The Cost of Trump’s Military Parade Could Eliminate Hunger Among Homeless Veterans—For Weeks

By Matt Agorist

President Donald Trump has asked the Pentagon to plan a grand parade of the U.S. armed forces in Washington this year to celebrate military strength and flex the US empire. This display of militarism will proceed in spite of the very people Trump claims to be honoring being vehemently opposed to it. In fact, an unofficial poll conducted by the military times found the 90% of people do not want a parade. Nevertheless, it will happen.

While many of Trump’s supporters favor the parade, for those who’ve actually served in the military, the idea of being forced to practice day in and day out for a march through Washington D.C. so civilians can pump out their chests with nationalist pride is terrible. There are far better ways to “support the troops” than forcing them to parade around in front of you.

Here’s an idea, end all the wars. If you really want to support the troops, stop using them as pawns in the spread of empire and the expansion of the military-industrial complex. If you really want to support the troops and veterans, how about we address the fact that tens of thousands of them sleep on the streets every single night in the country they offered up their lives for.

To show how much of an insult this parade is to troops and veterans, according to a recent report, the cost of this parade could directly benefit the 40,000 homeless veterans—by feeding them. Instead, it will go to fuel, logistics, drills, and flyovers.

Conservative estimates of the cost of the parade are around $10 million with the higher end budget coming in at $30 million. Even if we divide the lower end number by the total number of homeless veterans, that would be around $250 each.

As Newsweek reports, Feeding America, a non-profit organization and the nation’s largest hunger-relief and food rescue group, found the average cost-per-meal in the U.S. was $2.94 in 2015, the latest data available. The organization culled data from several organizations and agencies, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and found the cost-per-meal ranged from a low of  $2.04 in Maverick County, Texas to a high of $5.61 in Crook County, Oregon.

What this means is that the cost of the parade could eliminate hunger among homeless veterans by providing all of them with three meals a day, for at least 14 days and that is using the highest estimate of $5.61.

If we use the average cost of a meal, homeless veterans could get three squares a day for nearly an entire month. While we didn’t ask all 40,000 homeless veterans if they prefer a parade or eating for a month, we are betting the prefer the latter.

Last month, Trump said that if the cost of the parade was exorbitant, he would choose not to have it.

“We’ll see if we can do it at a reasonable cost, and if we can’t, we won’t do it, but the generals would love to do it, I can tell you, and so would I,” he said.

However, this week, the Pentagon released a memo noting that the parade will go on as scheduled.

Although the president assured Americans that there won’t be tanks rolling down the streets, the display of military might will be a logistical nightmare for whatever poor units get stuck with doing it. And, all of it will be for Trump—not the troops.

Instead of chest pumping and back patting, if Trump wants to support the troops and veterans, he should start by addressing the problems plaguing them right now. Sadly, none of this has happened.

When 307,000 veterans die waiting for care they were promised by this country while the president gloats over military equipment, something is seriously wrong.

When the entire country looks the other way while there over 40,000 veterans living on the streets with no home as the president forces active duty military members to put on a show for him, something is seriously wrong.

When Americans remain silent as a veteran kills himself or herself every 65 minutes, every single day, every single month, of every single year as troops and Humvees parade down Pennsylvania Avenue celebrating the war that caused these deaths, it’s time to seriously consider a national conversation about what “support the troops” really means. And no parade will ever do that.

Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project, where this article first appeared. Follow @MattAgorist on Twitter, Steemit, and now on Facebook.

The Cost of Trump’s Military Parade Could Eliminate Hunger Among Homeless Veterans—For Weeks

The cost of the president"s military parade is estimated to be enough money to eliminate hunger among homeless veterans by providing them three meals a day—for weeks.

The post The Cost of Trump’s Military Parade Could Eliminate Hunger Among Homeless Veterans—For Weeks appeared first on The Free Thought Project.

Sarasota sheriff calls for armed veterans, retired officers in schools

By: FOX 13 News staff

Sarasota County’s sheriff is calling on Florida lawmakers to change the state’s concealed weapons law so that armed retired law enforcement officers and military veterans can be posted on school campuses to improve security.

Sheriff Tom Knight said Tuesday that his agency already supplies manpower and training to the district, but he believes more can still be done.

“We have been looking at opportunities over the last two years to help school officials develop a practical and achievable safety plan for the district,” the sheriff said in a press release outlining his plan. “My recommendation is for the school to consider implementing a quasi-school security program that puts retired law enforcement and military veterans on Sarasota County campuses.”

The sheriff said specially trained deputies are already available as school resource officers to every middle and high school in the county.  It was not immediately clear how this new suggestion would impact that program.

In Knight’s plan, it would still be up to every school to select and hire the security personnel, with his deputies providing specialized training in firearms, defensive tactics and active-shooter scenarios.

“This is not an overnight solution but it’s a good place to start,” the sheriff continued. “Many of these veterans have basic training, have managed major incidents and have knowledge of weaponry and tactics. More often than not, these retirees are looking for a way to care for the children in their community and this program is a sustainable solution.”

Read more at FOX32Chicago

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The post Sarasota sheriff calls for armed veterans, retired officers in schools appeared first on Oath Keepers.

City Fines Landlord $2 Million Because They Offered Homeless and Disabled Veterans Cheap Rent

By Matt Agorist

San Francisco, CA — In the land of the free, government and law enforcement not only wage war on the poor and homeless through various unscrupulous means designed to extract revenue and attack the right to exist but those who try to help the homeless—by feeding, clothing, or sheltering them—also face the wrath of the State. As the following case illustrates, even those who’ve laid down their lives for the State—veterans—and the ones who help them are now being targeted.

Judy Wu, a landlord in San Francisco has converted 12 properties she owns into 49 housing units over the last decade which she and her husband, Trent Zhu, rent to homeless, low-income and disabled veterans.

Because they’ve split the units into much smaller ones, the couple is able to provide these veterans with very cheap housing. The contribution to society hasn’t gone unnoticed by the city, however, who couldn’t care less about the dozens of previously homeless veterans now off the streets thanks to the couple.

According to Reason, Wu’s problems stem from a zoning law as the couple’s property was only zoned for 15 dwellings.

And in 2015, the city’s Planning Department first became aware of the excess units, ordering her to obtain permits to dismantle many of them. In 2016, as she was working to bring her units into compliance, and while her tenants fought to preserve their homes, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera sued Wu, claiming that her unauthorized dwellings “substantially endanger the health, welfare, and safety of individual tenants, the residents of the City and County of San Francisco.”

In reality, however, Wu’s tenants love the affordable shelter provided to them through her setup. And, to illustrate just how vacuous and dishonest Herrera’s claim of worrying about the “health, welfare, and safety” of the tenants is, this move by the government could leave dozens of poor and disabled veterans on the streets.

Sadly, however, it appears that the state has won. Wu fought the lawsuit in a trial this week and was facing upwards of $8 million in fines for providing cheap rent to veterans. On Tuesday, she settled with the city.

“The basic reason for settling is it’s too expensive to fight city hall,” said Ryan Patterson, an attorney that represented Wu, according to Reason. “This will allow the owners to move forward and focus on legalizing these properties and working to ensure that as many of these veterans as possible can remain in their homes.”

According to Reason, the city’s lawsuit notably came before the administrative process that would allow Wu to maintain her current units had run its course, and yesterday’s settlement does nothing to settle their legal status.

Since the ordeal began, Herrera and his pack of bureaucratic dogooders have painted Wu and her husband as slumlords exploiting the poor.

“Defendants’ motive for flagrantly violating the law is simple: profit,” reads the city’s 2016 complaint against Wu. “They rent out units to the most vulnerable members of our communities…as such, they have a guaranteed stream of income.”

However, her tenants—who actually live in these homes—disagree and describe a far different scenario.

“Judy Wu is offering veterans housed in these units a chance to rebuild their lives in a way that is respectful and humane to them,” says Fred Bryant, a 79-year-old disabled veteran, and tenant of Wu’s for the past four years, according to Reason.

“Whenever I needed help of any kind in the apartment, checking the smoke alarm or something,” Bryant says, “Judy Wu has been extremely responsive.”

Looking at the situation objectively—and not through the eyes of the state—we see a couple using their property to provide affordable housing to those in need. Their tenants are there voluntarily and love it. The only people upset about this scenario have nothing to do with the property nor the people living on it—yet they are hell-bent on ruining the mutually beneficial arrangement because of some building code.

The most infuriating part about these zoning standards is that Wu’s homes have met the federal inspectors’ biannual inspections over and over, according to Patterson. Bryant agrees, and according to Reason, he described both his unit and those of the other veterans Wu rents too as nice, remodeled units “with all the amenities of a well-outfitted apartment.”

“There are a lot of homeless veterans that Judy Wu helped. She’s a good landlord as far as I’m concerned,” John Brown Jr., another tenant of Wu’s told The San Francisco Examiner in July of last year.

Even the mayor in 2013, praised Wu for her efforts in providing shelter to homeless veterans.

Sadly, this is of no concern to the bureaucrats who’ve devoted their careers to stifle free enterprise and mutually beneficial arrangements that help people. Now, dozens of veterans are worried about where they will be able to live.

Although the city said they will allow for the veterans to find other homes before they kick them out of Wu’s place, the fact remains they are still kicking them out of homes they actually enjoy living in. Also, finding affordable homes in San Francisco is no easy feat, so rest assured that many of these folks will likely end up right back on the streets. Bravo, government, bravo.

Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project, where this article first appeared. Follow @MattAgorist on Twitter, Steemit, and now on Facebook.

City Fines Landlord $2 Million Because They Offered Homeless & Disabled Veterans Cheap Rent

Dozens of poor and disabled veterans could soon be homeless thanks to a city"s red tape war declaring their homes unfit because they don"t have the proper paperwork.

The post City Fines Landlord $2 Million Because They Offered Homeless & Disabled Veterans Cheap Rent appeared first on The Free Thought Project.

City Fines Landlord $2 Million Because Offered Homeless & Disabled Veterans Cheap Rent

Dozens of poor and disabled veterans could soon be homeless thanks to a city"s red tape war declaring their homes unfit because they don"t have the proper paperwork.

The post City Fines Landlord $2 Million Because Offered Homeless & Disabled Veterans Cheap Rent appeared first on The Free Thought Project.

WATCH: Combat Vet Becomes Outlaw to Save Her Life With Cannabis—It WORKED

An Army veteran has been forced to become a criminal to save her life with the power of cannabis and as this video shows, it was worth it.

The post WATCH: Combat Vet Becomes Outlaw to Save Her Life With Cannabis—It WORKED appeared first on The Free Thought Project.

Pearl Harbor Veterans Return to Pay Homage…

…to Their Fallen Shipmates 76 Years Later

By Audrey McAvoy / AP

10:34 PM EST

(HONOLULU) — Survivors gathered Thursday at the site of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to remember fellow servicemen killed in the early morning raid 76 years ago, paying homage to the thousands who died with a solemn ceremony marking the surprise bombing raid that plunged the U.S. into World War II.

About 20 survivors attended the event at a grassy spot overlooking the harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial. They were joined by about 2,000 Navy sailors, officials and members of the public.

Gilbert Meyer, who lived through the Dec. 7, 1941 bombing, said he returned to pay his respects to his shipmates from the USS Utah — and say a prayer for them.

The 94-year who lives near Lytle, Texas, was an 18-year-old fireman first class when a torpedo hit the port side of the Utah. He said he’s still alive because he happened to be on the ship’s starboard side.

“I think about my shipmates and how they were killed. It reminds me that we’re lucky we got off and we’ve made a good country for them,” Meyer said.

Meyer later served in the battles at Attu, Kiska, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He witnessed Japan’s surrender in 1945 from the deck of the USS Detroit in Tokyo Bay.

Herbert Elfring remembered hearing bombs explode and first thought the explosions were U.S. training exercises.

Then a fighter plane with Japan’s World War II Rising Sun insignia strafed the Camp Makaole base where Elfring, 19 at the time, was serving. The bullets missed him by about 15 feet (5 meters).

“When I looked up and saw the red ball on the fuselage I knew it wasn’t our plane,” he said. “I knew it was a Japanese plane.”

The Jackson, Michigan man is now 95 and said returning to Pearl Harbor for the anniversary of the attack makes him feel special because he’s one of the few remaining survivors.

“I have one of those caps that says ‘Pearl Harbor Survivor’ on it,” he said. “It’s amazing how many people come up and thank me for my service.”

Read more here

Photo above: Pearl Harbor attack survivors, Louis Conter, left, and Herbert Elfring attend a memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii., on Dec. 7, 2017. Craig T. Kojima—AP

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50 Years Later: A Parasite From Vietnam Could Be KILLING Veterans

A new Veteran’s Affairs study is showing that a parasite from Vietnam could be killing veterans who fought in the war a half a century later.

Hundreds of veterans have a new reason to believe they may be dying from a silent bullet. Test results show some men may have been infected by a slow-killing parasite while fighting in the jungles of Southeast Asia. The Department of Veterans Affairs this spring commissioned a small pilot study to look into the link between liver flukes ingested through raw or undercooked fish and a rare bile duct cancer. It can take decades for symptoms to appear. By then, patients are often in tremendous pain, with just a few months to live.

According to Fox News, of the 50 blood samples submitted, more than 20 percent came back positive or bordering positive for liver fluke antibodies, said Sung-Tae Hong, the tropical medicine specialist who carried out the tests at Seoul National University in South Korea. “It was surprising,” he said, stressing the preliminary results could include false positives and that the research is ongoing.

All those who tested positive for the parasite have been notified. Gerry Wiggins, who served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969, has already lost friends to the disease ad he was among those who got the call. “I was in a state of shock,” he said. “I didn’t think it would be me.”

The 69-year-old, who lives in Port Jefferson Station, New York, didn’t have any symptoms when he agreed to take part in the study but hoped his participation could help save lives. He immediately scheduled further tests, discovering he had two cysts on his bile duct, which had the potential to develop into cancer, known as cholangiocarcinoma. They have since been removed he’s doing well.

But other veterans have already succumbed to the parasite’s cancer-causing effects. Endemic in the rivers of Vietnam, the worms can easily be wiped out with a handful of pills early on, but left untreated they can live for decades without making their hosts sick. Over time, swelling and inflammation of the bile duct can lead to cancer. The symptoms, which include jaundice, itchy skin, and weight loss only when the disease is in its final stages.

The VA suggests that veterans who ingested undercooked or raw fish while serving in Vietnam should get tested for fluke, and have their liver examined by a medical professional.

After Admitting to Secretly Experimenting on Troops, Army Refusing to Provide Them Medical Care

After being exposed for conducting horrifying experiments on troops, the Army is now refusing to treat the health problems caused by their mad science.

A Veteran Asks, ‘What’s Worse, a Kneeling Millionaire or 300,000 Vets Neglected to Death?’

Naturally, Americans are up in arms because a bunch of folks who get paid millions of dollars to throw around a leather ball decided to kneel during the national anthem. I find this ironic for several reasons.

First off, I’d like to clarify that choosing to not watch football because someone did something you disagree with is entirely your choice and your choice alone. Just like NFL players can make the decision to kneel during the anthem, you can make the decision to change the channel. It’s called freedom, it is awesome, and I highly recommend it.

That being said, I’d like to draw attention to two points, one being the idea of a country whose leader shames others and calls for the termination of their employment for practicing their right to disagree with the government, and two, why are people so upset over a bunch of kneeling millionaires?

Donald Trump was well within his right to say whatever he wants about the NFL players, up to and including calling for the NFL to fire them. It’s called freedom, and you don’t have to like it to participate in it. But, if Trump really wanted the players to start standing up for the anthem, calling for them to be fired is not only on the verge of tyrannical, but it’s nowhere close to a solution.

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Respect is earned. It is not mandated through threats or abuse of power or forced through the barrel of a gun. If there was one thing I learned in the Marine Corps it’s that good leaders are ones that lead by example. Those leaders who demanded respect without first earning it were the reason for me turning down a 5-figure tax-free reenlistment bonus to stay in.

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Leaders, and I use that term loosely, who want something from you and don’t have the common decency or fortitude to first apply themselves and find a peaceful and mutually beneficial way to get it are not leading by example and deserve no respect. Sadly, in America, leaders haven’t done these things in a long time. In America, through propaganda and fear, our leaders are demanding and mandating respect—without earning it. This is the definition of tyranny.

If Donald Trump really wanted the football players to start standing during the national anthem, then he should ask them what it is they want. If the dozens of millionaires taking knees can’t articulate a rational and well thought out list of requests, then they are merely publicity hounds buying into the divide. Colin Kaepernick could do this, and he’s has taken action to try to resolve his grievances.

I’m not quite sure all these other NFL players would be such good leaders—like Kaepernick—if asked what it is they want.

If it’s police brutality they are protesting, where were most of these folks when Obama was in office? It’s not like police brutality and racist policing practices suddenly became an issue once Trump took over in 2017. Where were all these NFL players when Obama was filling prisons with black people for possessing a plant? Where were all these NFL players when Obama continued to wage the drug war which is proven to lay far more waste to the rights of those with darker skin than to those with lighter skin? Outside of just a few of them, they were nowhere to be found, that’s where.

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That brings me to my second point—the folks that are angry at these football players taking knees—because it disrespects our country, our troops and our veterans. Again, these folks have every right to voice their opinion, be angry, and boycott the NFL. It’s called freedom, and it’s awesome, and I highly recommend it.

That being said, if a person taking a knee during a song is disrespectful to our troops and veterans, what, exactly, is it considered when 307,000 of those veterans die waiting for care they were promised by this country? If a person taking a knee during a song is disrespectful to those who fought for our country, what is it considered when that country looks the other way when there over 40,000 of those veterans living on the streets with no home? If taking a knee at a football game is disrespectful, what then, is it considered when Americans remain silent as a veteran kills himself or herself every 65 minutes, every single day, every single month, of every single year?

If this song and flag represent the land of the free and people kneeling down makes others angry because it is an insult to that freedom, then how does one view the NSA surveillance grid? Is a person taking a knee worse than the United States of America creating the largest spying network the world has ever seen—one that the Stasi would’ve killed for—and using it on innocent Americans?

Is a person kneeling more offensive than the TSA groping babies, cancer patients, the elderly, and the disabled, despite never stopping a terror attack? Is a knee more offensive to freedom than the United States creating, maintaining, and financing the largest prison population the world has ever seen through the enforcement of victimless crimes?

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Is a rich football player kneeling really that much more offensive than the Commander in Chief making one of the largest weapons deals in the history of the US with the largest state sponsor of terror in the world, Saudi Arabia? Is a knee more offensive than calling Saudi Arabia our ally after they were exposed for financing the horrific attacks on 9/11?

Where is the outrage? Call me a traitor, call me unpatriotic, call me whatever you want, tell me to move to Somalia and eat shit and die, because—freedom baby. However, I’ll always stand against tyranny, even if that means pissing people off for telling the truth. In an empire of lies, telling the truth is a revolutionary and often hated act.

If we can agree on one thing in this sea of vitriol and disagreement, let us remember that this country was born through protest. Slavery ended because of protest. The Declaration of Independence was a protest. It was not order-following and blind compliance that created America—it was disobedience.

Media Silent as Study Finds Female Vets 250% More Likely to Commit Suicide than Female Non-Vets

While the media focused on President Trump’s latest nickname for Kim Jong Un, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs quietly released an unsettling report on suicide statistics among veterans.

The report concluded that veterans are over 20 percent more likely to kill themselves, when compared to non-veteran civilians in the U.S. While that may come as no surprise, when taking into consideration the number of campaigns to raise awareness about the prevalence of veterans committing suicide, the truly alarming percentage comes from the number of female veterans who take their own lives.

The suicide rate for female veterans is 250 percent higher than the suicide rate for female non-veteran civilians. While there was some coverage of the overall suicide rate that stemmed from this report, the statistics related specifically to females—which were alarmingly high—appeared to be deemed less important.

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The same trend is displayed in research, with the top articles on a search for “veteran suicide” on Google Scholar holding titles such as “Suicide among male veterans: a prospective, population-based study” and “Suicide risk and precipitating circumstances among young, middle-aged, and older male veterans.” When searching for “female veteran suicide,” none of the results included the keywords in the title.

The report from the Department of Veterans Affairs surveyed suicide statistics among veterans from 2001 to 2014. While past reports have been limited to only surveying veterans who received services from the Veterans Health Administration, the latest report claims to provide an unprecedented look at all veterans, including a comparison to American civilians.

“This report on Veteran suicide is unprecedented in its breadth and depth of information about the characteristics of suicide among Veterans. It contains the first comprehensive assessment of differences in rates of suicide among Veterans with and without use of VHA services and comparisons between Veterans and other Americans. This report serves as a foundation for informing and evaluating suicide prevention efforts inside the VHA health care system and for developing lifesaving collaborations with community health care partners.”

In a statement on the report, VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin called the results “deeply concerning,” and insisted that the answer was for more veterans to turn to the VA for care.

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“These findings are deeply concerning, which is why I made suicide prevention my top clinical priority,” Dr. Shulkin said. “I am committed to reducing Veteran suicides through support and education. We know that of the 20 suicides a day that we reported last year, 14 are not under VA care. This is a national public health issue that requires a concerted, national approach.”

However, it should be noted that the VA has faced intense scrutiny in recent year for both failing to provide adequate care for its patients and for failing to helps veterans contemplating suicide. While the VA urges veterans to call a suicide prevention hotline, there have been multiple reports of their calls going to voicemail, and those voicemails being returned a number of days later—in some cases after it was too late.

An inspector general’s report from February 2016 noted that multiple veterans complained about reaching voicemail, and said that some VA workers did not even know the voicemail system existed.

“We found 3 of the 41 complaints made to the VCL in FY 2014 were claims that calls were transferred to a voicemail system. Our review identified over 20 calls that were routed to voicemail at 1 of the backup centers. When VCL management investigated these complaints, they discovered that the backup center staff were not aware the voicemail system existed; thus, they did not return these calls.”

While many politicians use their “support” for preventing suicide among veterans as a talking point during their campaign—such as Donald Trump’s 2016 bid for the White House, which included a push for raising awareness about veteran suicide prevention—they don’t always follow through once they are in office.

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The Department of Veterans Affairs just released a report claiming that female veterans are 250 percent more likely to commit suicide than female civilians—that statistic alone is a reminder that it is time for all of the politicians who claim they support veterans to stop supporting the one thing that is creating debilitating cases of post-traumatic stress disorder in the first place: sending them to fight in illegal, immoral, never-ending wars in countries that have never harmed the United States.

Big Pharma Bias: FDA Grants ‘Breakthrough’ Status to Ecstasy for PTSD While Prohibiting Pot

If there’s one refrain we hear from politicians more than anything else, it’s “I support the troops.” However, their definition of “support” changes with the political wind, and more often than not is a farce.

One example is the ongoing denial of medical cannabis to war veterans suffering from a range of conditions, from chronic pain to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite plenty of evidence—both scientific and real-world—that cannabis effectively treats these conditions, those who purportedly fought for freedom come home only to lose freedom under the War on Drugs.

The Veterans Administration (VA) still prohibits doctors from recommending cannabis or its extracts—including cannabidiol (CBD) which does not produce a high—even though most U.S. states acknowledge the science and have legalized medical cannabis.

The VA, perhaps emboldened by the Trump administration which is populated by 20^th century prohibitionists, is digging in its heels. It funded two dubious studies questioning the effectiveness of medical cannabis—one finding “insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about benefits” for PTSD, and another concluding “limited evidence suggests that cannabis may alleviate neuropathic pain in some patients.”

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This contrasts with a much larger review of literature carried out by the National Academies of Science, which concluded “patients who were treated with cannabis or cannabinoids were more likely to experience a significant reduction in pain symptoms.”

The VA doesn’t appear to care what the nation’s leading science body has to say, and it has no interest in finding out if cannabis works for PTSD. A major study on medical cannabis and PTSD in veterans being carried out by Dr. Sue Sisley is in danger of shutdown due to lack of participation by the VA.

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It seems that every time there is hope for veterans to gain legal access to medical cannabis, those hopes are dashed by a minority of lawmakers. The latest letdown was the Veterans Equal Access amendment, which would have allowed access in states with medical cannabis laws, but the amendment was stripped out in committee.

Facing this betrayal by lawmakers and the VA, veterans must become criminals if they want to try medical cannabis where prescription drugs have failed.

While federal government keeps cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug with “no medical use,” the same government has just granted “breakthrough therapy designation” to another drug in the Schedule 1 category—MDMA or ecstasy.

The ‘party drug’ was used in Phase 2 trials on roughly 200-300 patients with severe PTSD. Results showed a remarkable improvement in most patients, with 61 percent reporting no PTSD symptoms after 2 months and 68 percent being PTSD-free after a year.

With the “breakthrough” status granted by FDA, Phase 3 trials can proceed much more quickly, and with input on “design, primary endpoint, and statistical approach” from FDA. Pharmaceutical companies will surely be looking to cash in on this development with patented versions of ecstasy.

“For the first time ever, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy will be evaluated in Phase 3 trials for possible prescription use, with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD leading the way,” said Rick Doblin, Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies.

Government appears completely willing to set aside the drug war for manufactured compounds in their “controlled substances” roster, but when it comes to medicine that people can grow themselves, no such freedom is allowed.

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Cannabis and psilocybin both show promise for treating PTSD, perhaps even more so than MDMA. Psilocybin has demonstrated incredible ability to heal mental illness in clinical trials, but it hasn’t received any “breakthrough status,” just as medical cannabis remains mired in federal prohibition.

These natural substances cannot be monopolized by Big Pharma like manufactured chemical drugs, so they get no help from federal government. Meanwhile, veterans continue paying the price.

Two Navy Veterans Team Up with Texas VFW Post Hurricane Shelter

A VFW Post in Texas is currently operating as a hurricane shelter and was close to running out of food. Two veterans took up that challenge and a large supply of food will be delivered soon. They are also donating water filtration bottles and water filtration straws.

Oath Keeper Chance Gibson of American Survival Wholesale and Ross Powell of Survival 401K teamed up to provide the food for close to 13,000 meals. Chance Gibson’s company is providing the food at cost, and Ross Powell has collected donations to cover those costs. The food supplies will be delivered by Oath Keepers members who are headed to Texas to help wherever they can.

The Cajun Navy is actively rescuing people from their flooded neighborhoods. Oath Keepers are helping with that and whatever else needs to be done. We have more members on the way.

We can all do something to help. Many of those affected by Hurricane Harvey have absolutely nothing left except the clothes they were wearing when they were rescued. Donations of $5 or $10 or more add up. If you can donate to a relief organization, please do. If you’re on facebook, you can forward information about relief efforts to reach a wider audience.

One of many groups that are sending help is Samaritan’s Purse. “President Franklin Graham has approved the deployment of five U.S. disaster relief units to southeastern Texas. These tractor trailers, stocked with emergency relief equipment and supplies, will help our staff and volunteers meet some of the mammoth needs created by Hurricane Harvey.”   https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/all-disaster-units-to-texas-hurricane-harvey/

Our sincere thanks to everyone who is actively helping to rescue people from flooded areas, helping with the day-to-day needs of those who had to leave their homes, and to all of those who can’t do that, but can contribute to defray the enormous expenses of this disaster. Special thanks to the two companies providing food for the Texas VFW Post hurricane shelter.

Evacuees fill up cots at the George Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, that has been turned into a shelter run by the American Red Cross to house victims of the high water from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28. ERICH SCHLEGEL/GETTY

Thank you!

American Survival Wholesale

http://www.americansurvivalwholesale.com/

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Support the Troops? GOP Blocks VA from Prescribing Medical Cannabis for Vets, Even in Legal States

Washington, D.C. — The House Rules Committee blocked an amendment by Congressman Earl Blumenauer, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, from debate. The move to block it from debate effectively prevents Blumenauer from forwarding the amendment during House consideration of the 2018 Military Construction Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

Even though therapeutic cannabis is legal in 29 states, many veterans face significant hurdles to lawfully obtain it, and instead, end up on addictive and deadly opiates and other big pharma solutions.

Because the vast majority of veterans get their health care through the federal VA, their doctors are legally bound from recommending medical marijuana, nor can they certify conditions that would allow them to qualify for a therapeutic cannabis registry card.

Currently, Veterans Affairs policy states:

“It is always illegal under federal law for a veteran to utilize marijuana, regardless of whether there is a state law allowing for use of marijuana. As a result, VA remains consistent whether a veteran is found to have used marijuana through a state-sponsored program or not.”

The amendment would have allowed Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend and discuss medical marijuana with veterans in states where the cannabis has been legalized for medicinal purposes, making it significantly easier for qualified veterans to access legal medical marijuana.

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Although the “Veterans Equal Access” measure has been debated and voted on as an amendment to the VA appropriations bill for the past three years in the House, with it passing in 2016, by a 233-189 vote, the move by the Committee precludes that possibility.

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Rep. Blumenauer released a statement in response:

“All we want is equal treatment for our wounded warriors. This provision overwhelmingly passed on the House floor last year – and bipartisan support has only grown. It’s outrageous that the Rules Committee won’t even allow a vote for our veterans. They deserve better. They deserve compassion…

“Given that veterans are more likely to commit suicide or die from opiate overdoses than civilians, our fight to provide them safer alternatives won’t stop here. We have stronger support in the House and Senate than ever before, and we will keep advocating for a more rational approach.”

The irony is that veterans are now, more than ever before, coming together to rally around cannabis as a safer alternative for their service-related health issues. They are finding that it is far better than relying on highly addictive opioids.

In fact, only last August, the American Legion decided to advocate for the removal of cannabis from the list of federally banned Schedule 1 drugs – a designation that means a substance is federally banned, with no accepted medical use. The reclassification of marijuana would allow for significantly more scientific research.

Just this past May, while speaking at the White House, Veteran’s Affairs Secretary David Shulkin said that he was open to evidence that medicinal cannabis had veracity as a treatment option.

Blumenauer, who has been a pioneer in the federal normalization of cannabis policy, has been at the forefront of efforts to eliminate the current VA policy of prohibiting doctors nationwide from simply discussing marijuana as a treatment option for their patients.

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Before the committee blocked Blumenauer’s amendment, he urged its members to allow him to forward his amendment and cited information from the VA in 2014 that found veterans are twice as likely to die from an accidental overdose as non-veterans.

“We would be far better off if our veterans had access to medical marijuana and less reliance on opioids, which is literally killing them,” he said. “Under this amendment, marijuana would not be dispensed by the VA or consumed on federal property — it simply ends the current gag rule that says doctors can’t talk to their patients about it, even if they think it’s appropriate.”

The bipartisan amendment was co-sponsored by: Representatives Justin Amash (R-MI), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Luis Correa (D-CA), Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Tom Garrett (R-VA), Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Jared Polis (D-CO), Tom Reed (R-NY), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), and Don Young (R-AK).

Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington spoke out in favor of the amendment.

“I’ve seen firsthand the benefit people can derive from medical marijuana,” he said. “It seems to me if it’s available and it works, we should make that available to our veterans as well. I support your effort.”

Last year, the Senate also passed the Veterans Equal Access amendment with vast bipartisan support, on a vote of 89-9. But it was removed from the final bill during negotiations to reconcile the Senate and House versions of the VA appropriations legislation.

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This year the Senate has passed the amendment out of committee, with the Senate Appropriations Committee voting 24-7 on July 13 to include it in the Senate’s version of the VA appropriations bill.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., introduced the amendment. Montana is one of 29 states that permit some medicinal use of cannabis, and noted that the current VA policy is a “violation of veterans’ rights to talk openly and freely with their doctor.”

Although dead in the House bill, if the Senate approves the amendment again this year, it could still make it into the final bill after negotiations between the House and Senate.

The idea that young men and women can put their lives on the line and die for this country, only to come home and be told they can’t naturally treat their ailments caused by deployment, is repulsive. Those who would rather see a veteran waste away on opioids and antidepressants — rather than potentially saving their lives with cannabis — are the real tyrants and will most assuredly end up on the wrong side of history.

Govt “Study”: No Link To War And Suicide – Implies Opposite Is True!

Back in 2009 President Obama admitted that science has been compromised by political agenda. He of course brought this topic up in the context of … political agenda. Speaking to the National Academy of Sciences Obama said:

Next, we are restoring science to its rightful place. On March 9th, I signed an executive memorandum with a clear message: Under my administration, the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over. (Applause.) Our progress as a nation — and our values as a nation — are rooted in free and open inquiry. To undermine scientific integrity is to undermine our democracy. It is contrary to our way of life. (Applause.)

And as the audience applauded, Obama who has never been known to tell the truth used truth (science is admittedly politicized, tainted and corrupt and no one should believe scientific claims put out by government sponsored scientists) to offer yet another false hope promise (I will restore science for everyone). No one should be surprised by this political trade-off. Since the science is admittedly corrupt, then I will fix it and you will vote for me again. Despite this promise there is no doubt that the problem still exists today, in fact the problem is worst today.

In yet another example of politicized tainted unreliable junk science, psychology researchers are claiming that a new study suggests that being in the military and being deployed to war has no impact on committing suicide!

Claiming a difference between a rate of 18.86 deaths per 100,000 for deployed troops versus 17.78 deaths per 100,000 for non deployed troops as their proof that being deployed is “only slightly higher”. And with that researcher, Mark Reger put out his suggestions with very little evidence. In no time numerous mainstream media organizations jumped on the suggestion and the study was published in JAMA Psychiatry giving this claim new authenticity.

Oh, and who is Mark Reger working for? None other than the Department Of Defense National Center for Telehealth and Technology. Doesn’t this scenario sound familiar? Government sponsored scientist running studies whose conclusions conveniently favor the military industrial complex, and support endless wars and the long term plans for the new world order military global takeover?

Is there anyone on the planet that thinks this Department of Defense funded study would have had a chance of being funded if it revealed the ugly truth about war that we all know? Was there a chance that this government funded study would reveal that war is the most horrific experience any human being can experience? That war is directly tied to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that PTSD is directly linked to increased suicide? That many other studies and facts about depression, war, PTSD for decades have long settled the issue that the horrors of war destroy the human being mentally and emotionally?

The horrors of war are undeniable and this horror is unquestionably linked to mental and emotional trauma. This is not speculation, just talk to those who have been in war. The post-war experience in the words of those who have been there is factually directly linked to stress, anxiety, mental disorders, and ultimately depression and suicide. Even this study admits that. Even this study admits that for those in the Army and Marines who are more often in the actual physical battle fields the suicides are indeed 25% higher which is contrary to the headline and supposed conclusion. In fact this study actually confirms what we already know- that going to war is indeed associated with increased suicide, period.

What the analyzers of the study, the media and the reviews of the study attempt to do is spin the results enough to justify the headlines. This spinning is the very undermining of science and the scientific method that Obama was eluding to and that we’ve seen in America now for decades. This once again proves why no one should ever believe any government study whose results are convenient to their agenda. In the end, for the control system’s long term political agenda, it’s about the interpretation of the data not the data itself.

This is nothing more than an attempt to convince more young men to join the U.S. military and die for bankers wars now that the suicide risk has been debunked. This entire study from funding to conclusions is nothing more than military industrial complex junk science and pro-military propaganda lies.

Then, in an even greater leap of disinformation the study claims that if you don’t go to war, that is, if you actually get out of the military early and don’t complete your full duty time you have a much higher risk of committing suicide!

The study found that the suicide rate for troops who left the military before completing a four-year enlistment was nearly twice that of troops who stayed. The rate for troops who were involuntarily discharged under less-than-honorable conditions for disciplinary infractions was nearly three times higher. Troops given these so-called bad paper discharges are often not eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs medical care and other benefits.

No critical thinking seems to apply to the analysis of these numbers. The crunching of the numbers seem to blur the lines between correlation and direct causation. This is the trademark of government monkey science. Come up with some desired numbers (however necessary) without any real scrutiny for what you did by independent (non-government) scientists and publish to one of the science journals. Once the “publishing” occurs to one of their journals (i.e. JAMA Psychology) then the buzz surrounding the topic makes it seem as though this is the new reality.

The government monkey science steps go something like this:

Do the study yourself to ensure the right results, fund and supervise the study using your own scientists and publishers, come up with the numbers you need to make your “suggestions”, publish in your scientific journals and let the mainstream media do the rest. Is anyone surprised that almost every major mainstream media outlet picked up this politically controlled study and published it right away?

Are those that are let go from the military are mentally unstable to begin with and this might be why they commit suicide? Whose scrutinizing this study and challenging is questionable conclusions? Is the suggestion that unemployment creates a greater risk of suicide than the horrors of war itself believable and reasonable? I don’t think so. There is always a chance to get work somewhere even if its low paying. War however is an inescapable irreversible situation. War is horror and this is the reality this study is dodging. Instead of tackling the fundamental issues of how humanity is affected by war, blind numbers are obtain with no further details given.

As stated above, the horrifically (or deliberately?) incomplete study goes on to suggest without really stating it directly that going to war to kill innocent people in a bankers war and sticking to your full time duty in the military will actually decrease your risk of suicide threefold!

This is the work of the military industrial complex. The same military industrial complex that hires CIA asset trolls online to suggest that all the atmospheric spraying programs are just “contrails” and the climate is being destroyed by the little people and not the military themselves. Now they are practically telling us that war is good for you. What will they tell us next?

Sadly and unfortunately this is all part of the further dumbing down of our generation by dumbing down the thinkers. This is just another step forward in the Orwellian world we live in. We are literally surround by stupid zombies who believe anything they read from a military, Department of Defense paid off shill/researcher. They will print anything they need to print to pave the road for the new world order.

Anyone who needs convincing from a government paid junk scientist to tell them that going to war is NOT linked to suicide deserves whatever that empire has in store for them.

I urge readers not to fall for this political propaganda. This “study” is very likely being published due to decrease in military recruit signup. Perhaps too many Americans are waking up and saying no to the evil oppressive and deceptive military whose only mission today is to fight the bankers wars of aggression. We’ve reached a point in history unfortunately where all honor in the military is lost. The only thing the U.S. military lives of off now is pure deception, advertising, sensationalism and propaganda.

Is there anyone who still believes the U.S. military is fighting for “freedom”?? Let’s brush off government sponsored pro-military scientific claims and stay focused on the basic truths about who we are. Humans are on earth to thrive and you cannot thrive if you are subjected to the horrors of war. Realize that war is unnatural and humans were never meant to be subject to this experience. Even more important, realize that all wars are bankers rich mans wars and you might be the “dumb stupid animals” they need to die for the rich bankers.

So the next time you come across government sponsored propaganda studies try to recognize the format they use. Look for the predetermined result that fits their agenda perfectly, notice who is funding and conducting the study, and remember this is the same blueprint pharmaceutical companies use to endorse their own studies which guarantees mega profits. The political and for-profit “scientific research” blueprint is a very common one and it’s being used all the time by the controllers, and it’s up to you to recognize it. One must be able to resist the aura that comes with the word “published”. It’s all part of the long planned propaganda for enslavement of your mind.

What is the Best Way to Support Veterans?

Since the abolishment of the draft, volunteers have manned the military. By professional armed services standards, this conversion has produced the most efficient and competitive war machine ever. However, what escapes this simplistic viewpoint is that the forces deployed “To Kill People and Break Things”, are used to expand and perpetuate an empire, while forgoing an actual defense of our nation. Decisions to police the world are made by non elected agencies, who essentially formulate the detailed policies that shed the blood of soldiers and drain the treasure of the country. Presidents and politicians talk about the hard determinations to place service personnel in harm’s way, but it is the military-industrial-complex that does the grunt work in staging the logistics and directing what theater of operations the grand imperial military can operate.

The CIA, State Department and the Department of Defense run the show. The commander and chief W. Bush called himself  ‘The Decider’, while Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld supplied the options that they wanted for junior. Barack Hussein Obama proved to be the best customer for drone manufactures General Atomics, Northrop Grumman, Textron and Boeing, as he accelerated the drone war by ten times more strikes than Bush. Some may see this strategy as a way to reduce injuries of the ground troops. But such a restrained and costly tactic avoids the real purpose of a defense force.

Foreign expedition intrusions never seem to provide true national security. Donald Trump has forgotten his campaign platform with the inclusion of NeoCon careerists into his administration. With all the lip services from both sides of the aisle about honoring the sacred remains of our respected dead, the failure to ever address why a “grateful nation” cannot reinvent the underlying purpose of all these unwinnable conflicts, goes unnoticed.

Not much has changed since the butchery of World War II produced the belligerent culture of The Dubious U.S. State Department.

“In the WW II movie Anzio, Robert Mitchum played a pacifist war correspondent in search of some philosophical reasoning for why men wage war. His conclusion at the end of one of the bloodiest battles in the European theater was simple, pure and alarming. They like it! Who can argue with the historic record? If you don’t relish the perverse repetition of duly sanctioned and organized carnage, why continue to engage in the practice? Before the allegiant apologists assault the argument, it is incumbent upon them to prove that circumstances are necessary to send their sons (and now daughters) off for sacrifice! If a just war is feasible in an age of impersonal and strategic GPS weapons, it has yet to be confirmed that it is essential to maintain our freedom.”

Human nature has not changed. State sponsored killing has been the staple of all empires, especially in their last stages. If jingoistic supporters truly champion their esteemed veterans, they would demand that war should not be a causal pursuit, but only a last resort when the nation is attacked by a bellicose enemy and after Congress declares war.

In an environment of acquiesce, the President bypasses the constitution whenever the fabrication of false flags exonerate the need to formally declare war. The biggest scam in foreign policy is that terrorism is an existential threat; while in reality, the intrusion and systemic invention of foes are created to maintain a permanent warfare, designed to never end hostilities.

Our veterans deserve better. Yet what you hear from the indoctrinated warriors is that dying for your government is a noble sacrifice. Missing is the empirical fact that the government is the ultimate crime syndicate, who long ago betrayed the nation and all her citizens.

The conclusion in the essay, What Memorial Day Do You Honor?; provides food for thought on every Memorial Day.

“The call to service needs to be in the defense of what is meant in the Idea of America. The country that we all now live in, so often has lost sight of that truth. We have much to celebrate, but an American empire is not one. The sacrifices made deserve respect, but not consent. The flag that waves deserves thirteen stars. The one that now flies, needs to be turned upside down.”

Memorial Day should be an educational experience, not just a celebration of war stories. Progress on restoring a rational foreign policy and a sane military should be judged by scaling down the veteran administration, not on dispensing quality services, but because the overseas adventures will be curtailed. Withdrawing from the garrison encirclement of the globe is essential and beneficial to establish a bona fide national security defense of the homeland.

The conventional attitude disputes this appraisal. So how many more of these unsustainable invasions will it take for the public to deal with the false assumption that shock and awe from the skies will wipe out an ISIS combatant that has been supplied and protected by globalist traitors within the U.S. Deep State?

As long as quislings like Senator John McCain preach their betrayal and treat troops as cannon fodder, veterans will be used as expendable. The power and influence of the war machine establishment has defeated the traditional non-interventionism heritage that George Washington spoke so eloquently in his farewell address.

Where is the righteous outrage? Stop the madness and listen to the sage counsel of the father of our country, George Washington. His farewell address speaks to all ages and people.

“Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow-citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy to be useful must be impartial; else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be avoided, instead of a defense against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of influence on the other. Real patriots who may resist the intrigues of the favorite are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people, to surrender their interests.

The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible“.

For those who reject such wisdom with tortured arguments that American Imperium is necessary, do not serve the veteran community well. Americans who approve of NATO’S expansion, a greater Israel Middle East and a Saudi Sunni Arab coalition, guarantee that present and future generations of soldiers-at-arms will be lost to the meat grinder. Disposable fatalities in flag draped casket  sent to Dover Delaware., will continue. Where is the outrage for the sending of our people into a slaughter that has intentionally no resolution as a final outcome?  If the celebration of Memorial Day has morphed into ignoring past wars and substituting the latest clash of civilizations, the memory of the true meaning and the price paid by our founding patriots will be lost.

When a raw recruit enters the home field of their drill sergeant, the heritage of duty and service is imparted during the training routine. Molding youth into the sharp end of the spear allows for the continued revolving door of fresh enlistees to feed the brigades for the next hot spot.

It is difficult to ignore this persistent pattern of instruction that produces eager soldiers. Those within the higher ranks of authority earn their career advancement by sending regiments of troops abroad to keep the increases in the pentagon budget justified.

Every budget falls short of the requested capacity desired to keep the world free; whatever that definition means, to the propagandists for the New World Order. Who do veterans fight for? America or the NWO? It cannot be both, since the globalist agenda is diametrically opposed to the Bill of Right protections of a Republic based upon sovereign states.

One does not have to assail the military when disparaging the underlying foreign policies that abuse and place veterans at risk for no valid reason. Alone this distinction should be enough to separate respective individual military persons from the disconnected decisions that place them as targets with no definitive purpose behind their service. Nonetheless, Memorial Day celebrations can rightly snub the conflict, while relating to the courageous bravery often exhibited in combat.

Those within our advocacy circle will condemn the political and banking elites that maintain the warfare state. If Memorial Day is to eventually achieve universal veneration, stopping future contrived conflicts is necessary. Instead of placing flags on the graves of the fallen, commit to a political doctrine that is willing to defeat the war party, which causes the fake crusades to be fought. Defense means protecting the home soil, not the corporatist interests of transnational monopolists.

MAGA Veterans Sound Off on Antifa at Boston Free Speech Rally

Founder of Oath Keepers interviews Charles Robinson II and his sons at the Boston Free Speech Rally. Robinson blood has been spilled in every war since WWII. They tell how they feel about Antifa burning the American flag while flying the communist flag, and discuss what it means to be willing to “lace up their boots” to defend this nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Sr Robinson Served as an 11B in the 24th Infantry Division, and his son Charles Robinson III served as an 11B in the 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One) in Iraq.

The father’s statement on how his family will ALWAYS answer the call, and how he raised his sons to be willing to die on their feet rather than live on their knees, and how they will NOT let Anti-fa destroy all their family fought for was the best speech of the day. Powerful. Please spread this awesome statement of what it means to serve far and wide.

Oath Keepers, including retired police and military, were there on the ground at the Boston Free Speech Rally on May 13, 2017, helping to protect the attendees against Antifa violence.

Every Week, Vietnam War Vets Wash Their Memorial Wall. Today, They Had Powerful Help

By Benny Johnson

The Vietnam War Memorial is hallowed ground.

In a city of gleaming white marble monuments and pink cherry blossoms, the black, sunken facade, etched with the 58,307 names of the fallen, stands out as a haunting tribute to the sacrifice of a generation.

The memorial itself stirs emotion. When anyone, young or old, looks into the polished volcanic rock of the wall, it looks back. At it’s highest point the wall is over 10 feet tall. It envelops its visitors with names of those who lost their lives in a war which lasted nearly two decades.

It can be overwhelming to visit. For the hundreds of thousands of Vietnam veterans still alive, it is a place of eternal significance.

The wall itself is open to the public 24 hours a day 365 days a year. It is our nation’s most embraceable monument. You can touch it, rest your head against it and cry on it. No one will stop you.

Paper and pencils are even provided at the memorial to encourage guests to make a stencil of an engraved name. Due to the hands-on nature of the memorial, it is imperative that the wall remains polished and immaculate, not just for the many millions of visitors a year, but for the legacies of the fallen etched within it.

[snip]

In order to keep the memorial in pristine condition, local veteran groups offered to help with maintenance of the hallowed ground. The Park Service agreed. Now, approximately once every weekend in peak tourist season (spring and summer), a different veteran group or community service will arrive at sunrise, long before the throngs of tourists show up, to wash the wall.

The labor is intensive but in the end, every inch of the 247-foot wall gets sprayed down, scrubbed by hand and polished.

Many of the men and women who show up to clean are veterans themselves, cleaning a memorial built in their honor.

So it was on the morning of Sunday, April 9, when Virginia and Maryland chapters of Rolling Thunder rode into the memorial before sunrise. Clad in leather motorcycle gear with a colorful array of patriotic patches sewn in, a dozen members of the iconic biker club, most of them veterans, readied for an hour of washing and scrubbing the black wall.

Today, however, they had some extra help. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke would be scrubbing alongside them.

Zinke has taken an immersive approach to his new job, which happens to include oversight of America’s national parks and monuments. The Secretary rode a horse into the office on his first day, shoveled snow off the Lincoln Memorial steps after a snowstorm, gave stunned tourists a personal tour of the cavernous cathedral beneath the Lincoln Memorial, and has engaged in international sock diplomacy.

Today, the Trump appointee and Navy SEAL continued his hands-on approach to the office by hand-scrubbing the smudges and bird droppings off the Vietnam War Memorial.

[snip]

6:43 a.m.: Zinke uses a large scrub brush covered in suds to wash the very top of the memorial. Between scrubbing sessions, he makes small-talk with veterans and park service officers.

7:17 a.m.: Zinke and the Rolling Thunder bikers have scrubbed and rinsed the entire wall. The memorial is wet and slippery but it glistens brightly. The team gathers for a group photo.

Read more, plus more photos at Independent Journal Review