you’ve employed. At any rate, I believe my current response will suffice and I hope it has clarified my stance.

6. I have a case with a lawyer group called Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick who have been fighting for my disability claim now for many years. What is it and what hoops must I jump through to recieve recognition of the tragedy that was done to me all those year ago.

   1. KEITH, never give up, that’s the only advice I can give you. You beat them repeatedly, over the head with evidence, and common sense, until you get what you deserve. Never, ever, give up.

7. I have a comment I was abused and Raped as a young man of 18 while in New London Conn. Submarine training school by two officers. The first was by a Lt. Nelson and then a week or so later by Lt. Nelson and a Lt. Commander who both took turns on me against my will. I have been fighting for PTSD for over 10 years ! I have gotten three to four Physicitrist three of the VA and one I got not associated with the VA to examine me and gave me a diagnosis of Sever PTSD but when it goes before the review board all those are some how dismissed and they say I don’t have PTSD!

   1. Dude same exact thing is happening to me!! Not the submarine stuff but the va and my claim. I think the va has fucked me over far worse than getting raped by 3 guys while on active duty at this point!!

      Lets the prf labeling commence

8. Ben, I get sexually harassed on a constant basis at the local VAMC. Every time I walk through those front doors somebody is looking to fuck me, in one way or another.
   Come on, you knowwwwwwww thats right.

   1. It’s like the lights on police cars. I call them sex lights, cuz every time you see them you know somebody’s getting fucked.

      1. You got that right!

9. At first glance this may seem to be off topic, but watching it in its entirety will prove differently. Any navy “old timers” recalling ”SONABOUY”, and anyone using wi-fi, bluetooth, etc., might find this 84 minutes worth a look-see! “https://www.pbs.org/video/bombshell-the-hedy-lamarr-story-xxkyoj/”

10. Females do their share too.

11. Cause: Alpha males seeking power positions after service in the military, especially the Navy. Same butheads that do our C&Ps as PAs or our adjudication officers. The desire to make others feel uncomfortable in order to feel the power. Police organizations are lower because they get to dish it out to the public easier than VA employees. Most vets will let IG know if abused.

12. Bad habits or abusive ways of treating people around you in a workplace are either:

    1) Brought-in with a new hire, and likely, whomever hires them are exactly the same way, and/or…

    2) The entire supervisory/upper management arms of the VA are steeped in sexual harassment, both the men and women, so they naturally only seek new hires with same dastardly attitude of abuse and hate…extra points for any disdain for the Vets you will be serving chicken cold and telling patients to swat their own flies…

    3) Both are likely correct.

    4) The abuser and bully mentality also seeks to have something *over* subordinates, and that likely can be in form of an abusive supervisor being passive-aggressive, **rescuing employee** from fallout from an investigation or accusations…NOW…that supervisor has LEVERAGE…this is how the dysfunctional ass twists it all about, doing the hokey-pokey, keeping the whistle-blowers OUT…

13. 06/12/2018

    Dear Benjamin Krause,

    This chart makes Harvey Weinstein CBE [American film producer and co-founded of Miramax] look like an angel.

    Bad habits start when the soldiers/officers are young and like the VA, the Academies have failed for decades to stop this behavior [poor management].

    Or is there more? This “mismanagement” for decades cannot be an accident.

    Sincerely,

    Don Karg

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