America Can Learn From VA Treatment Of Veterans
That was one of the key points of the interview I had yesterday with Susan Knowles, a conservative talk radio host based in California, that America will benefit from learning from veteran harassment by VA.
Listen: Susan Knowles Interview of Benjamin Krause
Susan Knowles is a lawyer and journalist focusing on issues conservative Americans struggle with within our modern political structure. She is an unapologetic conservative American who brings perspectives from across the political spectrum to her readers.
I took the interview to help educate her listeners about the crimes VA employees perpetrate against veterans on a regular basis that evade media scrutiny. The effect will hopefully result in a propagation of our message to the public, “VA is fucking up – you cannot imagine how bad it is.”
In the interview, we covered a broad spectrum of issues ranging from VA employee fraud harming veterans to America’s lack of awareness of problems within the agency. Knowles asked some great questions and my hope is that America comes more aware of problems within the agency.
Next steps are a long documentary of problems veterans face broken down into pieces that we all can digest while eating dinner. The documentary segments will be short, and break down issues veterans face while getting access to benefits.
Let’s hope the mission proves effective.
Let me know your thoughts on the interview. I’m always looking for feedback on pushing these issues forward.
Social Media, Billboards, Internet Radio do some good in getting the real word out about different problems within the VA whether it be health care treatment and dealing with all the “fine” people we deal with on each agonizing trip there (if we torture ourselves to go there at all) or applying for compensation benefits you think you deserve and should get. But the problem is the people see this as a small part of EVERYTHING bad going on in the world, and don’t do anything about it, don’t want to read or listen to it in any depth, and don’t feel any action or involvement on their part will actually do anything anyway. Their idea is something like “you can’t beat city hall” kind of thing. What is needed is a person running for office like Trump telling everyone what he has gathered from veterans themselves and telling them what he is going to do about it if you elect him president. People have to be told point blank about the struggle and offered a push-button solution ( pull the voting lever for me). Trump wants to collect true stories from veterans themselves – from the horses mouth – and says he will unleash them unto all as the nominations move forward at the right time. That is what he says, anyway. That guy. What a pirate.
Based on experiences with my self and others, that there isn’t much in state or federal government working except for THE notoriously and greedy, figuring out B.S. ways to spend our tax dollars. The money is supposed to go for the public at large, like us Americans including disabled vets but top officials and legislators are only concerned how they are going to spend it on themselves and their BS programs that benefit no one but it is really that our taxes are nothing more than a perpetual ATM money machine. How much does the VA get and how much is actually spent on disabled vets actual handson medical care, not just newer machines for diagnostic or treatment machines..
Just like the education system in this country is always evolving into many programs but our kids aren’t getting. they just dummy down the educational system and our kids get less and less every year in every way., yeah so where ever does all of our money go since we’re not getting services much less any live contacts to bring our problems to or get problems resolved. There are many federal employees but we don’t have access to most of them including those at the VA…. Thanks to Ben for tirelessly working to get the word out about the money hungry ineffective VA.
Did anyone on here ever read “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.”
Great read. BIG read. Took me over two weeks.
There are some great similarities between then and now. Remember, we WERE first made a “Constitutional Republic”, as long as [we] can keep it!” as Ben Franklin once said….
VA ONE BIG BIG BIG !!!!!!! FEDERAL RICO CRIME RACKET FROM AFGE UNION CONTRACTS HELL
WITH THE way our country works with the trillions going out every year to anything other than what services the American tax dollars are supposed to go for… for us, I see it is the biggest RICO ever, much bigger than the ponzi scheme and Bernie Madoff combined but sadly it is those who’s salary is paid for by us that engineers the ongoing RICO..
91Veteran, great ideas.
Today, while at the bank. Many people were talking about VA. They were pissed.
Guess what, none had served in the military. They had friends who served and are still in, but none of them personally served. They want to know where their taxdollars are going.
They also want to know why veterans are being mistreated….,
91veteran, great ideas. Today, while at the bank, many people were talking about the corruption within VA. Guess what, none had served in the military. They had friends who had served. One lady had a spouse who served.
They were pissed at VA and the noncare we receive.
So, word is getting out. I believe it’s Trump who is bringing it into the light.
That’s good to hear word is getting out, but it will take a long, sustained effort by veterans from all eras, as has been happening.
I may have said this before, but years ago when advocating for Gulf War veterans, I often heard, “I thought the VA was taking care of you guys”. It often didn’t take more than a single news report of the VA claiming to do something, and civilians would go on with their lives thinking it was true.
With today’s veterans, there is Facebook, news web sites, other social media, etc., that allows us to spread word fast, and put a human face on what is going on. Its harder for the VA to counter that. That’s why I think a YouTube channel would help so much. Any vet could contribute, and anyone from a news station to an office worker could view it at any time.
The VA would no longer have a monopoly about what the public knows about how they are doing.
91Veteran, as I’ve said, “Pride” can be a powerful weapon against VA. Their “Greed” is also going to help bring them down.
Everytime anyone hears a positive note by VA from a news source. Send that news source a negative note to counteract it.
Sooner or later, news people will report more bad than good.
Is there anyone out there who is very good with the English language? I believe it would be beneficial for someone to write a book. Then get it published under a pseudonym. Something like what was written 200+ years ago–
“Common Sense”
That pamphlet lead us into a Revolution.
We need something like it today…..
Today on military dot com There’s an article on Allison Hickey. She claims the reason she didn’t step down last year was because of her “Faith”!
I’d like to know what faith? Because she’s already broke, “Thou shalt not bare false witness against thine neighbor”!
Maybe she’s talking about the “faith” of the God Almighty Dollar!
She also said she left a very lucrative job in the private sector. Does anyone know about that?
I think VA is scrapping the bottom of the barrel. Where in the hell do they get these people???
I don`t have the list in front of me but, I know for a fact She (Hickey)Lied under Oath to the Congressional Oversight Committee on Veterans Affairs, Chaired by Rep Jeff Miller (R. FL) I watched every session Using Terms like “In Fact” & “Without Question”…”Without Question” As a Law Trial Buff, These terms mean (To me and Most) it is indeed a “Fact” She Lied under Oath, “Without Question”. Congressman Miller Told her to her face “We can`t take ANYTHING The V.A. Says as a “Fact” Or can anyone at the table be Believed” That pretty much Sums it up. Where I come from.
Then we get to Bob McDonald & Sloan Gibson. He sits there and tries to hand them a 1 page report on what The V.A. Has done to Earn the Veterans AND Congress`s Trust, While were at it Add Extortion to the mix Of their many Sins, With a “We are going to have to close the Veterans Choice program down Unless we get 3.5 Billion Dollars, Just to make it to the end of the year. ..Oh, and Throw a few Billion more at The Denver Project that is 12 years & Billions of dollars over Budget. As he smiles & agrees then goes out the door to a Press Release & Says”They just want us to Fire everybody and I`m not going to do that”. I CONCUR SIR, Where in hell do they Get these People?
From her VA bio:
Prior to joining VA, Ms. Hickey led a Human Capital Management program at Accenture for the intelligence community, including the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, where she supported operational business processes in the areas of customer relationship management, call center practices, and 21st century information technology systems.
Under Secretary Hickey served 27 years in the United States Air Force on Active Duty, in the Air National Guard, and in the Air Force Reserve, retiring with the rank of Brigadier General as the Director of the Air Force’s Future Total Force office at the Pentagon. In this role, she was responsible for shifting billions of dollars toward new capabilities across the Air Force portfolio and directing new organizational models for a worldwide, 500,000-person organization. Under Secretary Hickey is a 1980 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, the first class to include women.
Now I know where she learned how to lie, cheat and steal….
Good interview! You’re right, the public has moved on in their news cycle, and we veterans need to keep the spotlight on the VA.
Not advertising, just promoting that Pete Santilli will be having a ‘Detain McCain’ rally in Phoenix on Sept. 5th asking that McCain take care of the veterans. https://thepetesantillishow.com/operationdetainmccain/
Keep the spotlight strong!
I read that article on “DetainMcCain”! I’m glad there’s going to be a rally out there in Phoenix. Getting rid of one politician is a start.
Betcha McCain won’t be in town on Sept. 5th. Also, bet there’s a contingency of law enforcement there to make matters worse.
But they do have that Constitutional Right to gather there.
Wish I could do something to help. Living in Florida sometimes doesn’t help matters.
All great stuff covered there, Ben. I have a suggestion; maybe you could somehow “pin it” as part of your front page website so it’s visible to your entrance…a coat of arms, of sorts??!! I want to see this go very viral….but NOT in a ‘VA Viral’ sense, as that would be complimentary Legionnaire’s Disease, All the Heps, HIV; no- we need to whack at this thick wall of pseudo pride the VA PR Spin Artists constantly weave and let Americans know we Veterans and Survivors really DO want the VA to be a place we can be proud of…instead of becoming physically sick because we bemoan having to enter the snake pit the adversarial VA has become increasingly, as well as reckless…and killing us…like, dead.
Good job Ben!
Good Job Brother! (Ben)
Keep up the GOOD WORK!
The “Shit Hit the Fan”! Lets purr some more “shit in the fun”
MSG VAM
To Mr. Ben Krause
Great interview. I listened to it twice, so I could take notes.
I also sent it to a number of news outlets here in Central Florida, Alabama and Alaska. This info needs to be brought out to the taxpaying public. As well as to veterans.
Again, thank you for a great interview…..
To all on here. On yesterday’s blog I gave info on a “billboard”. Which was “lit up” last week in Tampa, Fl. by Ron Nesler of “VA is Lying, Veterans are Dying”!
It was one of many he’s trying to get up, so the public (Veterans and Taxpayers) can get involved. Yesterday, “The Tampa Tribune” posted an article online concerning this issue we are still trying to bring out nationwide.
In this article, VA tried to defend themselves on many issues. One was the “Claims Backlog”! Those of you who are aware of the facts surrounding the “Haley VAMC” know they have NO defense.
The title of the “Tribune” article is;
“Angry billboard brings national VA protest to Haley center”
by Howard Altman
date, 31 Aug. 2015
email- haltman@tampatrib dot com
ph. # (813) 259-7629
Now, to counter their defense.
There was an article which came out on August 27, 2015 by Mr. John Sharp.
email- Jsharp@aol dot com
It’s title was,
U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne Blasts VA data showing a reduction in claims backlog as ‘self-serving propaganda’
Representative Byrne gives facts and figures disproving VA’s claim. He, as do many veterans and taxpayers, believe VA is just trying to cover up the truth. We need to keep “hammering away” at VA. Each time VA tries to defend something. We need to find the truth an give it to the “news people” who write up articles we know are false.
The VA is trying their best, not to improve at all, but to paper over their problems. As I said in the other thread about being emailed by VA shortly after I emailed the author of that column saying the VA is doing great, she kept asking me for my name and address. I finally told her why I would not provide it, mentioning disruptive lists, and her final reply was she did not know why the VA would have contacted me right after emailing her. What I found interesting was she did not ask ANY follow up questions on all of the points I brought up about what the VA was doing, including the disruptive committees. One would think she would at least ask what that was, but since she didnt, I can only assume she already knew. Within a couple days of emailing her, I get a flyer in the mail telling me about the VA Choice program. How long has it been since that program was started? That flyer was the first notification I had from the VA about it.
Anyway, my point is you are correct. I believe the VA is in a massive PR push to convince Americans that veterans are being taken care of regardless of the facts. Problem is, we are competing with so many other problems out there being reported, including stupid reality TV shows and the Kardashians, it’s hard to be heard over that noise, and even harder to hold someone’s attention for more than a few seconds. The billboard will help with that, but I still think a YouTube channel for veterans to describe what we go through to get VA care will get more attention, and hold people’s attention longer.
Thanks for the efforts Ben. Good interview.
PS. As for Shulkin and his PR saying what a great job the VA is doing…I wonder if he’s on a trial run to replace McDonald.
I actually thought the exact same thing. Shulkin is more than likely the VA’s “Plan B From Outer Space”…but I would not discount Sloan Gibson either for being ‘groomed’ as yet another “Plan B…”.
These so-called leaders have a huge problem and that’s called arrogance. Couple that with a solid ‘god syndrome’ and you have reckless behavior 101.
There’s been a horrible number of major news stories about these senseless shootings and I am not at all discounting them whatsoever but in order to keep people’s attention span I think a dedicated You Tube Channel is a fabulous idea.
Know the VA has a long way to go after decades of problems, but what is your main personal beef? I read the We Are the Mighty, Ward Carroll, Vets Advocacy @www.vatherightway.org where we have a chance to make a difference in how homeless areas for veterans are provided. Hope they get much input. Glad there is some headway there. Hey, enjoyed your true stories of Cinci.
Wilmington Delaware, Philadelphia needs several of those billboards in the heart of the city where the Liberty Bell resides will get their attention. Carper and Coons are big liars in this region when it comes to deceit. I will embarass the shit out of these douchebags every time I get a chance when they start lying. My main issue would be to get a database of these VA attorneys and file ethics complaints against them regarding the attorney deceit statues. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel in Pa is useless and won’t even act on a complaint because they are in bed with the government.