It seems that the newly installed
Chairman of the House Veterans
Affairs Committee, Rep. Bob Filner,
has stepped on the first of
what is expected to be more
to come Vet-landmines stemming
from his apparent lack of experience
with our constituency.

H.R. 972 sponsored by Filner
himself, seeks to give cash
compensation payments of
$100,000 to civilian contractors
who were stationed in Vietnam
and may have been exposed
to Agent Orange.

By itself, this is all fine
well and good, but Hey Wait
A Minute --- What about the
Veterans ??

The Blue Water Navy Veterans
are still tied up in PROCESS
at the Veterans Disability Commission
along with the Fort McClellan
Veterans, when it has already
been verified by a base closing
(BRAC) report conducted by
Aberdeen showing that Agent Orange
was used all over the McClellan
base back in the 1960's and 70's.

And I'm sure if you talk to
enough other Veterans groups out
on the Internet, there are other
AO patients who have been left
behind as well.

It's a fair question to slow
down and examine if all of the
Veterans groups are processed
to our satisfaction so that
civilians can be waved through
to receive theirs too.

From what we are seeing in these
early stages of Rep. Filner as
Chairman, he is incredibly
Lost In Space on what our constituency
needs and requires to be fixed.
He is JUST a little too
interested in advancing the
interests of civilians and
foreign non-citizens who do
not even live here in the U.S,
without first checking the
backlog dumpster to see where
all the legitimate Vet cases
are hiding.

We have organized a semi-opposition
position to H.R. 972 simply saying
that we want Veterans First,
and civilians later.

Geez, Mr. Filner, how terribly
REPUBLICAN of you !!!


Veterans who wish to oppose
the Bill can log into the
main Committee website at
http://www.house.gov,
select the House Veterans
Affairs Committee, and on
the Home Page select Contact
The Committee. A form will
pop up and you can air
your protests and gripes
on the Bill there, and email
it to the Committee.