CIA Council Report to : We, The People
on behalf of
We, the less than healthy U.S. Veterans
(Our thanks to Channel 50/Channel 62 for your response.)
May I have your attention please… Thank you.
“When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Thus saith the foundation upon which this nation was established. May the substance and intent of these words be made a part of our conscious minds as we continue with the business before us. Thank you.
Your host is the Community Information and Advisory (CIA) Council, and we wish, not only to welcome you, but also to extend our deepest appreciation for your presence. We are hopeful that our presentation will be of interest to you and that you will in turn apply your professional skills to see that the message of this presentation is placed before your readers and viewers. This is the first time we have had the opportunity to meet with you since the loss of one of your colleagues. I would at this time ask that we allow a moment of silence to serve as our tribute to the passing of the outstanding, courageous Peter Jennings….Thank you.
“Anyone who places life above freedom, such a person is nothing but a living corpse -- simply because in order to live, out of necessity one must first be free: basic and of equal in importance of all the components which produce this freedom are the right to speak and the assurance of being heard.” Thus saith My True Identity.
Again, welcome to you, our guests. I am LeRoi Haskins, consultant to the CIA Council and spokesperson for today’s presentation. We are meeting at the birthplace of the CIA Council. In 1968, 24 persons and I met in the dining room of this home to discuss the School Board’s closing of Guyton Elementary School -- the school one block to the east. The result of our discussion was the CIA Council. The posters hanging about tell the story of the Guyton School matter -- the CIA Council was victorious -- the school was not closed.
It is important that the purpose and structure of the CIA Council be understood, in order not to be misleading. The Council’s initial purpose is to inform and advise. Any and all matters must originate from the outside; that is, a complaint must be made to the Council for the Council to become involved. Once a complaint is accepted by the Council, a project chairman is named, who then forms a committee which includes the person or persons who filed the complaint. All proceedings of the committee are in secrecy and continue until a determination is reached. That determination is turned over to the Council, who after a review, informs and advises the opposition. Seventy-five percent of complaints received are resolved by the Council’s contact with a selected authority. Never are names or individuals identified to anyone. The Council does not engage in demonstrations or other acts of protest. There is no treasurer or solicitation of any kind. Donations are made from sale of books. All other needs and services are volunteered or donated, including legal representation when needed.
Some of you may be knowledgeable of the CIA Council as related to the 1999 impeachment trial. The Council had submitted a formal request along with other contacts to be included on the agenda as speaker. Senator Spencer Abraham was given all of the necessary papers to place the Council on the Speakers’ Agenda. He failed to do so. Several national organizations, knowing the facts in the matter, attempted to hold demonstrations in protest. The Council refused to be a part of such reaction and encouraged the parties to meet Senator Abraham at the polls. Senator Abraham lost his bid for re-election.
Our main concern at this hour is the less than healthy U. S . Veteran. When we think of veterans, perhaps warfare rushes to the forefront of our minds. Most likely at that point we can come to a common agreement that now we are talking about many problems, including mental instability. There have been many recent articles about the high suicide rate among veterans, articles in which you will find information by reliable authorities which clearly defines warfare and its apparent effect on we, the less than healthy veterans. How well do I recall the two years and nine months I spent in the combat zone during World War II, where night after night the ‘blockbuster’ bombs fell from the sky. When one landed, it knocked the soldier in the upper bunk to the floor. Then there was the 25-mile walk where in temperatures of 40 degrees below zero we had to rendezvous at a specific destination at a specific time.
Then there was that return home, where we, the less than healthy veterans reported to the jobs we had before going into the Armed Forces. A discouraging finding indicates that within six months, for various reasons, we no longer had a job. In my case, I had attended a union meeting on a particular Saturday. When asked if there were any persons in attendance for the first time, I raised my hand. I was asked to introduce myself and ask any question or make any statement of my choice. I gave my name and said, “I am only here as an observer today.” The following Monday I went to work and during the morning the plant loudspeaker called out for me to report to the office. I did so, and was told I had been tardy many times and the company could not tolerate this. I responded by saying that I rode with three other employees, and that the driver was the cause because I was always waiting and ready. I was told that getting to work on time was my responsibility, not the driver’s. Then the person said, “I understand you were at the union meeting Saturday. They are trying to organize and come in here and start trouble. I think you should stay away from these meetings.” I attended the next Saturday meeting, but did not get into any discussion or make a statement. That following Tuesday, attached to my time card was a slip of paper which read, “You are hereby relieved of your duties. Do not report to work tomorrow.” Riding home with the three other employees, I asked if any of them had ever been questioned about being late to work. None of them had. They agreed that my two appearances at the union meeting cost me my job. None of them had attended a union meeting.
Then there was that attempt to find a meaningful job with a decent salary for we, the less than healthy U.S. veterans. During each interview, there were always those questions: “How do you feel? Do you think you can do the job?” And, “Let’s give it a try,” but more often than not, “We’ll let you know after the result of your physical.” Waiting for that result became a nightmare. Somewhere along the way we found part-time employment here or there. A discouraging finding indicated that 72% of us never landed that job that would give us an adequate income to support ourselves or our families. So, we took the odd jobs wherever they could be found. In my case I worked at the post office before being laid off, as a messenger for a printing company, did exterior and interior painting and operated a jitney service.
Thus, once we stepped into our U.S. soldier uniform, these illustrations reveal that from one source or another we were being subjected to a less than healthy status. The initial intent of this CIA Council was to bring before you John Doe 1, John Doe 2, and John Doe 3. All three had volunteered to reveal their associations with the problems described in the preceding illustrations. All three had attempted suicide, with two of them having tried twice. The fact that a fourth person had brought the three Does to the attention of the CIA Council created the first difficulty, that being none of the Does had filed a complaint, such being a required action. A second difficulty came when, questioned by the Council, two of the Does began to shed tears. That reaction was sufficient cause for the Council to reject the Does’ participation at this time.
Instead, that which follows represents the Council’s report. The amount of my VA pension had been reduced for three consecutive periods. Having less income for those three periods had given me additional financial problems, especially since I never knew in advance of the reduction or its amount. I wanted to send a medical report to the pension authorities that would explain my need for more funds, not less. I was disappointed that in sending a letter reducing my pension that no form was included to allow me the opportunity to disagree. I called the VA’s 800 number, told the person that I was upset over reductions in my pension and I wanted the medical form to explain my condition, since I needed those funds that had been taken. The person stated that the form would be mailed out that day, and instructed me with these words: “Do not itemize your expenses or you will cause all kinds of complications. Just put down the total costs. For instance, if you put down over-the -counter costs, put down the total out-of-pocket cost, not the individual items. Do you understand?” I said that I understood.
A few days later, the medical form arrived. I completed it as instructed and mailed it the same day. A short time later I received a letter, which said, in part, “We need additional information…fill in each column completely, including the purpose, the amount paid by you, the date, [and] the name of the provider.” From this point on, the terms ‘VA,’ ’Mr. Braun,’ and ‘Pension Center’ are to be considered one and the same.
Please note the inconsistency between Mr. Braun’s letter and the instructions given to me when I called for the medical form. Here lies the beginning of the CIA Council’s concern, and its examination of the Pension Center. Firstly, the Council had information that the Pension Center targeted senior veterans and veterans with frequent address changes as persons to submit out-of-pocket expenses. Why these two areas, the Council asked itself? Persons in these two categories are less likely to retain records or to have the capability to produce receipts. One CIA survey said that only 4% of veterans in these categories could successfully produce the required documentation. When one of the John Does stated a number of times, “I needed medication but had no way to get to the doctor’s office for a new prescription, I suffered excessive nose bleeding and had to be rushed to the hospital,” I well understood from personal experience.
My reply to Mr. Braun reads, in part: “In your previous letter…your instructions were for me to document out-of-pocket medical expenses. In effect, you were requiring a less than healthy U.S. veteran, past his mid-eighties, to dig through papers, files, stapled materials, and records from over here and over there to answer questions you could have answered by directing a letter or phone call to any one of several sources. Well, under the most excruciating and demanding assignment ever, this U.S. veteran did not get any acknowledgement of receipt of his irritating efforts until months later.“ Might I further state that nothing in my two years and nine months in the combat zone in World War II ever disturbed my mentality as much as when writing that letter. An additional point that may be of interest to you is that prior to receiving Mr. Braun‘s letter, I went about my involvement in community and public activities by relying on a collection of recitations such as the Gettysburg Address, the Bill of Rights, the Presidents of the United States, and many popular poems. Today, it is very difficult for me to employ that material, because of my response to Mr. Braun being a constant interference.
In summation:
A. Whereas the escalated mental instability of we, the less than healthy U.S. veterans is being placed before we, the American people in a regular and consistent manner;
B. Whereas such limited knowledge does not inform we, the American people of the poverty conditions associated with we, the less than healthy U.S. veterans;
C. Whereas without corrective measures, we, the American people, will witness an increase of mental instability in we, the less than healthy U.S. veterans;
D. Whereas without a formal complaint this informative report allows we, the people, to observe the condition of we, the less than healthy U.S. veterans, living in poverty without means of transportation to the doctor to get medical care and prescriptions, and unable to purchase that necessary medication;
And E. Whereas we, the people are willing and ready to assist we, the less than healthy U.S. veterans…
IN CONCLUSION: The findings of the Community Information and Advisory (CIA) Council are, that Mr. Braun, the Pension Center, and/or the Veterans Administration is or are engaged in a deliberate and intentional conduct to circumvent their responsibility to we, the less than healthy U.S. veterans, by the execution of selective and scheming actions to deny compensation for substantiated out-of-pocket costs, for the purpose of maintaining a desired operating fund.
Thank you.
