Stop the Veterans' Land Grab

From Do the Right Thing:

1 billion dollars of Veterans land given away for a buck!



A THIEF IN THE NIGHT

Did you ever have an encounter with a thief?

If not, how many times have you read or heard about their sudden attacks in newspapers or TV and thought or gasped, ‘I hope that never happens to me’?



You decide this may be a good time to put a burglar alarm in your home. Well, I learned something not too long ago; most thieves in the night are people we know. It could be a friend, a boss, a family member, your TV, but most often it is those we elect into political office: the very people who are supposed to work for us and protect our interests. And all the burglar alarms in the world will not stop them since they do not detect them I know one is not supposed to carry a civil discourse in this manner but we have come to a time in history were we must now speak or our tongues may be silenced for a long time. As I write this, we have politicians all over the country stealing from us. Many of you are now more than aware of this new Cap and Trade bill brought to us by ‘our’ representative in the 30th district of California Mr. Henry Waxman.


Well, you may also want to know that Mr.Waxman has been quite busy these days not only by promoting the biggest tax in the history of the USA but also by helping to give away land he does not own. Whose land? The land of our revered Veterans, that’s whose land. This land is slowly being doled out to special interest groups that benefit Mr. Waxman and his friends also known as the “Westside Political Machine” Sadly, he is not the only one doing this; politicians all over the country are ‘giving’ land they do not own to special interest groups. Eighty-five acres of Veterans lands were just annexed in Chicago. Where did it go to? Who got it?


So, let’s start with a little history on Veteran land here in Los Angeles in Henry Waxman’s district in order to get the big picture of what is happening all over this country.


Veteran land is land that has been deeded to the Veterans to take care of their physical and emotional wounds. One of these lands the West Los Angeles Veterans' Home (WL VHA) the largest parcel on land for Veterans in the USA, was donated by Arcadia de Baker and John P. Jones in 1888 to the Government for the sole purpose of providing permanent care to our Veterans. Arcadia de Baker kindly donated 388 acres in West Los Angeles, to Veterans and our Veterans ONLY.

You can find the rest of that here. Be sure to check on the link for the Veterans' Land Grab site while you are there.

THEN, get involved in this. I know this is short notice, but there are rallies being held:

Join the Rally to Save Our Veterans’ Property

By Steve Crandall


Once again we are being called to defend our land. This time it is not from a far away land but here at home. Our weapons of defense have changed from rifles to pens, laptops and protest signs. This time we are fighting over a broken promise. The promise is included in a 388-acre deed by John P. Jones and Arcadia de Baker to the United States.


The deed states that this land is to be used for the sole purpose of providing veterans a place to heal from war. This property is now called the “VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System” and is managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Our new battle is with the VA and the “Veterans Park Conservancy.

In September 2007 the Los Angeles VA entered into a “Shared Property” agreement with an organized group of Brentwood and Beverly Hills residents calling themselves the “Veterans Park Conservancy” (VPC) to use 16 acres of that land, rent-free, as a public park. The agreement runs for 20 years with an option for 10 more.

The $6M - $7M worth of improvements are to be paid for through donations collected by the Conservancy. Because the $6m - $7M includes the cost of permanent structures, reversing a “public agreement” is going to be next to impossible and the land will never revert back to its intended use.

The veterans along with Senator Alan Cranston and Senator Pete Wilson saved this land once before in 1986 when the Federal Government wanted to sell 80 acres for public development.

In response to the veterans efforts the VPC made a statement that the "VETERANS TOUCHED OUR HEARTS AND INSPIRED US TO PRESERVE THEIR LAND" but their actions tell a different story.

When the agreement was originally drafted the VA had a clause for a one-year termination-for-convenience. This meant that with a one-year notice the VA could rescind the agreement with the VPC and take the land back.

The VPC and community supporters pressured the VA to remove the one-year termination-for-convenience clause because per Sue Young, the executive director of the VPC, “the clause would make fundraising impossible and would jeopardize the project”.

To further demonstrate their insincerity, VPC advertised the proposed park by placing a sign “Beauty, Honor, Country”, thus trivializing the US Military Academy’s motto “Duty, Honor, Country”. Their focus on “Beauty” rather than “Duty” clearly indicates they do not understand the sacrifices veterans and their families have endured to protect our country. To claim to have the veterans’ interest at heart is a slap in the face to all veterans.

Even the VPC’s original website stated: The 16-acre parcel will be for the “creation of the first new community park to be built in West Los Angeles in over 50 years. It further stated: “What we have in mind is a scaled-down version of a grand community park in the tradition of New York's Central Park. Most importantly, it will attract all segments of our West Los Angeles community: Veterans and civilians, children and adults, featuring numerous activities for everyone.”

The quest to turn the veteran’s land into a public park does not rest solely with the Conservancy group. They are backed by Congressional Representatives who would rather put this land in the hands of their wealthy constituents than honor the original deed agreement and provide the veterans that fought for this country a protected place to heal from war.

That’s why the CA Veteran’s Democratic Caucus created a resolution to rescind the shared agreement. On July 19th the California Democratic Party’s Executive Board adopted the resolution, stating that the shared agreement “is inconsistent with the exclusive use for veterans envisioned by the donors, and the trust conveyed in their deed to the United States”.

Unfortunately, Representative Henry Waxman (D CA-30), in whose district the property falls, and Representative Bob Filner (D CA-51), the Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, and U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer can toss this resolution in the recycle basket if they wish. But if they toss the resolution aside it will put them in direct conflict with the philosophical belief of the California Democratic Party and all supporting veterans.

So we still need your support. A small group of dedicated veterans stand vigil over the veterans’ land in West Los Angeles every Sunday. Don’t let them stand-alone. We must all stand together to protect this land on behalf of all veterans and not let this land be stolen. [emphasis mine]

Join us on August 16th for a rally to “Save Our Veterans’ Land” at the Northeast corner of San Vicente and Wilshire Blvds. in West Los Angeles from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

Steve Crandall, President
CA Central Coast Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War
805-388-1542. (source Veterans Today here)

If you can't make it tomorrow, commit to being there another Sunday, or call Mr. Crandall to see what else you can do. This must NOT go unchallenged. Our veterans deserve better than this.

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Flame Your Congressman!

If your Representative or Senator is supporting Waxman-Markey and Obama Care, or wavering on the fence, leaning toward a yes vote, and if you are too delicate of personality or polite to tell him or her directly where to go, relief is at hand.

A new blog page has been posted, which states with brevity and clarity, the reasons for rejecting both power grab proposals and displays in large, bold type, a profane execration expressing absolute rejection of the proposed legislation.

The page's url is: http://snooper.wordpress.com/hell-no/ . The direct link to the execration is: http://snooper.wordpress.com/hell-no/#Clarity . You can insert a hyperlink into a plain text email by using these html tags:

• the bottom line
• the bottom line

Substitute your choice of link text for "the bottom line" in the a link. If you use the second form above, the recipient who clicks the link will see the big, bold, bright execration right up front. If you use the first form, your recipient will see the pretext before scrolling down to the curse.

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“It is only a ceasefire for Israel. It is never a ceasefire for the terrorists in the Gaza Strip.”

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle



From the Sderot Media Center:

Waiting for the Color Red

by Jacob Shrybman

(Israelnationalnews.com) As this is the third ceasefire in three years between Hamas and Israel - with over 226 rockets being fired in the seven months since Operation Cast Lead - you will be hard pressed to find a person in Sderot who believes in the relative quiet. There is a common joke that it isn't a true ceasefire, but more like we "cease" and they "fire".

One of the most visible developments is the extensive construction of bomb shelters underway throughout Sderot. There is a huge influx of building materials for private one-room bomb shelters attached to people's homes and whole apartment complexes adding bomb shelters to each level of the building. Wherever you look in this small city of 19,500 residents, you can see thousands of shekels being poured into preparation for future rocket attacks.

Besides the various terror attacks on the border that have thankfully been thwarted by the Israel Defense Forces, there remains steady smuggling of terror weapons into the Gaza Strip. According to Israel Security Agency Chief Yuval Diskin, "Hamas is continuing to increase its strength, manufacture longer-range rockets and smuggle rockets of a far superior quality." One of these newer Grad missiles, coming straight from Iran with heightened targeting capabilities and explosive power, hit a school in Ashkelon over the Sabbath back in February. In early June, Hamas terrorists packed horses full of explosives and attempted to attack the IDF on the Gaza border.

The last home that was hit in Sderot on May 19, 2009. (Photo: Noam Bedein)

The situation in southern Israel is quieter than during Operation Cast Lead; however, as one can see from various small news bites, it is a very delicate silence.

As this delicate silence continues, the more trouble the victims of this once daily reality of rockets have with any sort of treatment. The emergency center that treats victims of the Kassam attacks shut down this June. The two centers that treat the vast psychological damage to the people of the region will shut down in the coming months due to lack of funding. One of the private sponsors of the centers, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, cut their funding due to a restructuring of priorities.

While the medical professionals diagnose people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as frequently as they do a common cold, there remains the unique Sderot phenomenon that there is no "post-trauma" yet due to the continuation of the rocket fire. Dr. Danny Brom, the founder and director of the Israel Center for Treatment of Psychotrauma, says that, unlike the northern cities of Haifa and Kiryat Shemona following the 2006 war with Hizbullah, Sderot is "not in a post-traumatic reality." Even though the need for trauma treatment is ever present, the centers serving Sderot and the surrounding areas are closing.

After the widely covered Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip this past December and January came the widespread criticisms and condemnations of Israel's actions. The United Nations established a fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict. Although the Israeli government did not officially participate, private individuals flew to Geneva to testify about the rocket fire in southern Israel. This past July, along with Noam Shalit, Sderot Media Center Director Noam Bedein gave testimony, with the assistance of videos, explaining the human side of the daily reality of rocket fire on civilians.

This is the third "quiet period" Sderot has seen. During the first, over 300 rockets landed in the region and during the second, over 500; now, the number is steadily rising to over 226 rockets. The world may have found new topics in the news, but that has not stopped the rockets. Sderot is continuing to go about its daily life through the eerie quiet, knowing well that the rockets will return in full force in due time.

In a cease-fire, both sides are suppose to stop all attacks. Not just one side.

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen and Texas Governor Perry Visit Emergency Center in ‘Missile City’

by Jacob Shrybman

Following four rocket and mortar attacks in southern Israel this week making it 230 attacks since the ceasefire on January 18th, ranking Republican member of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) and Texas Governor Rick Perry visited Sderot, Israel and the shut down Sderot Emergency Center accompanied by the Sderot Media Center yesterday. During the visit, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen noted the still apparent rocket threat, “It is only a ceasefire for Israel. It is never a ceasefire for the terrorists in the Gaza Strip.”

Texas Governor Rick Perry in Sderot, Israel.

The Congresswoman and Texas Governor visited the city of Sderot, Israel today to see first hand the toll that over eight years of rocket fire has had on the people of Sderot. The Sderot Emergency Center which provides immediate first aid to the victims of the rocket attacks was closed last month due to lack of funding and was specially opened for Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen and Governor Perry.

View video here.

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen expressed her concern for the deterioration of the situation in Sderot. “We are very worried about the budget cuts of the trauma clinics. That is going to have such a severe negative impact on the children and the families of this ‘Missile City’.” The Congresswoman continued to highlight the city's psychological crisis and the closing of its trauma centers, “The needs are getting tougher and tougher and yet you see trauma centers getting closed. It just makes no sense.”

After visiting the closed Sderot Emergency Center, the Congresswoman and Texas Governor spoke to Sderot residents and viewed a short clip from Sderot Media Center ’s and American producer Liane Thompson’s upcoming feature-length documentary, Missile City Kids , that aims to create global awareness of the psychological trauma of Sderot’s children.

Texas Governor Rick Perry commented after the clip of Missile City Kids, “I hope most Americans realize that there’s a part of the world where children are still being victimized, and individuals, freedom loving people, who just want to live in freedom and live in peace are being victimized every day by individuals, who for whatever reason, want to attack in the most vicious and thoughtless way to destroy lives. And for what reason? G-d only knows.” The Governor continued conveying his support for Sderot, “Americans and certainly Texans are going to be supporting the citizens of this city.”

Gov. Perry not only paid a visit to Sderot, he is in Israel discussing security, seeing the sites, and received the Defender of Jerusalem Award.

Besides the lone star that sits boldly on both of their flags, Texas and Israel have much in common, and a sturdy relationship that should continue to grow, according to Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is in the country on a visit aimed at strengthening economic ties between the Jewish State and his own.

"I come from a pro-business, pro-prosperity point of view," Gov. Perry told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, "And the first goal of this trip was to further some of the economic development that already exists between Texas and Israel, and to recruit some of the Israeli businesses we visited here to expand and come to Texas."

Perry also recalled the Texas-Israel Exchange - a body that supports the trade of agricultural know-how between Texan and Israeli scientists - which he established in 1991, while serving as the Texas Agriculture Commissioner.

"We have a connection that goes back many years," he said. "And Israel has a lot that we can learn from, especially in the areas of water conservation and semi-arid land - Israeli technology has helped us a lot in dealing with drought."

"But also," the governor continued, "when I was here for the first time some 18 years ago and I was touring the country, the comparison between Masada and the Alamo was not lost on me. I mean, we're talking about two groups of people who were willing to give up their lives for freedom and liberty." Beyond the comparisons, Gov. Perry said another point of his trip here was to show other people "what was really going on", with regards to the military threats facing the country, and in particular the IDF's recent Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.

"We went to the border with Gaza and received a briefing from the army there, and we went to Sderot and saw the police station with all the Kassam rockets piled up, we saw playgrounds that had to be covered from rocket fire. It's a powerful place." In that vein, the governor said he was also interested in learning more about security aspects while in the country, as Texas has a large, porous border with Mexico, and the recent violence in that country had unnerved many Texans.

"Israel is a leader in security technology, and another reason for our visit to the Gaza border was to see some of the security measures being used there," said Perry.

Read the full story here.

Wouldn't that be funny. The Texas border safeguarded by Israeli technology. I wonder when the Mexican government would start comparing itself to Gaza.

“I hope most Americans realize that there’s a part of the world where children are still being victimized, and individuals, freedom loving people, who just want to live in freedom and live in peace are being victimized every day by individuals, who for whatever reason, want to attack in the most vicious and thoughtless way to destroy lives. And for what reason? G-d only knows. Americans and certainly Texans are going to be supporting the citizens of this city.” Gov. Rick Perry.

I hope you will support Sderot too. Just click here, and donate what you can. The smallest amount goes a long way.

And this tribute is for Gov. Rick Perry and all the good people of Texas. How I wish he was my Governor!

Texas, our Texas - Lone Star State tribute

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A Letter To America

by Findalis of Monkey in the Middle



A letter from an Englishman to the people of America

Dear Mr and Mrs America,

I am writing this letter to you in the hope that I can draw to your attention the dangerous route your country is taking,

I am naught but an ordinary Englishman who is seeing the danger signs springing up in the country where my children live, below is what I see happening in America, and I would not like to see the USA going down the same disastrous route that the UK has been taken by its government.

Many years ago, just after the small argument that America and Britain had over taxes,people from all over Europe migrated to the New World, they came for a new life and a new start, they did not come as French Americans, Dutch or German Americans or even English Americans, they arrived and became "Americans" , they signed up to the American way.

These people remembered their old country but were committed to their new one, its values principles and practices were the bedrock of their being in America.

These people set about building the most powerful country on the planet, they had a common aim, a common belief and a common will, that will was to build America for their children.

These people endured much hardship and privation but they did not give up, they were determined to build America.

The foundations of your country was built by these people, the ideals of your country are steeped in the sweat and blood of these early Americans.

Alas the sacrifices of these people appear to be slipping into history, they are being relegated to folklore.

The foundations that were laid are being eroded and there is a great danger that America will no longer be American unless a change of course is made.

The Balkanization of America could happen, Multiculturalism has reared its destructive head in the USA.

Multiculturalism is an invention of socialist dogma, its main premise is that all cultures can live in complete harmony in the same space without surrendering any of their cultural beliefs and practices.

On the face of it that is true, indeed Europe has many cultures on its land mass but they are all in their own space these spaces are called countries, each country , as you know has its own unique culture.

It is precisely that concept that multiculturalism dislikes intently, multiculturalism states that you can have significant populations of other cultures, practicing their culture, living in Germany for example and there will not be any conflict of cultural ideals, provided that the host country - in this case Germany makes concessions to the other culture.

Multiculturalism does not tolerate the concept of a united nation state, united in the sense of its own culture being predominant within that country, this is a big no - no.

The multiculturalist concept fractures countries and leads to the partition of those countries, Kosovo is a prime example of this happening.

When the "guest" cultures grow bigger the demands upon the" host" country grow stronger, inevitably the host country has to surrender more of its own values, principles and practices in order to accommodate the wishes of their guests - not to do so would be seen as racist or Xenophobic.

Islam has now taken root in the USA, Islam will not surrender any of its beliefs and practices, Islam will demand that the USA accommodate all of its wishes, Islam will demand that the USA introduces legislation that makes it unlawful to criticize Islam, Islam will demand its own Sharia legal system, Islam will demand its own food (Halal), Islam will demand its own schools (Madrases) Islam will demand its own governing body

Islam will grow in the USA, the birth rate of Muslims is very high, when sufficient numbers are reached they will eventually demand their own state - Balkanization will have started.

Should any American want to see what Multiculturalism and the influx of Islam into a country results in, all I can say is take a look at the UK, a good hard look.

If Mr and Mrs America want to keep America American, remember your roots, do not allow your government to sign away your history, The labour government have done just that in the UK - without our permission

America has a "Democrat" President, the policies of the democrats in America are almost exactly the same as the Labour government in the UK, they are all based upon socialist concepts, The EU is based on Socialist concepts and is run by ex communist party members, as is the UK.

If America wants to be overrun by hordes of people who do not support the American way of life, who expect to be given precedence upon arrival in the US, who will have no allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, who will jeer and insult American military personnel, who will overtly declare their hatred of America and will plan to destroy the USA and all it stands for - then carry on with the socialist multicultural model.

I know many in America are aware of what is happening and I hope that many many more will realize the situation as well, there is however one thing all Americans must remember - AMERICA IS NOT TOO BIG TO FALL, you now have the enemy within, you like the UK have a fifth column in your country.

Great Britain is fighting for its very soul. The indigenous people of the British Isles are under threat from Islam daily. Already Shar'ia Law governs many areas. Areas in which a non-Muslim is forbidden to go.

There are calls here in the US to incorporate Shar'ia Law into our court system. There are efforts by CAIR to force the US into giving special privileges and rights to Muslims in the workplace, schools, and recreation centers. No other minority group ever asked for special privileges, yet we are suppose to grant it to Muslims.

The warnings are being sounded. Will we in the US ever listen?

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(logo courtesy of the FaceBook page here)


From the 2,996 Project Home Page here:

What is 2996?

Project 2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2006, more than 3,000 bloggers joined together to remember the victims of 9/11.

Each year we will honor them by remembering their lives, and not by remembering their murderers.

If you would like to help out, by pledging to post a tribute on your own blog on 9/11 of this year, click the button at the top of the sidebar. Then, use the web to learn something about the life of the name you are given, and on 9/11, post your tribute your blog or website.

But, and this is critical, the tributes should celebrate the lives of these people–kind of like a wake. Over the last 5 years we’ve heard the names of the killers, and all about the victim’s deaths. This is a chance to learn about and celebrate those who died. Forget the murderers, they don’t deserve to be remembered. But some people who died that day deserve to be remembered––2,996 people.

Thank you,

Dale Challener Roe

It is really easy to sign up, and it does not take more than a few minutes of your time to put together a tribute for one of those we all lost on 9/11.

Please go check it out here.

Let us NEVER forget.

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