Op-ed:  
Why Were Veterans Issues Left Out of the Republican Debate

By Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots on CPR Worldwide Media / www.cprworldwidemedia.net

"We're going to have a VA that cares more about our veterans than about the bureaucrats who work at the VA." 
- Florida Senator Marco Rubio when finally asked a question concerning our veterans

The first of the 2016 Republican Presidential Debates is now one for the history books and some history it was.

Let's see...moderator Megyn Kelly was eviscerated by the right for asking tough questions about each candidates perceived weaknesses; some candidates looked like a deer caught in the headlights while at the same time a few others shone bright; but when the dust settled what I and many others watching the debate noticed was the lack of any true discussion time given to the plight of our veterans or to the way the Obama administration treats our current troops when they return home from the theaters of war.

And only at the very end of the debate when a woman in the audience...Gold Star widow Jane Horton...approached Kelly at the moderator's table as she was asking her so out of place in a political discussion 'God question'...as a belief in God as a requirement to run for president is NOWHERE mentioned in our Constitution...did Kelly break into the candidate's responses to ask about our veterans. So Kelly in the few minutes of air time left changed the 'God question' to 'God and the veterans' and started with Florida Senator Marco Rubio who stated that, “I believe God has blessed us with young men and women willing to risk their lives and sometimes die in uniform for the safety and security of our people”...and who then went on to address in the short time he had the need to reform the current VA system and called the VA to task for NOT firing more executives following a series of scandals at its facilities.

Only a few minutes of air time was given to speak of those who wear or have worn our nations uniform...shameful...just shameful.

And this especially bad judgment call by the moderator's as to what issues needed to be addressed and what issues could have been way-sided for the time being or NOT asked at all, just added more insult to the injuries our veterans already face on a daily basis...injuries that include homelessness, lack of employment, and the fact that it's been over a year since the 'Veterans Access Choice and Accountability Act'...simply known as the 'Choice Act'...was passed...an act that was supposed to decrease wait times for veterans in need of medical care but has accomplished NOTHING to date to that affect.

 

Remember, while the 'Choice Act' was enacted NOT long after the Phoenix VA Hospital's Dr. Sam Foote exposed the 'needed to be kept hidden' truth that long wait times for medical care indeed led to the deaths of hundreds of veterans, this important piece of legislation has yet to make any real dent in the wait times for treatment meaning that the wait times at VA facilities mostly remain static. And when you add a whistle blower's report into the mix...a report stating that thousands of veterans have lost benefits due to so-called 'mishandling of applications' at one VA hospital in Atlanta, you just know our veterans are still in trouble...big trouble... and yet the moderators knew this and still our veteran's plight...the plight of those who give their all...was left out of the debate discourse.

So, as some veteran's lobbyists rightfully present their case to lawmakers in D.C. as to why veteran's health care must be taken away from the failing government controlled VA system and be put instead into the private sector where each and every veteran would be assured their rightfully deserved eligibility for private health care as afforded them under the 'Choice Act,' this, what should have been a must discussed issue, was completely ignored until the above said Gold Star widow was vocal enough to force a change in the debate's pre-set agenda.

Veterans issues and military issues...issues important NOT only to our service people and their families but to 'We the People' as well for we see the damage inflicted upon our military and our veterans by an administration that NOT only seems to relish in their plight, but instead chooses to extend a helping hand to those who deserve NOT help but a bus ticket back to from whence they came. And maybe it's hard for many of those running to truly understand the importance of these issues for none of the ten top tier candidates has any military service whatsoever (Donald Trump was issued a draft number but was NOT drafted, Jeb Bush also got a draft number but he too was NOT called, Dr. Ben Carson and Governor John Kasich NEVER served, and the other six candidates were too young to be sent to Vietnam before the draft was ended in 1973).

And after the fiasco that is Obama, questions need to be asked of each and every candidate with answers given as to how as Commander-in-Chief they will have our military deal with first, the cuts to America's military budget...second, the threat of ISIS and islamic terrorism (NOT just say we will fight them but tell us exactly how they will do so)...third, who amongst them will they say the two all-important words 'islamic terrorists' or better yet say the truth that we are at war with islam...all islam...and then have our military act accordingly...meaning without their hands tied behind their back...fourth, what is their plan of action as to how our military will face now renewed Russian aggression and China's expansion in the South China Sea...and lastly, can the damage caused to our military and the abominable care our veterans receive be repaired by a simple change in leadership and if so how will that change be implemented.

And while common sense should tell one that having candidates with NO military experience could translate into a lack of understanding of the intricacies as to what impact war has on our troops in the actual theater of war as well as on them when they return home, it would have been very telling and informative to hear what each candidate had to say about the possibility in the future of military experience being a prerequisite for the position of president. And, by the way, I personally believe it should be.

But again we were denied that chance as the candidates were NOT given the opportunity to show our military both past and present that they are foremost in the concerns of the one who will possibly become their Commander-in-Chief and who will be faced with trying to undo the damage this current president and his administration has done to those fighting to keep us free.

And again I say shameful...completely and utterly shameful...and I hope the next debate moderators afford the candidates the time needed to address these so important issues.

Op-ed:  

A house cleaning long overdue

By: Diane Sori

Yesterday America got a 'two-fer' as both Obama mouth piece Jay Carney and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki both resigned.

 

First Shinseki...now folks please let's NOT get all excited by Eric Shenseki's resignation for all this resignation means is that Barack HUSSEIN Obama found his fall guy...while our veterans will still be the ones hurting...and hurting for some time to come.

Prompted by outrage from both Republicans and Democrats calling for Shinseki to resign, Obama announced that VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson...who has been on the job just three short months...would serve as interim head of the department while he chooses a permanent replacement. But you just know the fix is in as Gibson being Shinseki's right-hand man...NO matter the short length of time...knew just as much about what was going on with the VA as Shinseki did, especially with all having come to light over these past few months.

And because he was NOT fired...as he should have been if Obama had any true concern or feeling for America's veterans...Shinseki gets to keep his government pension and his military pension both which reach into six-figures yearly...so don't shed any tears for him...for it's our veterans who get screwed yet again as this most shameful of injustices against them cannot and will NOT be fixed overnight.  

 

And Obama's saying yesterday that it was "with considerable regret" that he had accepted Shinseki's resignation...a resignation that followed whistle-blower allegations that have been proven true that there's massive mismanagement and manipulation of data related to veterans wait times at VA hospitals and clinics that resulted in over 100 veterans dying...Shinseki's resigning really amounts to NOTHING for being that this concerns injustices done to both our vets and our returning troops and with Obama being their Commander-in-Chief...the blame and the taking of responsibility needs to be placed at the feet of its rightful owner...that being Barack HUSSEIN Obama.

But with Shinseki...a 4-star general and war hero twice wounded and three times awarded a Bronze Star for valor in Vietnam... resigning as the scandal grows with each passing day...attention is now diverted away from Obama's role in this injustice. And with Shenseki willing to be the fall guy, all while saying that he was shocked by widespread evidence of a loss in integrity within the VA system, you just know he is somehow being rewarded with more than just being able to keep his cushy pensions. And asked why he decided to accept Shinseki's resignation and accept it now as the scandal heats up, Obama said he regretted accepting said resignation, but he knows "the VA needs new leadership" and that he agreed with Shinseki's own assessment that he has become too much of a distraction.

"We don't have time for distractions...We need to fix the problem," Obama said.

And even with Shinseki issuing an apology for the scandal and with his last official act being the firing of administrators at the Phoenix VA hospital...ground zero from which this scandal originated...where 1,700 veterans were removed from any official list and kept waiting for appointments some for up to six months or longer...the only way to truly fix the problems at the VA is to have the one causing all the problems...the one who knew about all the problems but who chose to look away...resign and take responsibility...and that means Barack HUSSEIN Obama... but we know that sadly that will NEVER happen...and our precious and hurting veterans lose again.

Also yesterday, coming a scant three hours after he confirmed the resignation of Eric Shinseki, Obama announced that also resigning was Press Secretary Jay Carney...another resignation way overdue. Now being replaced by White House special assistant to the president and principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest...a longtime fixture in Obama’s circle “going all the way back to the Iowa caucuses” in 2008...as in replacing one bloviating mouthpiece with another bloviating mouthpiece...Carney stood by Obama's side while he called him one of his closest advisers and friends at the White House. Carney then told reporters that "It's been an amazing experience...just so fulfilling" to have worked with this administration.

I guess knowingly lying through one's teeth and helping to talk Obama out of involvement in one scandal after another...and know that Carney's been one of the most effective liars this administration has had as witnessed by his helping Obama cover-up the murders of four brave Americans at Benghazi...Carney's saying his experience with Obama is "just so fulfilling," shows what a sick and vile bast*rd he really is.

Just like his boss I guess...

Carney, whose LIES started with the questionable circumstances surrounding the death of Osama bin-Laden and the subsequent cover-up of Extortion 17, then leading into all things Benghazi, going into the fraud ridden 2012 elections and the IRS and NSA scandals that followed, then leading into the shutdown of the federal government, and into the disastrous roll out of HealthCare.gov, finally culminating with the current VA scandal...also said it had been honor to be this president's press secretary.   

 

"I'm not saying it's easy every day but I love it," Carney said. "It's an important interaction that takes place here...To be a part of it is an honor and a joy for me."

So while it might be 'an honor and a joy for him' it sure the hell isn't for 'We the People' as Carney's adding that “it’s not my last briefing” and by his NOT laying out a transition schedule for Josh Earnest to take over...to take over the 'Obama Ministry of Propaganda'...means we're stuck hearing his LIES a bit longer as Carney's official departure does NOT take effect until mid-June.

So while Obama cleans house we're left wondering just how fast that house will get dirty again.

Op-ed:  

An address NOT needed...especially by those going off to war 

By: Diane Sori

"It's your task to extend peace and prosperity."
-Barack HUSSEIN Obama to West Point graduating class of 2014

NO it is NOT. That task falls squarely on the shoulders of the President of the United States and while Obama might hold that title...or should I say he usurped that title...he is but a sham of a president.

And so Barack HUSSEIN Obama sashayed into West Point on Wednesday to give the Commencement Address to this year's graduates. And while as president and Commander-in-Chief he has every right to give this address, as the man who defames and dishonors our military every chance he gets he had NO business being there.

Rattling off uninspiring boring words that first spoke as usual about his narcissistic self and his 'supposed' accomplishments, then carefully choosing words to mask the very radical changes he's made to our military...including making our military caretakers of the ridiculousness of non-existent climate change...Obama's address was devoid of much needed and wanted strategic goals thus rendering it shameful at best. Proving once again that he is continuing on with his failed foreign policy agenda of hand-picking conflicts for America to get involved in... foreign policies based solely on what's paramount to political expediency for he and his party...as well as policies that pander to a carefully chosen block of voters tired of spending our dollars on war instead of on them...this most shameful of presidents has once again defamed our brave warriors by alluding instead to a loss of U.S. credibility and respect in the eyes of the world.

Playing for the cameras as he spewed his empty words that so lacked passion of the heart that “America must always lead on the world stage” but that America would use its military might only at times when its “core interests” were under threat, this address was full of platitudes and excuses, and was received with an oh-so-cool reception and rightly so as its now come to light that among all those serving in our military a mere 32% approve of his job as Commander-in-Chief. And how can our armed forces be successfully led into war when the leader in charge is NOT respected...simply...they cannot. And when that Commander-in-Chief is also embroiled in scandal after scandal...including a scandal directly related to those who wear our country's uniform...being respected overseas takes a back seat to a lack of respect here at home.

And this address was also full of silent mockery as it was NOT an address any Commander-in-Chief should ever have given to Army cadets about to be dispatched around the world... especially with those cadets encompassing many heading off to war. And ignoring the fact that leadership...strong determined and focused leadership...is needed now more than ever...this man stood before our nations next generation of military leaders and told them basically that diplomacy trumps strong leadership ...that diplomacy trumps war...that our military is NOT needed unless he alone deems it necessary.

With his emphasis on diplomacy and the continuing use of (useless) sanctions, Obama blatantly told these graduating cadets that under his command America will rely less on our military force to keep peace in the world. Yet he NEVER mentions that it's his very lack of leadership and his selective use of our military (and his carefulness NOT to step on muslim toes) that translates into the world's perceived lack of American resolve and action in hot-spots ranging from Syria to Ukraine to allowing Iran to do as they so choose.

And with this address at West Point coming right after Obama's it's all about a photo-op Memorial Day weekend visit to Afghanistan...a visit solely taken in hopes of deflecting some attention off the ever expanding VA scandal and Benghazi... Obama's announcing for all to hear...for America's enemies to hear...and remember that America's enemies are NOT his enemies as Barack HUSSEIN Obama views all conflicts and wars from a muslim NOT American point of view...by giving the date for our final troop withdrawal from the Afghan theater...a bulls eye has now been placed on our remaining troops. 

And this being reminiscent of a replay of Iraq in Afghanistan, that bulls eye makes it easier for the enemy...for the Taliban and al-Qaeda...to kill as many of our brave warriors as they possibly can before they swarm in and retake a country so much American blood has been shed to free...so much American treasure has been spent to free...before they swarm in as we withdraw in what Barack HUSSEIN Obama's actions...or lack thereof...he sees as a way for him to say...for him to add to his legacy...that by the end of this his second term in office that the war in Afghanistan is finally over. But what Obama has now done by announcing the date of our withdrawal is turning American victory into American surrender...as he bows yet again to his brethren's wishes.

Simply stated...and while his minions and cronies might NOT like it...this announcing of the 2015 Afghan withdrawal date...and having the gall to do so at the West Point commencement...basically sets the stage for a said enemy retake of a country we fought hard to free...and thus has Barack HUSSEIN Obama in his capacity as president committing treason by directly aiding and abetting the enemy in that retake.

And NOT a word from Congress is said...NOT a word from the media is said...and our troops will continue to die on his watch as Barack HUSSEIN Obama simply looks away.

Op-ed:   
NO sense of urgency regarding our vets 

By: Diane Sori

 

Before he had to rush off to pack for yesterdays round of photo-op nonsense, and coming almost a month after the story broke, Barack HUSSEIN Obama spoke on Wednesday for 45 minutes about the VA scandal that is casting yet another shadow of incompetency over his presidency. Holding NO one responsible for this most grievous of sins against our veterans, Obama put on his best 'sad face' for the cameras while claiming he will work with VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to address allegations that VA officials falsifying wait-time records for veterans seeking services.

Continuing to defend Shinseki's handling of the allegations to date, Obama said he would wait for the results of several reviews before deciding Shinseki's fate...the classic Obama do NOTHING stance.

Apparently the treatment of our veterans constitutes NO sense of urgency for this president as the 'blame everyone but himself' game revs up to full speed. Even saying, "When I heard allegations of misconduct - any misconduct, whether it's allegations of VA staff covering up long wait times or cooking the books - I will not stand for it, not as commander in chief, but also not as an American," Obama is just saying what he was told to say and he means NOT a word of it.

"...I will NOT stand for it..." coming from the mouth of this man are hypocritical words as they do NOTHING to quell this rightfully growing controversy with its demand for answers. In fact, when NO definitive plan of action to hold those responsible is laid out with those words, those words just become more useless bloviations by the man who is anything but an honorable Commander-in-Chief. But then again how does one take action against one's self for Barack HUSSEIN Obama new damn well from before he was sworn in that there were problems at the VA, and in the almost six years since then has done NOTHING to remedy the ever-expanding situation...NO...the ever-expanding crisis is a better choice of words.

A crisis that has been in the making ever since Barack HUSSEIN Obama and Eric Shinseki took over the VA system, yet neither will take responsibility for its problems or or their lack of action. Together they're passing the buck...the hallmark of this administration...as the backlog they've known about since 2008 has increased ten-fold on their watch, and now veterans...our brave warriors...are dying while languishing for months on secret lists. America does NOT need another yet another investigation...whose conclusions we know before it even begins...to tell us that VA is failing in properly treating our veterans. We need answers and solutions...we need those responsible put in the hot seat and called to task...and we need assurances that all will be made right for those who have put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free at home.

But from this president...from this administration...I'm NOT holding my breath for that as Barack HUSSEIN Obama has now made even the treatment our veterans receive...or should I say lack of treatment...into a political dog and pony show of the first degree. Festering below the surface for weeks now as the VA scrambles to cover-up the inexcusable, Obama has the unmitigated gall to publicly say on national television that NO conclusions could or would be drawn until investigations were complete. Shades of Benghazi and the IRS and NSA scandals all rolled into one as he just laid the ground floor for this, yet another investigation, to drag on...possibly for years...while our veterans continue to die.

Are you angry yet folks as this is just the beginning of a nightmare ride with the markings of 'divert and deflect' written all over it for as our ailing military heroes are dying their Commander-in-Chief still will NOT call anyone to task for fear all roads will lead back to him.

“If these allegations prove to be true it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful, and I will not tolerate it, period,” Obama's Wednesday bloviations continued on. But note the word 'if'...as in "if these allegations prove to be true," but how can they NOT be true as story after story is surfacing as more and more spouses of vets who died waiting for treatment are telling their stories on national TV...as emails and documents have already come to light exposing the horror that this man and his administration knowingly turned a blind eye to.

"We have to let the investigators do their job and get to the bottom of what happened. Our veterans deserve to know the facts. Their families deserve to know the facts. Once we know the facts, I assure you if there is misconduct, it will be punished," Obama also said while he fights for more time to concoct a cover-up story to save his own skin. And sadly we know the media will give him that time for they too knew all the wrongdoings going on yet also remained silent for fear of further tarnishing their own creation...their self-anointed supposed 'black savior of us all.'

And so as the nightmare that began in one VA hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, now spreads to 26 VA facilities across this country...with more sure to come...as the practice and documenting of false reporting...of out-and-out lying...seems to bear out a truth that needed to be kept hidden...that records have been manipulated solely for appearance sake as they tie directly into earning performance bonuses for hospital administrators and staff...as the almighty dollar takes precedence over the lives of our vets.

And Obama knowing about these problems since the days of his transition team means the question of why has this been overlooked for so long has but one answer...an answer some of us have NOT been afraid to say...and that is that Barack HUSSEIN Obama cares NOTHING for our veterans, our troops, or our military in general...for there is NO sense of urgency coming from him in righting this grievous wrong. And now just like he did immediately after Benghazi, Barack HUSSEIN Obama jets off yet again for fundraisers and photo-ops leaving behind 100 dead veterans and a VA system fundamentally broken to its core in his wake.

Yet another indelible stain on his record...yet another reason for his removal from office...yet another circling of the wagons around the most miserable excuse of a president our nation has ever known... and all as our veterans continue to die.

Op-ed: 

And the cover-ups, delays, and subterfuge begin yet again
By: Diane Sori

“I will tell you, I am disturbed by statements out of the White House that say that the president heard about this in the news,”  

- House Majority Leader Eric Cantor when hearing about the injustices done against our veterans

And so the responses from both sides of the aisle are starting to come in and all seem to zero in on the fact that in NO way could Barack HUSSEIN Obama have heard about the ongoing VA scandal for the first time on TV. Who does this lying, military defaming, veteran hating man think he's fooling as he knew damn well about the problems over five years ago when in 2008, VA officials themselves told him and his transition team that the wait times being reported for its facilities were NOT to be trusted.

“This is not only a data integrity issue in which [Veterans Health Administration] reports unreliable performance data; it affects quality of care by delaying - and potentially denying - deserving veterans timely care,” were the exact words said by VA officials.

NOT to be trusted...denying veterans timely care...the VAs very own words and yet Barack HUSSEIN Obama both turned his back on and ignored the plight of those who wore the uniform of our country.

In fact, out of his own mouth, Obama said in 2008 that the "True test of our patriotism is how we treat our returning veterans" thus proving that his lackadaisical attitude towards our veterans as the scope of the scandal unfolds to be that he has NO patriotism for them...that he has NO patriotism for our beloved America...and that he could care less about those who shed their blood...who give their lives...to keep us all safe and free at home.

And a Commander-in-Chief who cares NOTHING for those under his command who have bravely served our country...be they currently fighting in harm's way or now being veterans...should be immediately removed from his position of said command as if he cannot honor, respect, and fight for those who fight for us, then how can they ever respect him...they can't and that's the whole point.

And when you have a president whose designated mouthpiece...in this case the infamous ever lying Jay Carney...still refers to this most grievous of scandals as mere "alleged misconduct" you just know that what's in the best interest of our veterans is NOT in the best interest of this president or his administration.

So like every other scandal on this administrations watch, the Obama much overused excuse that "I heard it on the news" when this news first broke on cable television, will just NOT cut it anymore. The time has come...in fact it's way overdue... for this man...the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces (God how I hate saying that)...to take responsibility for the nightmare now unfolding at the VA...a nightmare resulting in over 100 deaths to date.

100 veteran's deaths on American soil mean NOTHING to this man but kidnapped muslim girls in a foreign country has him up in arms calling for action...something is so very wrong with this picture.

And saying he's “mad as hell” over the 'supposed' allegations, and that he “has confidence” in VA Secretary Eric Shinseki also means NOTHING for this man could NOT even say the words himself but had to have Carney spew them for him.

And thankfully some on the other side of the aisle are coming out...sort of...against the treatment of our veterans. Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, the number two Democrat in the House, at least called the VA scandal a “cover up” that was “outrageous” and “unacceptable.” But even with that there's a caveat with those words as he added that he is “prepared to wait” for Rob Nabors... Obama's choice selected to investigate the problem...to report back after conducting his own investigation before he recommends “any further action.”

So according to Democrats it's okay that our vets continue to get sub-par care...if they even get care...until an Obama mouthpiece 'officially' says there's a problem.

And it's sad to say but the time frame for this abomination to be fully addressed could drag on as long as the Benghazi investigation has dragged on for the bureaucratic red tape that must be trudged through...the circling of the wagons around Obama...always seems to take priority over doing what's right...especially when truths exposed might upset the Obama applecart.

So while the VA Inspector General drags out the investigation into whistle blower allegations that staff at the VA Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, manipulated wait time records for patients seeking care...manipulated them to make it seem like they were complying with set VA standards and guidelines including that patients receive care within two to four weeks...the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs approved a subpoena to garner emails and other written documents from 27 officials, including Shinseki himself, that address the destruction or disappearance of an alternate and/or interim wait list at said Phoenix facility.

But this is but one facility in but one state...there are now similar allegations surfacing about VA facilities in 17 other states making this a scandal of unseen proportions as the very lives of our veterans are on the line while nary a word in person is said...NOT even a teleprompted word...from the man too busy fundamentally transforming our beloved America that he doesn't have time to help or care about those who serve and did serve under his command.

And that my friends is a crime that must be addressed now...NO ifs, ands, or buts...