Major Distress Call: re National Veterans Home

U.S. Flag Code - Sec. 8.

a) The flag should never be displayed with the union down,

except as a signal of dire distress in instances of

extreme danger to life or property.

Fellow Veterans and Friends of Veterans:

 

Veterans property at the Los Angeles National Veterans Home is in extreme danger and so are the lives of 20,000 homeless Veterans who are forced to live on the dangerous streets of LA, even though this is their rightful “Home.” 

Please read the attached "Major Distress Call" and set aside Sunday, June 13th, 2010, and join the Veterans Grand Rally to "Bring Our Homeless Veterans HOME."

 

This is a major call to action because Disney is sponsoring another "Celebrity Carnival Fundraiser" on Veterans sacred land, and it is not for the benefit of Veterans.  How can patriotic Americans sit by quietly and allow this to happen while thousands of our Veterans are denied access to their rightful "Home?"

 

It's time to stand up for Veterans and demand that our government stop abusing and misusing this land at the National Veterans Home and to "Bring Our Homeless Veterans HOME."

 

Show up every Sunday at our Rallies, 1:00 - 4:00 PM, but do not miss June 13th.

 

This is a MUST ATTEND RALLY!

 

Bring your family and friends.

VVAW VA Land Grab Campaign Kick-off, 2009

For full information on this issue and this Distress Call:

 

A NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION: A Campaign for Justice For Veterans

Veterans Diversionary & Treatment Courts

An appropriate alternative to incarceration for Veterans

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By Jan Ruhman

Operations Coordinator

www.VetSpeak.org

Ed Note:  A prototype of this article was originally published in the Spring 2010 Edition of the VVAW newspaper, The Veteran. With updated research data, it has been revised and is presented here on our pages, in it's revised form.  It is different in the courts approach, and in this scenario kicks in at the moment a Veteran is charged, long before conviction.  This ensures that prior convictions can't be used to prevent Veterans from being diverted to Veterans Court. WH

Each and every day in cities and municipalities across the United States of America recently returned Iraq and Afghanistan Combat Veterans as well as veterans from other wars come into contact with our nations “first responders”, Police and Firefighters, resulting from a criminal offense. Many of these veterans suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a direct result of their service to our nation. We believe that their service to our nation and its resulting mental health issues must be taken into consideration both “before” trial and at sentencing.

Under existing law, in many jurisdictions, if a “convicted” defendant was a member of the military forces of the United States who served in combat and who suffers from substance abuse or psychological problems resulting from that service, the court may, under specified circumstances, order the defendant committed to the custody of federal correctional officials for incarceration for a term equivalent to that which the defendant would have served in state prison.

A law enacted in California in the 1980’s, expressly for Vietnam Veterans, granted prosecutors and judges considerable discretion in considering a veterans military service in combat and its resulting PTSD only at time of sentencing. On August 31, 2006 Governor Arnold Swartzenager signed into law Assembly Bill No. 2586 which extended that discretion to veterans of all wars.

However, with no formal Veterans Court System in place to direct veteran offenders to prosecutors and judges rarely take into consideration a veterans military service or its resulting PTSD. In fact, prosecutors, more often than not, make motions to exclude from trial the veterans military service, their time served in combat and their PTSD diagnosis and, more often than not, judges grant the motions. Effectively stripping the veteran of any hope of mounting an effective defense in helping to explain and mitigate the circumstances of the crime committed.
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The Scope Of The Problem
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A RAND Corporation study, dated April 17, 2008 concluded that one in five Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans suffer from PTSD or major depression.  

• Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq & Afghanistan – 300,000  in all – report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment.
• In addition, researchers found about 19 percent of returning members report that they experienced a possible traumatic brain injury while deployed, with 7 percent reporting both a probable brain injury, current PTSD, or major depression. 
• PTSD problems are likely to worsen if the Veteran has served multiple tours, resulting in inadequate home time between deployments, increasing combat stress rates by as much as 50 percent.

Many service members said they do not seek treatment for psychological illnesses because they fear it will harm their careers in and out of the military.  But even among those who do seek help, only about half receive treatment that researchers consider “minimally adequate” for their illnesses.
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In the first analysis of it’s kind, researchers estimate that PTSD and depression among returning service members will cost the nation as much as $6.2 billion in the two years following deployment – an amount that includes –both direct medical care costs for lost productivity and suicide.  Investing in more high-quality treatment could save close to $2 billion with-in two years by substantially reducing those indirect costs,the 500 page study concludes.
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No Veteran comes home from war unchanged.  But with early intervention and treatment most can revoer and lead a productive and healthy life.  A key piece of the puzzleis establishing Veterans Diversionary & Treatment Courts in every state, county, city and municipality, so that Veterans receive the help that they need in healing from the war.

Veterans Diversionary & Treatment Court

A Veterans Diversion Court, modeled on the courts established in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Buffalo, New York, would instead provide that if a person is charged or convicted of a criminal offense and alleges that he or she is a veteran and committed said offense as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or psychological problems stemming from service in the United States military, the court shall, prior to trial and sentencing, hold a hearing to determine whether the defendant was a member of the military forces of the United States who served in combat and shall assess whether the defendant suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or psychological problems as a result of that service.

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If the court finds that the defendant’s actions resulted in a crime being committed as a result of one of those factors related to serving in the military, then the court may “divert” the offending veteran to the Veterans Diversion and Treatment Court and hold the conviction in abeyance while placing the veteran on probation and ordering the veteran into a court supervised treatment program run by the VA or another Court Approved Program if VA assistance is not easily available due to distance to the facility from the vets home.

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(a) Any person convicted of a criminal offense who would otherwise be sentenced to county jail or state prison and who alleges that he or she committed the offense as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or psychological problems stemming

from service in a combat theater in the United States military, (b) If the court concludes that a defendant charged with a criminal offense is a person described in subdivision (a), and if the defendant is otherwise eligible for probation and the court places the defendant on probation, the court may order the defendant into a local, state, federal, or private nonprofit treatment program for a period not to exceed that which the defendant would have served in state prison or county jail, provided the defendant agrees to participate in the program and the court determines that an appropriate treatment program exists.

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In San Diego a small but dedicated group of military attorneys, VA & community mental health professionals, police, judges, public defenders and prosecutors has been working on establishing a Veterans Diversion and Treatment Court to make certain that former and current members of the U. S. Military get a fair shake from the Legal System by taking into consideration their military service and their need for help in healing from the hidden wounds of war when they come home.

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It is our responsibility, as veterans, to speak with force and conviction to our elected representatives at all levels of government and to help them see the wisdom in taking care of the troops when they return home from war. The task of mounting a national campaign is done at the community level by activists’ and community organizers but the funding comes from many sources.

• Ask your Congressperson to “reintroduce” and support H.R. 7149, originally  introduced September 26, 2008,  to provide “funding grants for states and local municipalities to help establish Veteran Diversion and Treatment Courts ”.
• Ask your Senator to “reintroduce “and Support S. 3379, originally introduced July 31,2008, to provide “funding grants for states and local municipalities to help establish Veteran Diversion and Treatment Courts ”.

I encourage you to organize in your county or city with the goal of establishing Veterans Diversion and Treatment Courts in every state, county, city and municipality (a few people can make a huge difference), do community outreach and hold public forums to educate the public and other veterans of the need. Meet with your elected representatives to discuss this and other critical issues affecting  veterans nationally and locally, and if you don’t get the respect or the support from your elected officials that veterans with PTSD deserve call them on it, write letters to the editor,  hold a press conference and picket outside of their offices. And above all do not be discouraged……you can and you do make a difference.

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Jan A. Ruhman is a Marine Corps Veteran of Vietnam. He was an activist member of VVAW in the 1970’s in Los Angeles and Southern California and is the San Diego Contact for VV AW. He is a founding member of the Banished Veterans Defense Committee. He is also a member of Veterans For Peace in San Diego and is the Operations Coordinator for Vetspeak.org a blog run by former members of the U.S. Military with the intent to publish the critically important voices of veterans. He can be reached by email at jan.ruhman@vetspeak.org  or by phone at 858-361-6273.

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www.VetSpeak.org

CALIFORNIA REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES

Ventura, CA - April 16^th, 17^th and 18^th.

By Steve and Carolyn Crandall

It was over a year ago when the VVAW West Coast Tour came to our home in Camarillo, CA. From this tour came the spark to create a gathering of like minded groups that support veterans and want to put an end to war. Read the “CA Central Coast Chapter Continues a VVAW Tradition” - Enter 2010 and you will understand how we took this spark and made it grow. 

The conference was held on April 16^th, 17^th and 18^th. We had VVAW members come from Florida and Colorado to participate in the workshops as well as VFP members from Texas. We were honored to have visitors and workshop participants from Vietnam representing the Vietnam Agent Orange and Relief Campaign. Our younger brothers from IVAW came from as far north as San Francisco along with members of VFP and MFSO. VVAW, VFP and MFSO came from as far south as San Diego and stretched inland as far east as Palm Springs to bring in members of VFP. Locally we were represented by all participating groups and then some. You couldn’t ask for a much better California geographical representation of like minded groups that want to support veterans and put an end to wars.

We kicked off the event Friday evening with a social meet and greet. We listened to tunes from Annie and the Vets then later blues from a local singer and song writer Teresa Russell.

Saturday started out with an early 7:30am breakfast and while breakfast was in progress Capt. Paul Chappell lead the conference opener with Development Strategy and Actions Towards Peace – Why Peace is Possible and How to Achieve It. After breakfast we heard National Organizational Campaign updates, learned about Banished Veterans and how our voices can be heard and ways to link through VetSpeak.

We posed for a group picture prior to starting the workshops and as the day wore on, more and more people arrived to bring our final headcount to 130. Some of the groups tabled and displayed brochures and sold tee-shirts, DVDs, caps, buttons and bumper stickers.

The first of nine workshops started at 10:00am. Because we only had one day for the workshops some of them had to compete with each other for the hour long time slots. We considered adding another day but were concerned that having a four day conference might be problematic for most attendees due to work schedules and the cost of lodging.

We put the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign together with Depleted Uranium into one workshop. It only seemed fitting since DU is the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans Agent Orange. Again, like Agent Orange in the beginning, the government is denying that there is any real proof or concern that DU presents a hazard to our GI’s health.

Jeff Paterson presented the “Courage to Resist” workshop. Jeff was brought to tears as he played a cell phone message from Marc Hall, received that morning, that Marc was released of all charges and will be discharged immediately. Marc was jailed back in December for writing a song about the personal impact of being forced to remain in the military beyond his contract date due to the stop-loss policy.

Also sharing the 10:00 time slot was the workshop about Re-thinking Afghanistan hosted by Jeff Merrick of Orange County MFSO.

The three workshops sharing the 11:00 time slot and they were Sexual Assault in the Military by Ann Wright, who later gave an evening presentation to the public regarding the same subject. Homeless Veterans workshop by Maurice Martin and Lane Anderson and a Media workshop on how to put your news on Your Tube and Facebook, hosted by Jeff Merrick and Marshall Blesofsky.

After lunch we continued the workshops with Membership Expansion and Fundraising by Doug Zachary of VFP. War’s Hidden Wounds, Effects of PTSD on Troops and Families by Dr. Judith Broder and Informed Enlistment Strategies by Peter Dudar, Sally Marr, Arlene Inouye and Michael Cervantes.

On Saturday evening, we hosted an event that was open to the public featuring the following speakers: Sexual Assault in the Military by Col. Ann Wright; Empire vs. Veterans: Who Pays and Who Benefits from Global Wars by Dr. Michael Parenti: and Rules of Disengagement by Professor Marjorie Cohn.

A little background on the speakers:

Col Ann Wright is a retired United States Army Colonel and retired official of the U.S. State Department, who holds a Masters in National Security Affairs from the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island. She is most noted for having been one of three State Department officials to publicly resign in direct protest of the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. Her resignation letter sited her reasons as being the decision to invade Iraq without the approval of the U.N. Security Council, the lack of effort in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the lack of policy in regards to North Korea and the curtailment of civil liberties within the United States. One of her current focuses has been on the military’s intolerably high levels of sexual assault, largely hidden, inadequately investigated, without consequences for perpetrators and only serving to re-victimize those who have been assaulted.

Dr. Michael Parenti is an internationally known award winning historian, author and lecturer with a profound grasp of diverse topics including economics, the media, social and political issues. Ongoing themes in Parenti’s work include who gains and who pays as a result of U.S. policies at home and abroad. One such issue of relevance to Parenti is how the G.I. Bill has been undermined leaving our veterans and their families to bear the burden of the human cost of U.S. military actions abroad. Raised in a working class community, Parenti earned a PhD in political science from Yale and has taught for many years at various universities. He now devotes his time to writing, lecturing and political activism.

Professor Marjorie Cohn is the immediate past President of the National Lawyers Guild and a law professor at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. She has written for MWC News, AlterNet, CounterPunch, CommonDreams, After Downing Street, ZNet and Global Research. In addition she is a commentator for BBC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NPR and Pacifica Radio. In mid 2008, she testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties concerning the so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques” and their legal status. Professor Cohn lectures throughout the world on human rights and U.S. foreign policy.

Sunday morning a breakfast was held to wrap up the three-day event and to discuss what we got out of the conference, what went right and what improvements could be implemented for the next conference. We hugged, shook hands and congratulated each other on an event that we believe accomplished our goal of bringing together veterans and veterans’ families to listen, learn and take back information to share with others who were not able to attend. In the words of VVAW / VFP member George Johnson we get a 97% rating and this was after George realized we just ran out of coffee.