Veteran Forced to Quit Building Furniture for Needy Military

Homeowners Association: Veteran Can’t Build Furniture For Military Families In Need

NEVADA COUNTY — A war veteran who builds furniture in his garage and gives it to military families in need could be forced to shut down the saws.

A homeowners association (Anti-Military even though Beale AFB supports their town...OM) is telling Dennis Kocher he needs to close up shop after years of doing business, or he could be fined between $100 and $1,000.

“I may not paint, sand, cut wood or screw on the property at anytime,” he said.

The new mandate cuts deep, as he’s been building cabinets and dressers for a decade, donating most to military families.

“Everyone who received my furniture or responsible for dispersing it gave me this gift and it’s something I’ll treasure forever,” he said holding a photo.

He builds to help make a better life for families who have very little.

“I don’t make a profit. The money I spend is my own money, my own time and talents and I build it to give to the Beale [Air Force Base],” he said.

Even as a nonprofit, the Vietnam veteran was told he had to get a business permit, which he did in 2012. But this March, the Lake of the Pines Homeowners Association took it away.

“Now they’ve come back to me and said I’m producing odors and noxious fumes,” he said.

Such complaints typically come from neighbors, but those who live nearby have written letters supporting Dennis Kocher and his work.

We tried getting answers from the association’s general manager, but he would not comment.

Kocher has stopped building for now, but he vows it won’t stay that way for long.

“I’m going to keep that fighting spirit,” he said. “I don’t give up.”

He plans to appeal his case to the board at an Aug. 5 meeting. He will have some company, as the senior master sergeant from Beale has also promised to be there.

Editors note: Any Veterans living in the area, PLEASE show up, if nothing else for moral support. Any Beale AFB, personnel, who received or knows some one who received his furniture PLEASE SHOW UP. VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS MUST STAND UP. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! ...OM

Source: http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/07/24/homeowners-association-veteran-cant-build-furniture-for-military-families-in-need/

And People Say Veterans Are Not Forgotten Except at VA Clinic

Vet forgotten, locked inside Orange City VA clinic

Marine from Deltona says he waited in consultation room for 3 hours

DELTONA, Fla. -

A Marine veteran from Deltona says he's very disappointed in the Veterans Administration after he was locked inside the community clinic in Orange City on Monday.

Jeffrey Duck tells Local 6 he arrived as a "walk in" patient at the clinic located on S. Volusia Avenue at 1 p.m. Monday.

He says he sat waiting in a consultation room for more than three hours before he realized he was the only one left in the building.

"I was apparently left there and forgotten," said Duck.

Locked inside and worried that he would be accused of trying to steal something, Duck whipped out his cellphone to take video of him walking around the lobby, which set off the burglar alarm.

He called 911.

"I apparently got left in a VA facility -- a medical facility -- and the alarm has been going off," he told the operator.

"So, you're inside and there's no employees?" the operator asked.

"None that I can see," he said.

The Veterans Administration issued an apology to Duck on Tuesday, saying, "We want to apologize to Mr. Duck for his experience yesterday at the Orange City VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic."

"We are looking at our closing procedures and will make changes to ensure that this does not happen again," VA administrators stated.

Duck said he's not angry.

"I'm kind of disappointed; really disappointed," he said. "There's a lot going on with the VA right now, they're all over the news. Everybody knows what's going on with them."

Duck says he hopes his story will help shine attention on other problem areas within the medical operations.

"There's a lot of people with bigger problems than me," he said.

Source: http://www.clickorlando.com/news/veteran-says-orange-city-clinic-locked-him-in/27096786

A Long History of VA Problems, Have to Ask, "WHAT TOOK SO LONG" and "WHY NOW"

It’s a typical day at work and I as I sit at my desk reading, the phone rings. I put down the papers I was looking over and pick up the annoying device.

“Hello.”

The voice on the other end begins, “I have some bad news” and continues to let me know a friend has passed away. I asked, “What happened?” Then the voice goes into the details and when he finishes, I ask about the details of visitation and the funeral and jotted down the information.

I thanked the caller and hung up. While I filled out my paperwork for a day off, I thought to myself, “This is happening all too often.”

I arrive home at my usual time, fixed something to eat, put the dishes in the sink with the promise I’ll wash before bed, walked to the bedroom and opened the closet. As I looked at the typical contents of a man’s closet, I reached over for one of two garment bags hanging there; both black, one plain, the other with my name below the gold Eagle, Globe and Anchor. I reached for the plain one, brought it out and hung it on the door. As I unzipped it and took out what my Mother would call my “Sunday go to meeting suit”. I looked at it, checked it over knowing full well that it was clean and pressed, already for the next few days.

I glanced back at the closet, unzipped the other bag, looked at my Dress Blues and remembered how proud I was when I wore my first set. I remembered taking the oath “…support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies…” and being told that in turn for the years I would serve, America has made a pledge to me, that if I served honorably, the America would honor its pledge to other Vets and me. HOW WRONG that pledge has become.

My thoughts were interrupted by some “talking head” and a congress critter ranting about the treatment that veterans weren’t receiving from the Veterans Administration. I looked back at my suit and thought, “Isn’t it typical, Veterans and the active military (Vets will be used to encompass both veterans and active duty military) are just like my “Sunday go to meeting suit”, forgotten about UNTIL needed for a parade or some other special occasion, like when some politician needs us for a background to show “how much they care” about the Vets and Military. Then after being used, the Vets and Military are put back in the closet, just as I and I’d venture many others do, with their good suits, and forgotten about until the next time.

Truthfully, there is another way to describe the way Vets are being treated, it revolves around an old term for a quarter and slang for “a lady of the evening”, but I prefer to keep it family friendly.

Later as I listen to Neil Cavuto and Montel Williams, I thought to myself, “WHY HAS IT TAKEN SO LONG AND WHY NOW?” WHY is the corruption and lack of care at the Veterans Administration suddenly on the front burner? WHY is everyone from critters to “talking heads” to television personalities crying and yelling how deplorable and insulting the treatment for those who served and PROTECTED our country has become.

I continued to listen and Montel begins to get angry and even a little emotional. Montel did bring out some good ideas, NOT necessarily new, mind you, but good.

SPECIAL BULLETIN: I must interrupt this blog for an important disclaimer. I am not nor will not show any disrespect for a brother Marine, NavalOfficer and fellow Marylander. Now, let’s return to our regularly scheduled blog.

I continued to listen and wanted to ask him, “Why are you suddenly speaking out about the VA now, when you must have known that there have been problems with the VA for many, many years?”

I must admit I really didn’t expect him to know about President Harry Truman accepting the resignation of VA Administrator Frank Hines after a series of news reports detailing shoddy care in VA-run hospitals in 1945.

Nor did I expect him to remember that the American Legion sought to oust five star general Omar Bradley from his position as VA Administrator in 1946, because of an ongoing problem with the lack of facilities and the troubles faced by hundreds of thousands of veterans in getting services and a proposal to LIMIT services for combat veterans.

Even though there were other times, such as in 1947 and again 1955 when government commissions uncovered enormous waste, duplication andinadequate care in the VA system and called for wholesale changes in the agency's structure. But, I wouldn’t expect him know about them either.

A few days later, I would once again hear this Montel on Glenn Beck’s radio show and again he made the same good points but again the same questions came to my mind, “WHAT HAS TAKEN SO LONG AND WHY NOW?”

As one who has watched and listened to Glenn Beck, I know that he is very much into history and having a staff to do research, I would have expected Glenn to at least research the problems that have plagued the V.A. in the past, although Glenn does have a selective view of history when it comes to his idol Martin Luther King, Jr.

I fully expected Glenn to bring up that during the 1970’s and 80’s there were problems with the VA like in the 1970’s, Veterans grew increasingly frustrated with the VA for failing to better fund treatment and assistance programs, and later the failure to recognize that exposure to Agent Orange by troops in Vietnam was a cause for numerous medical problems among veterans.

Nor did Glenn or Montel mention that Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, the subject of the book and movie, "Born on the Fourth of July," led a 19-day hunger strike at a federal building in Los Angeles to protest poor treatment of veterans in VA hospitals. He and fellow veterans demand to meet with VA Director Donald Johnson. Johnson would eventually fly to California to meet with the activists, but according to Johnson's 1999 Los Angeles Times obituary, he left when the demonstrators refused to meet in the VA's office in the building. This uproar led to widespread criticism of Johnson. After President Richard Nixon announces an investigation into VA operations, Johnson resigned.

No one even mentions that in 1976, A General Accounting Office (GAO) investigation into Denver's VA hospital and the New Orleans' VA hospital found numerous shortcomings in patient care, including veterans whose surgical dressings are rarely changed and found ever-increasing patient loads were contributing to a decline in the quality of care.

How come neither Montel nor Glenn or any other “talking head” mentions anything about Robert Nimmo, a controversial VA director, who once described symptoms of exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War as little more than "teenage acne." Nimmo resigned under pressure from veteran's groups because according to a 1983 GAO investigation, he was criticized for wasteful spending, including use of a chauffeured car and an expensive office redecorating project. The agency also issued a report supporting veterans' claims that the VA had failed to provide them with enough information and assistance about Agent Orange exposure.

It seems that everyone from the critters to the T.V. / radio hosts wants to throw more money at the VA, as if that will solve the problem. They seem to forget that in 1984, congressional investigators found evidence that VA officials had diverted or refused to spend more than $40 million that Congress approved to help Vietnam veterans with readjustment problems.

Those same people talk of hiring more doctors are once failing to look at the past, forgetting that in 1986, when the VA's own Inspector General's office found that 93 physicians working for the agency had sanctions against their medical licenses, including suspensions and revocations.

I remembered back in 1989, when President Ronald Reagan signed legislation elevating the Veterans Administration to Cabinet status, thus creating the Department of Veterans Affairs. I and other Vets praised this, hoping that as a cabinet post, things would change within the VA system; how wrong we were!

1991 was a very interesting year: Montel began his seventeen year run as a syndicated talk show host and Sean Hannity was on the radio, while in Chicago there was a report in The Chicago Tribune that doctors at the VA's North Chicago hospital sometimes ignored test results, failed to treat patients in a timely manner and conducted unnecessary surgery. The agency would later take responsibility for the deaths of eight patients, leading to the suspension of most surgery at the center. I am not into talk shows, so I don't know IF Montel or Hannity mentioned anything about this or not. I'm sure if they did and someone has proof, people will let me know.

I wonder, considering Montel was on T.V. and Sean Hannity was on the radio in 1993, whether anything was said about a Washington Post report on VA Deputy Undersecretary of Benefits R.J. Vogel testifying to Congress that there was a growing backlog of appeals from veterans denied benefits due to a federal court established in 1988 to oversee the claims process, Vogel tells the lawmakers, (VA) [sic] is "reeling under this judicial review thing."

In 1999, as the Millennium draws to a close, there is the “great” fear of the Y2K meltdown and the Presidential campaign goes into full swing, The Los Angeles Times reports that the Critters in Washington once again have open an investigation into widespread problems with clinical research procedures at the VA West Los Angeles Healthcare Center. This investigation followed years of problems at the hospital, including ethical violations by hospital researchers that included failing to get consent from some patients before conducting research involving them.

A new Millennium, a new President and the problems with the VAcontinued and as will be shown in Part 2. The questions STILL REMAIN UNANSWERED, “WHAT TOOK SO LONG?” and “WHY NOW?”

 

A Long History of VA Problems, Have to Ask, "WHAT TOOK SO LONG" and "WHY NOW" - Part 2

While the Presidential election was in full swing in 2000, the GAO found "substantial problems" with the VA's handling of research trials involving human subjects. Was anything said by Montel or Hannity? Where was the outrage of using those who have sacrificed by putting a hold on their normal lives to defend and protect the sheeple of America? BUT like that “Sunday go to meeting suit” the Vets were used by politicians to show how much they cared and promises were made. However, when the election was over, the victors celebrated, the losers wept and once again, the Vets were forgotten and like that “Sunday go to meeting suit” hung back in the closet to be forgotten until September, 11, 2001.

2001 not only brought home to America that there were those inside and outside America that wanted to destroy our way of life, BUT also brought out the hypocrisy of the American sheeple as once again, the “Sunday go to meeting suit” was taken out of the closet, dusted off and worn. How many Vets were suddenly thanked for their service by neighbors of many years of living next door to them? How many Vets were suddenly thanked in stores they frequented for many years, despite that for those many years wearing a symbol of their service? While America was going to war in Afghanistan, The GAO once AGAIN releases YET another report that found despite a 1995 goal to reduce waiting times for primary care and specialty appointments to less than 30 days, the GAO found that veterans still often waited more than two months for appointments. Where were Glenn, Montel (considering he had won a Day Time Emmy in 1996 and his show had been nominated for Outstanding Talk Show in 2001) and Hannity expressing their outrage over this report? Where was the American sheeple?

President George W. Bush’s commission reported that as of January 2003, some 236,000 veterans had been waiting six months or more for initial or follow-up visits. The commission said that it was "a clear indication of lack of sufficient capacity or, at a minimum, a lack of adequate resources to provide the required care." Yet, as the Presidential campaign rolled on, the “Sunday go to meeting suits” that are the Vets are dusted off and put on display by candidates on both sides and once again promises are made. Promises as empty as all the other promises made through out the last century.

In 2005, anonymous tips lead to congressional testimony that revealed that surgical patients at the VA's Salisbury, North Carolina hospital had "significant problems with the quality of care". In fact, one veteran who sought treatment for a toenail injury died of heart failure when doctors failed to take account of his enlarged heart. Where was the outrage from Beck, Williams and Hannity and other “talking heads” speaking out against the quality of care at the VA? Where were the American sheeple, considering they had reelected the same critters?

2006 brought about a change in Congress as the Socialists took over while at the VA sensitive records containing the names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of 26.5 million veterans were stolen from the home of a VA employee who did not have authority to take the materials. VA officials thought the incident was a random burglary and not a targeted theft.

Once again “outrage” erupts in 2007, after documents are released that showed some senior VA officials received bonuses of up to $33,000 despite a backlog of hundreds of thousands of benefits cases. This was followed by an internal review that found numerous problems, some of them critical, at VA facilities across the nation. Again where was the outrage?

As 2008 Presidential campaign began, once again the “Sunday go to meeting suits” were taken out of the closet and used as the background for those seeking office. During this campaign season, then Senator Obama said while speaking at a campaign rally in Charleston, W. Va., then Senator Obama promised veterans he would fixthe problems plaguing Veterans Affairs hospitals: “At a time when we’re facing the largest homecoming since the Second World War, the true test of our patriotism is whether we will serve our returning heroes as well as they've served us,” Obama continued, “We know that over the last eight years, we’ve already fallen short of meeting this test (Isn’t it amazing that he ONLY blamed Bush, when there were problems at the VA under Clinton…OM). We all learned about the deplorable conditions that were discovered at places like Fort Bragg and Walter Reed. We’ve all walked by a veteran whose home is now a cardboard box on a street corner in the richest nation on Earth. We’ve all heard about what it’s like to navigate the broken bureaucracy of the VA - the impossibly long lines, or the repeated calls for help that get you nothing more than an answering machine. Just a few weeks ago, an 89-year-old World War II veteran from South Carolina told his family, “No matter what I apply for at the VA, they turn me down.” The next day, he walked outside of an Outpatient Clinic in Greenville and took his own life. “How can we let this happen? How is that acceptable in the United States of America? The answer is, it’s not. It’s an outrage. And it’s a betrayal—a betrayal—of the ideals that we ask our troops to risk their lives for. “But it doesn’t have to be this way. Not in this country. Not if we decide that this time will be different.” [1] As we all know, Obama won the election and what did he do to reform the VA, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! And where were Williams, Beck and Hannity doing what they could to hold Obama and the Critter’s feet to the fire when it came to the veterans, busy making money? They have the microphone and the audience. Where were the American sheeple? Were they too busy electing those politicians who promised freebies from the government while Vets continued to suffer from the broken promises from America?

In 2009, America was under a new administration, but to paraphrase Sonny & Cher “The problems with the VA go on” when it is disclosed that more than 10,000 veterans who underwent colonoscopies in Tennessee, Georgia and Florida were exposed to potential viral infections due to poorly disinfected equipment. Thirty-seven veterans tested positive for two forms of hepatitis and six tested positive for HIV. Irony of ironies is that these Veterans faced the possibility of injury and death by an enemy of freedom, just to be given a possible death sentence, thanks to the very government that made a promise to “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” VA Director Eric Shinseki initiated disciplinary actions and requires hospital directors to provide written verification of compliance with VA operating procedures. The Miami Herald reported that the head of the Miami VA hospital was removed as a result. The questions that should have been asked by the “talking heads”, celebrities and the American sheeple is “What about the heads of the other VA hospitals involved?” “Does providing “written” verification REALLY mean compliance?”

With a new year, 2010 came a new set of Critters as the TEA Party conservatives gained control of the House and once again the “Sunday go to meeting suits” were hung back in the closet and forgotten as the newly elected Critters jockeyed for POWER.

As 2011 dawned, another scandal comes to light at the VA when nine Ohio veterans tested positive for hepatitis after ROUTINE dental work performed at a VA clinic in Dayton, Ohio. A dentist at the VA medical center there acknowledged not washing his hands or even changing gloves between patients for 18 years. While next door in Oakland, Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports on an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at the VA hospital. It will be later learned that at least five veterans die of the disease over the next two years (2013) as the newspaper discloses VA records showed evidence of widespread contamination of the facility dating back to 2007. WHERE’S THE OUTRAGE from the American sheeple, the “talking heads” and the celebrities? Is it like the old “Sunday go to meeting suits” that have began to show wear and tear, discarded and forgotten about? After all its only five people who volunteered the defend FREEDOM.

Its 2012 and once again the Presidential campaign kicks off in earnest and once again the “Sunday go to meeting suits” are taken out of the closet, dusted off and once again USED as a backdrop for politicians. And once again the VA is involved in another scandal. This time VA finds that the graves of at least 120 veterans in VA-run cemeteries are misidentified. This audit comes in the wake of a scandal at the Army's Arlington National Cemetery involving unmarked graves and incorrectly placed burials.

The following year, 2013, the former director of Veteran Affairs facilities in Ohio, William Montague, is indicted on charges he took bribes and kickbacks to steer VA contracts to a company that does business with the agency nationwide. Montague plead guilty and “He agreed to pay more than $390,000 to satisfy restitution and forfeiture requirements.” (Editor’s note: Research could not find any indication that Montague served any time in prison, much like those responsible for past and the current scandals, NO ONE goes to jail.)

We have seen that the various scandals and veteran’s deaths ARE NOT new to the VA, so when in January 2014, CNN and other news outlets reported that at least 19 veterans died at VA hospitals in 2010 and 2011 because of delays in diagnosis and treatment, the “outrage” began.

Now while, it may seem that I am targeting Montel Williams, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity, I’m not. They just happened to be three of the many “talking heads”, T.V. and Radio hosts and celebrities that are hand wringing and complaining about the deplorable treatment and America’s broken oath to those who have sacrificed, admittedly some more than others and as Vets, we don’t ask for or expect special treatment. BUT just as we lived up to our pledge to the country, we fully believed that America would live up to its promise and pledge to us.

I can hear some saying, “I’ve always respected and supported the Vets.” To those people I ask, then why did you keep re-electing the same Critters who knew about the scandals, BUT did absolutely NOTHING to at least attempt to fix the VA?

To Montel Williams, who claimed in 2009 that he didn't support Obama said “But I wasn't as aware of the genius in the man we have as our president. Across the board, hands down. And supported by a genius wife! That's the reason he's getting such rebuke from the right. There are a bunch of stupid people that are jealous of the intelligence the man has.” If you considered him such a genius, why didn't YOU use your time or at least part of your radio time to “hold Obama’s feet to the fire” when it came to the VA? WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? WHY NOW? After all as Jon Voight said on Huckabee (paraphrased) “I have a big microphone and its my duty to use it.” Why didn't you?

To the American sheeple, why do you keep electing critters who would rather spend money for social programs then straighten out the insult to the Vets that is the Veterans Administration. After all, HOW MANY ILLEGALS HAVE DIED WAITING TO SEE A DOCTOR IN AN EMERGENCY ROOMS? HOW MANY ON MEDICAID HAVE DIED WAITING FOR A DOCTORS APPOINTMENT? I bet that if just one of any of the two groups mentioned the LSM wouldn't let the world forget it. YET it seems that FOX News and FOX Business are the only news sources STILL keeping the VA scandal in the public eye.

To the Critters why do you constantly insist on having reports that FAIL to mention the DEATHS and Scandals of the past under Presidents of BOTH parties and are determined to throw good money after bad. Veterans ARE dying and for almost a century Congress has done NOTHING except use the veterans and throw money at the problem. NOW you want to replace the head of a private company with five years as an Army office to run this Chinese Cluster ****, that is the VA. Why not look to retired military officers to reform the VA. Why not hire VETS instead of equal opportunity hires who don't care about nothing more then getting a paycheck?

I wonder when Vets will finally get fed up and say enough is enough and just march on Washington, no permits, no real warning, just go after all World War 1 veterans did it in 1932, when thousands of World War I veterans and their families marched on Washington to demand payment of promised war bonuses (Shouldn't the Vets of all wars that are able do the same...OM). In an embarrassing spectacle, federal troops forcibly remove veterans who refuse to end their protest.

Maybe Glenn Beck would stop being so worried about the ILLEGAL ALIENS invading America and QUIETLY donate funds for support IF Vets do decide to march on the District of Corruption.

We lived up to our oath, shouldn't America? Shouldn't Veterans and those claiming to support the Military and Vets be demanding to know WHAT TOOK SO LONG? And “WHY NOW?”

To hear what others think check out Carolyn Elkins' post at http://politichicks.tv/column/va-lessons-learned-old/

"The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten."...Calvin Coolidge. Will America be forgotten and remembered as a nation that sent its citizens to protect and fight for FREEDOM and then forgot about them. OR will America survive and become a model for the world for the treatment of the VETERANS who live up to their oath to "defend and protect". Its up to you!

Let me know what you think.

Semper Fi!

Source of basic information http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/23/politics/va-scandals-timeline/

A Modern American Crisis (With Apology to Thomas Paine)

These are indeed the times that try Americans’ souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot have avoided the fundamental obligations of being an American, to defend freedom and liberty. But, there are those who continue to stand and fight for these principles; these Patriots will deserve the love and thanks of the future generations. These Patriots stand not for fame or glory, they may not be remembered when the history of this time is written, but they do it because they love Freedom.

The current attempt to transform America, like hell, will not be easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. Whether people want to admit it or not, the current generations of the American people have not valued their Freedoms or Liberty, they have received these blessings too easily and unfortunately they have taken these blessings for granted. It is this preciousness that gives everything its value, whether that value is material or a principle, such as Freedom. God only knows how to set a proper price for these goods; and it would be strange indeed, if our GOD GIVEN RIGHTS, such as FREEDOM and LIBERTY should not be highly valued and protected. This current administration, with its cadre of minions, the lame stream media, unions, courts (including the Supreme Court)  and a Congress that itself violated the Constitution by abdicating its duty and thus has become completely irrelevant, have put in place a form of government that I pray most Americans would not desire but have quietly embraced.

This administration has basically declared that they have THE right not only to tax and spend but to issue edicts in the form of Executive Orders, ignoring laws passed by current and former congresses and have even shirked the duties of protecting this great country; all of these actions will bind us and future generations.

IF being bound by these edicts and laws “for our own good” against our will in this manner, is not a form of slavery, then there no such a thing as slavery. Any attempt for unlimited power, any attempt to destroy our basic Rights and Liberty, is a total disregard of the fundamental principles of America. This unlimited a power belongs only to GOD, from which all NATURAL Rights and Liberties have come.

I will not now enter into as an argument as to whether the American people have been asleep or have waited too long to get involved in the fight to save our Liberty and Freedoms; my not so humble opinion is that this takeover and fundamental transformation of America has been in process for generations, and if the American people would have realized that this was happening earlier, it would have been so much better.

Unfortunately, the people have not made proper use of the information, the technology or even the education that has become so much a part of our lives. Instead, some have allowed themselves to become a dependent state. They have become dependent on the “talking heads”, the Lame Stream Media or a T.V. or radio personalities to set their opinions and ideas. However, the fault, if there is to be one, is all their own; they have no one to blame but themselves. But all is not lost yet; with everything that this administration and an irrelevant congress have been doing or not doing, at the speed or a slowness they have been doing it is not only to transform America, but to demoralize and in turn, conquer the American people.  Unfortunately for those in power, the spirit of some American citizens has begun to surface, IT is being noticed, the enemy is now aware and is afraid of this growing spirit and they know that with time and resolution, America may recover.

I may not be the most religious person, but my feelings has always been and still are, that GOD Almighty will not give up on a people, who have maintained a belief in Him and the Rights that he has generously granted our nation, to the destruction by those who have chosen to ignore His will. Nor do I believe that He will leave us to perish under the burden of a big government, a socialist agenda, we who have so earnestly and so repeatedly sought to be the beacon of Freedom for the rest of the world. Neither do I believe that HE has relinquished the government of the greatest nation in the world, and given us up to the care of devils; I cannot see on what grounds this President, his administration, or an irrelevant congress can look up to heaven for help against us: A common murderer, a bank robber, or a housebreaker, has as good a chance as they.

I do not find it surprising to see how rapidly a panic and despair runs through the people of America. All peoples of the nations of the world, though the ages have been subject to them. Yet panic and despair, in some cases, have their use; they can produce as much good as hurt. Their duration is always short; the mind soon grows through them, and acquires a firmer commitment than ever before. But their peculiar advantage is that they are the touchstones of sincerity and hypocrisy, and bring things and men to light, things which might have otherwise lain forever undiscovered. In fact, they have the same effect on secret traitors, the same way an imaginary apparition would upon a private murderer. Panic and despair sift out the hidden thoughts and feelings of man, and hold them up in public for the world to see. Many a disguised progressive and people with agendas have been and are slowly being exposed.

I know that there are a number of us who have worn the uniform of our great country and fought against an outside enemy. During that fight, we too have experienced despair and low morale. We have seen the things that are going on in America and may wondered, has it been worth it? We have seen that America was slowly (now rapidly) changing, but we held to our cause, the cause of Freedom and Liberty. Now, a number of us are fighting again, this time against an internal enemy. An enemy that wants to completely change the country we love. The one big difference is, the people of America may be waking up and they are joining in the fight. Some realize that this is an ongoing battle and we will face some defeats, which we already have; I will not elaborate on them. I have seen that with each of these “defeats”, a form of panic and despair has slowly infiltrated the movement. Some may completely stop trying. Some have halfheartedly continued to fight. Others have even said privately, “Why bother, they (Congress) are not listening?” So, what do you do? What do you say in those quiet moments?

I will ask you to think about this: from January 1776, to December, 1776, George Washington’s army faced defeat upon defeat, and the future American people were facing panic and despair. YET they persisted and with the aid of Thomas Paine and his American Crisis 1 in December 1776 (from which I borrowed words and thoughts for this commentary), the American people rallied as did Washington’s troops. The rest, as they say, is history.

Now, are you going to be a summer soldier and a sunshine patriot who will avoid the fundamental obligations of an American, to defend Freedom and Liberty; because we have faced some defeats, like the SCOTUS decision on Arizona and Obamacare? Or will you continue to stand and fight for the principles that have made this country great? Will you take a stand and be willing to sacrifice, thus deserving the love and thanks of future generations or will you submit to the despair of a few defeats. Will you allow those defeats to determine the worth of the fight or will you pick yourself up, brush yourself off and continue to fight? That is between you and your God.

I stand with Patrick Henry when he said. “I know not what others may choose but, as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” Will you?

Semper Fi

As with this and many other posts, I wish to thank Igor, my “partner in crime”, colleague and friend for his suggestions and editing his editing skills.

Bringing Home the Bacon, Use and Abuse of The “General Welfare Clause” – Part 1

With all the talk of the recent primary win by Thad Cochran down in Mississippi, I noticed a common theme. That theme, talking point was that Cochran brought home the "bacon". Now, add this bacon to the trillions of dollars of pork from other states and America continues to speed closer to the “fiscal cliff”.

Even IF conservatives DO take control congress there will still be a fight to gain fiscal control of our beloved country. This fight will be the Socialist/Left and Lame Stream Media spreading the same old propaganda about how the Conservatives don't care about the children, poor people or the environment.

When they do, why doesn't a Conservative just look them in the eye and ask the simple question, “Just where in the Constitution is any funding for the various social entitlements?”

Maybe they don't because like me, I already know the Left’s knee jerk reaction, “It is in the ‘General Welfare Clause’” [“The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence [sic] and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;” (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1)].

Unfortunately, this propaganda is quickly believed by the sheeple and others who do not know the Constitution or its history. These same sheeple also do not realize that when the States accept federal funds, for schools, police, fire and welfare (just to name a few) that the States are advocating their rights to the federal government, something that was NOT the intention of our Founding Fathers.

Now, there are some out there that will say, just who is this Old Marine and why does he THINK he knows what the Founding Fathers thought when they were establishing the Constitution? To those, I’ll say, “I don’t know what they were thinking”, BUT I can read and as Glenn Beck said years ago, “Go to the original source.”

The History

For those who know American history, they know that the Constitution didn't just magically appear, there was no magic dust sprinkled over the Constitutional Convention; instead there were heated arguments, debates and objections and one state in particular,New York, was opposed to the Constitution from the very beginning.

In 1787, when the Continental Convention sent the proposed Constitution to the various States for ratification, [1] needless to say, not all States were as enthusiastic about the proposed new form of government as those at the convention. This lack of enthusiasm was expressed by a series of articles, essays and papers (Anti-Federalist Papers) published throughout the States, urging that the new Constitution not be ratified. While these Anti-Federalist Papers were being published, Governor Clinton of New York, called a convention to debate ratification, of those in attendance; three fourths were opposed to the proposed new form of government. Although there were a number of other objections, which would eventually be addressed, however, the major point of contention, not only in New York, but in the other States as well, was the “General Welfare Clause”. It was these three words that Clinton and others who opposed the Constitution felt gave Congress and the Federal government unlimited powers. They felt that the States would eventually be swallowed by the central Government (Sad to say, that 225 years later it is so true...OM).

In order to strengthen the argument for ratification and counter the Anti-Federalist Papers, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, wrote a series of 85 papers, collectively known as the Federalist (today we refer to them as the Federalist Papers). This series of papers was primarily addressed to the people of New York, and were the explanation of the Constitution and an attempt to convince them that their “objecting convention” should ratify the new form of government. [2]

The Anti-Federalist Papers expressed the many concerns thatNew York and other States had, but the major concern was the power and authority that was granted to Congress by “the general welfare clause.

In Defense of Ratification

The “charges” put forth in the Anti-Federalist Papers angered Madison who wrote in Federalist 41,

“No stronger proof could be given of the distress under which these writers labor for objections than their stooping to such a misconstruction” (By “stooping” Madison clearly meant that those who objected knew better and were being unfair in their opposition to the General Welfare Clause of the Constitution).[3]


Madison, continuing to explain the language under the established rules of interpretation, explained that there had been no enumeration of powers other than for taxing and spending. 

He said, “...than there might be some color to the objection that of Congress would be without restraint – though that would be an ’awkward way of describing an authority to legislate in all possible cases.’”

Madison then asked, “But what color can the objection have, when the specification of the objects alluded to by these general terms immediately follows, and not even separated by a longer pause than a semi-colon?"

Basically, the Constitutional granting of the power to tax and spend for the “common Defence [sic] and general Welfare” is followed in the same sentence by all the other “powers”, to borrow money, to regulate commerce, and so on. The first “power”, to tax and spend, is inseparable in the context from all the other “powers”. The “power” to tax and spend was granted to fulfill all of the seventeen preceding paragraphs of clauses as well as the one in which it appears.[4]

Madison would once again address question of the “common Defence [sic] and general welfare” clause during the meeting of the First Congress, but let’s “hear” what Hamilton and others had to say about this clause.

Alexander Hamilton, the only representative of the New York delegation to sign the Constitution during the Convention, wrote in Federalist No. 83,

“The plan of the Convention declares that the power of Congress, or, in other words, of the National Legislature, shall extend to certain enumerated cases. This specification of particulars evidently excluded all pretension to a general legislative authority, because an affirmative grant of special powers would be absurd, as well as useless, if a general authority was intended.”

Just as James Madison was one of, if not the most knowledgeable historian attending the Constitutional Convention, James Wilson, a scholar from Edinburgh, was the most knowledgeable lawyer attending the Convention.[5]

Wilson would explain the taxing and spending power in a course of lectures at what would become the University of Pennsylvania. In this series of lectures he said in part,

“The National Government was intended to promote the ‘general Welfare.’ For this reason Congress have power to regulate commerce . . . and to promote the progress of science and of useful arts by securing for a time to authors and inventors an exclusive right to their compositions and discoveries.”

Using this he would move on from the Patent and Copyright Clause [ Article 2, Section 8, Clause 8 – “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;” to explain all of the other clauses in Section 8 granting power. He would clearly explain that Congress was to “provide for the common Defence and general Welfare” by exerting the powers granted to it in the seventeen paragraphs following the first, by which it was authorized “to lay and collect taxes.”

Now, these three members of the Constitutional Convention, Madison, Hamilton and Wilson wrote and spoke out concerning the purpose of the General Welfare Clause. And none of them believed the Clause gave any power to Congress beyond the bounties set forth in the eighteen paragraphs of Article 1, Section 8.

However,Madison would once again have to explain the General Welfare Clause during the very first Congress of the newly formed Government.

The First Subsidy [6]

One of the first duties Madison had to face as a member of the House of Representatives had to faced was to gather and formulate the twelve leading objections to the Constitution that had been received from the ratifying conventions in the States for submission as amendments, ten of which were ratified and is now known collectively as the Bill of Rights.

Later during this first session of Congress, the first idea of a “subsidy” made its appearance in Congress and once again,Madison had to clarify what was meant to the “common Defence and general welfare” clause.

A bill was introduced to pay the cod fishermen a bounty, or to basically subsidize a private interest.

Madison spoke out against this bill, stating that those who wrote the Constitution and those who ratified it did not conceive that it would not be an indefinite Government, but a limited one,

“...tied down to the specified powers, which explain and define general terms, If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every State, county and parish and pay them out of their public treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; they may assume the provision of the poor. . . . Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America.” (Has this not happening today, Common Core, teacher's unions, out of control welfare?...OM)

Madison should be considered a major prophet for, “The consequences of the misapplication by Congress of the money of the taxpayers — a scourge of mounting debt and cumulative deficits.”

Later in 1798 during the 5th Congress, Abraham Baldwin of Georgia, who had been a member of the Constitutional Convention, said in Congress that:

“to provide for the common Defence and general Welfare” had “never been considered as a source of legislative power, as it is only a member introduced to limit the other parts of the sentence.” 

That is, it limits the purposes for which Congress can “lay and collect taxes” and exerts its other granted powers. [7]

However, though four brilliant men, all who attended the Constitutional Convention, explained the General Welfare Clause to the satisfaction of the States and even though Madison had explained the Clause during the first session of the first Congress, it would be Thomas Jefferson, who would brilliantly define the General Welfare Clause in 1817.

[1] Norton, Thomas James, Undermining the Constitution A History of Lawless Government, the Devin – Adair Co, New York, New York, 1950. Pg 184

[2] Ibid. Pg 185

[3] Ibid. Pg 187

[4] Ibid. Pg 187

[5] Ibid. Pg 190

[6] Ibid. Pg 188

[7] Ibid. Pg 189

Thomas Jefferson and Other Presidents Define the “General Welfare Clause” – Part 2

Even though Thomas Jefferson was in Paris and not able to attend the meeting of the Constitutional Convention. He was in contact, such as it was, with Madison and other delegates. Even though Jefferson was not present, he knew the Constitution and that knowledge would later serve America well.

In a June 16, 1817 letter to Albert Gallatin, Thomas Jefferson discussed the General Welfare Clause after President Monroe had vetoed a bill for the improvement of the Cumberland Road (Monroe did not believe the work fell within the scope of the General Welfare Clause):

“You will have learned that an act for internal improvement, after passing both Houses, was negatived by the President. The act was founded, avowedly, on the principle that the phrase in the Constitution which authorizes Congress ‘to lay taxes, to pay the debts and provide for the general welfare,’ was an extension of the powers specifically enumerated to whatever would promote the general welfare; and this, you know, was the Federal doctrine. Whereas our tenet ever was, and, indeed, it is almost the only landmark which now divides the Federalists and the Republicans, that Congress had not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but was restrained to those specifically enumerated; and that, as it was never meant that they should provide for that welfare but by the exercise of the enumerated powers, so it could not have meant that they should raise money for purposes which the enumeration did not place under their action; consequently, that the specification of powers is a limitation on the purposes for which they may raise money.

I think the passage and rejection of this bill a fortunate incident. Every State will certainly concede the power; and this will be a national confirmation of the grounds of appeal to them, and will settle forever the meaning of this phrase, which, by a mere grammatical quibble, has countenanced the General Government in a claim of universal power. For in the phrase ‘to lay taxes, to pay the debts and provide for the general welfare,’ it is a mere question of syntax, whether the two last infinitives are governed by the first, or are distinct and co-ordinate powers; a question unequivocally decided by the exact definition of powers immediately following.”

After Jefferson’s explanation (possibility one of the most enlightened ever made) which was applied to an actual case in legislation, an educated person should find this early interpretation of the General Welfare Clause conclusive.[1]

However, six years later, Jefferson would once again revisit the subject:

 “I have been blamed for saying that a prevalence of the doctrine of consolidation would one day call for reformation or revolution. I answer by asking if a single State of the Union would have agreed to the Constitution had it given all powers to the General Government? If the whole opposition to it did not proceed from the jealousy and fear of every State of being subjected to the other States in matters merely its own? And if there is any reason to believe the States more disposed now than then to acquiesce in this general surrender of all their rights and powers to a consolidated government, one and undivided?”[2]

Later, President Andrew Jackson, believing in what Jefferson, as well as Madison, Hamilton and Wilson felt about the General Welfare Clause, vetoed every bill for public improvements that was not clearly for National welfare, as distinguished from local or State advantage.

Saying:

 “We are in no danger from violations of the Constitution from which encroachments are made upon the personal rights of the citizen . . . . But against the dangers of unconstitutional acts which, instead of menacing the vengeance of offended authority, proffer local advantages and bring in their train the patronage of the government, we are, I fear, not so safe.”

Throughout the 1800’s many river and harbor bills were vetoed by Presidents Tyler, Polk, Pierce, Grant, Arthur (although a bill appropriating $19,000,000 was passed over Arthur’s veto in 1882) and Cleveland. The Presidents looked at the appropriations as largely benefiting local purposes rather than National Purposes.

President Arthur put it:

 “…beyond the powers given by the Constitution to Congress and the President.” Declaring that when the citizens of one State found that money of all the people was being appropriated for local improvements in another State they naturally “seek to indemnify themselves . . . by securing appropriations for similar improvements,” he concluded: “Thus as the bill becomes more objectionable, it secures more support.”

President Cleveland, evidently seeing that Congress seemed to be moving towards measures that would “bring home the Pork” gave them a lesson in constitutional law during his fourth annual message:

 “The preservation of the partitions between the proper subjects of Federal and local care and regulation is of such importance under the Constitution, which is the law of our very existence, that no consideration of expediency or sentiment should tempt us to enter upon doubtful ground.

We have undertaken to discover and proclaim the richest blessings of a free Government, with the Constitution as our guide. Let us follow the way it points out — it will not mislead us.“[3]

It appeared that Congress did not take this “lesson” to heart.

The following year he vetoed a bill appropriating money from the National Treasury for the purchase of seed wheat to relieve the farmers in a drought-stricken area. Again, in a message to Congress, he defined the meaning of the General Welfare Clause as Madison and the others interpreted it:

 “Under the limited and delegated authority conferred by the Constitution upon the General Government the statement of the purposes for which money may be lawfully raised by taxation in any form declares also the limits of the objects for which it may be expended. . . . This ‘general welfare of the United States,’ as used in the Constitution, can only justify appropriations for national objects and for purposes which have to do with the prosperity, the growth, the honor, or the peace and dignity of the Nation.“[4]

In 1921, President Harding addressed the General Welfare Clause, saying,

 “Just government is merely the guarantee to the people of the right and opportunity to support themselves. The one outstanding danger of today is the tendency to turn to Washington for the things which are the tasks or the duties of the forty-eight commonwealths.”

This tendency would begin in 1933 in earnest as America drifted towards Socialism.

[1] Norton, Thomas James, Undermining The Constitution
A History of Lawless Government, The Devin – Adair Co, New York, New York, 1950. Pg 191

[2] Ibid. Pg 192

[3] Ibid. Pg 194

[4] Ibid. Pg.194