I Would Notice The Difference

The Veteran's Administration says that families cannot tell the difference between live and recorded music playing taps at military funerals.  That it doesn't matter.

As budget cuts are set to silence live performances of Taps at military funerals in New York, one military bugler told FoxNews.com the iconic musical piece should always be performed by an Honor Guard musician.

Jari Villanueva, director of the Maryland National Guard Honor Guard and a bugler at thousands of military funerals, said having a phony hornsman hold up an instrument while a recording plays isn’t befitting of the somber task of burying a veteran. Yet, the piped-in version is what mourners will hear at virtually all New York military funerals beginning Oct. 1, due to a 25 percent reduction in federal funding for the state's Military Forces Honor Guard.

“Taps, when it’s played by a live, professional musician, is much better than having a machine play it,” Villanueva said Wednesday. “No matter how you think you can hold the instrument, it doesn’t really appear that you’re playing it.”

Villanueva, who has performed Taps at countless military funerals, including at Arlington National Cemetery, said digital bugles have long been used by military officials during funerals due to the few qualified musicians available.

“But it’s much better to have a live player; it’s just more of an emotional thing,” he said. “The playing of Taps is open to musical interpretation. I play it a little slower, and hold out notes a little differently.”

A 25 percent cut in the $3.3 million in federal funding for New York’s Military Forces Honor Guard in fiscal year 2013 led to a 29 percent reduction in the program that funds Honor Guard units, said Eric Durr, a spokesman for the New York National Guard.

Due to that reduction, Durr said New York State will no longer hire musicians to play Taps as of Oct. 1 unless someone volunteers services free of charge.

“Since about 2003, the New York National Guard has been using the electronic bugle for most [funerals],” Durr said. “Prior to that, it was basically a guy with a boom box, so the electronic bugle is much nicer.”

In a statement to FoxNews.com, the Veterans of Foreign Wars said it was “extremely disheartened” to learn of the development.

“We were extremely disheartened to hear that the playing of Taps is being viewed more as an expense item than a necessary tribute to a fallen American patriot,” the statement read. “It's disrespectful to the families because our military and veterans ask for so little in return compared to what is risked and often given.”

According to federal guidelines, the burial of an eligible veteran shall consist of no less than two members of the armed forces, including one member of the parent service of the deceased veteran.

“The honor detail will, at a minimum, perform a ceremony that includes the folding and presenting of the American flag to the next of kin and the playing of Taps,” a Department of Defense website reads. “Taps will be played by a bugler, if available, or by electronic recording. Today, there are so few buglers available that the Military Services often cannot provide one.”

Durr said more than 300 military funerals per month staffed by the Honor Guard will be affected. He said no complaints had been received regarding the policy shift. The use of electronic bugles at military funerals has been in use since as early as 2003 under authorization by President George W. Bush as the number of Iraq War deaths and the growing number of deceased World War II veterans stretched resources.

“This is not a new thing. Most [funerals] have been done this way in the state since 2003,” Durr said. “We’re providing the services required by law. Our guys are very professional; they do a very good job.”

Electronic bugles, however, are not foolproof, according to Louis DiLeo, of Seaford, N.Y., who has played more than 7,000 funerals in New York since he was contracted in 2006. DiLeo told Stars and Stripes malfunctioning devices have marred military funerals.

“It’s sad, because this has been a time-honored tradition for 150 years,” he told the newspaper. “It shows the families that we care that much more. Taking live Taps away takes away the human element.”

Villanueva, meanwhile, said that while the electronic version is an “acceptable” alternative, nothing beats the real thing.

“I would hope there’s support for live players,” he said. “As a bugler and someone who has Taps close to my heart, I’d much rather have it performed live. But it’s the way of the world right now with budgets.”

Source

It DOES matter.  It is a point of honor.  Taps is the sending of a warrior home.  A final good-bye.  Instead to the Liberals it is nothing worth keeping.  Don't have the money, just throw it out.  Replaced with a recording.

Your Tax Dollars At Work!

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs, created in 1930 to provide government services to Veterans from both peace-time and war-time.  It is the 2nd largest Department in the US Government after the Department of Defense.  With a budget of $87.6 Billion our Veterans should have the best in heath care and benefits.  But that is not the case.  Instead the VA has been wasting funds on fluff.  For instance this little ditty.





It only cost you, the taxpayers $52,000 to make.  A bargain!!!!  The average American family has a yearly salary of $51,000, yet the VA can spend more money than the average American makes on a film that was shown at 3 conferences.  Those 3 conferences cost you the taxpayer $5 million.  And compared to other agencies and their scandals, this is becoming a symptom of the spendthrift was of the Obama Regime.

I do hope that you enjoyed this parody of Patton.  After all we all are the Producers of this ditty.

Prohibiting Religion

Will someone please explain to me what President Barack Hussein Obama and the members of his regime have against G-d?  To be exact the mention of G-d.  His Excellency, The President removed The Creator from the Declaration of Independence.  I guess he thought he could do one better than Thomas Jefferson.  And he really made history when he became the first US President to Omit G-d from the traditional Thanksgiving Proclamation.  Who the heck was he being Thankful to on that day?  Himself?  From the way he behaves I do believe that he believes he is G-d, or at least the Messiah.  I am assured that he is neither.

The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree, and his minions are following his Glorious example:

A Texas lawmaker is calling for a congressional investigation of the Houston National Cemetery after he went undercover and determined that cemetery officials are still preventing Christian prayers at the funerals of military veterans.

“The Obama administration continues to try to prevent the word ‘God’ from being used at the funerals of our heroes,” said. Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas).

“It’s unacceptable and I’m going to put a stop to it as fast as humanly possible,” Culberson told Fox News Radio. He attended a burial service at the cemetery undercover on July 8, when he says he witnessed volunteer members of the honor guard from the Veterans of Foreign Wars being prohibited from using any references to God.

“The Obama administration had told the nation and me they were not interfering with the prayer said over the graves of veterans,” he said. “And I went undercover to personally verify that claim.” VA officials have strongly denied they’ve banned any religious speech – and have offered support for Arleen Ocasio, the cemetery’s director.

“The idea that invoking the name of God or Jesus is banned at VA national cemeteries is blatantly false,” said VA Press Secretary Josh Taylor in a written statement to Fox News Radio. “The truth is, VA’s policy protects veterans’ families’ rights to pray however they choose at our national cemeteries.”

Taylor declined to comment on the pending lawsuit or other ongoing legal proceedings, but did say, “No one should make judgments before all the facts are known.” Culberson said the commander of the honor guard was told by cemetery officials to approach a grieving widow to reconfirm that she wanted the word God mentioned at her husband’s graveside service.

“He quite correctly said as a Texan and a man of honor and integrity, ‘I’m not bothering that poor woman at this most terrible time of her life. We’re going to do the ritual,’” Culberson said. “Right in front of me, the VA directly and deliberately attempted to prevent the VFW from doing their magnificent, spiritual ritual over the grave of this fallen hero."

The cemetery is already the focus of a lawsuit filed on behalf of the VFW, an American Legion post and Houston’s National Memorial Ladies. They claim the VA banned members of the organizations from using the words “God” or “Jesus” at burial services.

They also allege they were banned from reciting prayers or using religious language during services unless families approved the text in advance. Culberson, who oversees the sub-committee responsible for funding the cemetery, said that he wants the cemetery director fired – and he’s willing to do whatever possible to make sure that happens.

“The cemetery director has to leave,” he said. “I will zero out her salary. If she attempts to work for the VA anywhere in the state of Texas her salary will be zero.”

“It makes my skin crawl that liberals are attempting to drive prayer out of a funeral ceremony for our heroes,” Culberson said. “We’re going to fix this so that no Obama liberal bureaucrat will interfere with the funeral of a hero.”

But Taylor said the rules set in place at the cemetery are meant to protect the grieving families.

“Put simply, VA policy puts the wishes of the veteran’s family above all else on the day it matters most – the day they pay their final respects to their loved ones,” Taylor said. "Out of respect for the families, VA’s policy exists to prevent anyone from disrespecting or interfering with a veteran’s private committal service.”

Controversy first surfaced nationally at the cemetery during a Memorial Day event when a Houston pastor was ordered by the VA to remove the name of Jesus from his prayer.

Culberson said he hopes to hold hearings on the cemetery in the fall.

“They will bury 10 to 20 American heroes today and the Obama administration is preventing prayers from being said over their gravesites – today, ” Culberson said.

I have been to numerous funerals at Veterans Cemeteries, and not once has the grieving family every asked a person or group not to pray or mention G-d.  It is true that non-Christian families will ask that Jesus not be mentioned.  But never once has a family not received the condolences and prayers of others for their loved one without a bit of gratitude.

There is something obscene about telling people not to pray at a cemetery, a funeral, or to mention G-d when giving a grieving family your condolences.  I wonder if it is only Christians who are being discriminated in this manner or does this ban extend to Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims?  This ban, concocted by a low-level bureaucrat of the lowest order, is just one step of many to eliminate G-d or any mention of the Creator from this country.  If it is not stopped now, if the Godless Progressives can make this ban stick, then the right of those of us who believe and worship will eventually be eliminated and our faiths will be driven underground.

Death Book Denied: End of Life Questions for Vets

By Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

Today on the news, the "Veteran Death Book" dominates. The Wall Street Journal put the information out there, with an article by Jim Towey. In the video below, you will hear a full discussion of the Death Book between Towey and Chris Wallace, and then Veterans Administration Secretary Tammy Duckworth and Wallace.

Tammy Duckworth - Veteran End of Life Questions

The controversy revolves around the book Your Life Your Choices. At one point it asks the question "What makes your life worth living?" You'll see the questions below but if you fit a certain category, you are referred to the Hemlock Society, with it's newly renamed moniker, Compassion and Choices. It is the only organization Veterans are referred to.

Along with the excellent discussion below, and Towey's WSJ article, Kimberly Morin of the Boston Conservative Independent Examiner has some of the best commentary I've seen today. Cutting to the chase before you watch the video, Morin downloaded 'Your Life, Your Choices' (the Veteran's Death Book) and here is a portion from from her article:

...there is a check list in the middle of the document that specifically asks questions about "What makes your life worth living?”. It is a checklist that doesn’t just include needing a feeding tube or being on permanent life support, the questions are absolutely, in my opinion, insane. These questions are being asked to all Veterans receiving treatment, including 20 year olds who have been severely wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan. I have listed all of the questions below so you can see for yourself:

a. I can no longer walk but get around in a wheelchair.
b. I can no longer get outside—I spend all day at home.
c. I can no longer contribute to my family's well being.
d. I am in severe pain most of the time.
e. I have severe discomfort most of the time (such as nausea, diarrhea, or shortness of breath).
f. I rely on a feeding tube to keep me alive.
g. I rely on a kidney dialysis machine to keep me alive.
h. I rely on a breathing machine to keep me alive.
i. I need someone to help take care of me all of time.
j. I can no longer control my bladder.
k. I can no longer control my bowels.
l. I live in a nursing home.
m. I can no longer think clearly-I am confused all the time.
n. I can no longer recognize family/friends
o. I can no longer talk and be understood by others.
p. My situation causes severe emotional burden for my family (such as feeling worried or stressed all the time).
q. I am a severe financial burden on my family.
r. I cannot seem to “shake the blues.”

These questions are followed by the questions below:

“If you checked "worth living, but just barely" for more than one factor, would a combination of these factors make your life "not worth living?" If so, which factors?

If you checked "not worth living," does this mean that you would rather die than be kept alive?

If you checked "can't answer now," what information or people do you need to help you decide?”

What the hell kind of questions are these to be asking Veterans who have just risked their lives to keep America safe from terrorists? What kind of person would ask a 20 year old quadriplegic if they would rather die than be in a wheelchair or a burden to his/her family or if they have the blues? Of course they would have the blues in this case and of course no one wants to be in a wheelchair and of course no one wants to be a burden on their family but to suggest to a Veteran that these answers possibly mean they would ‘rather die than be kept alive’ is atrocious, outrageous, disgusting, immoral, unethical and one of the most un-American things I have ever read in my entire life.

Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs appears in the second half of the video. Duckworth, a severly injured Iraq war aviator, tells Wallace the book is not available to veterans. Wallace points out that it has been available until this week. She denies it. Wallace has a screen grab to prove it. Wallace reads the following to Duckworth as content currently on the VA website:

In the VHA directive of July 2nd, 2009, it says the following on page 8, "Primary care practitioners are responsible for giving patients pertinent educational materials, e.g. refer patients to the 'Your Life, Your Choices' module." I mean, it's just there in black and white on the VHA directive of July 2nd.

Secretary Duckworth continues to deny it. Transcript of Wallace-Towey-Duckworth discussion here or in the video below:



Veteran End of Life Questions

Related:
Throwing Tammy Duckworth Under the Bus View blog reactions

Obama's War On Veterans

Hat tip to TexasFred

I am a widow. My late husband was a 100% service connected disabled American Veteran. And although I am not a service connected veteran, I am without health insurance, therefore I have been using the VA. So when I write about the VA, its hospitals, and the benefits, I can say I am somewhat of an expert.

Those of us who have served our nation do not ask for handouts. We do not ask for special privileges, we do ask for respect and understanding.

Many of us who have served this nation have returned to civilian life with problems (physical and mental) that civilian doctors are not equipped to cope with. Many of us have either no insurance or our insurance companies will not cover the cost of our treatment. So we turn to the VA (normally at the last resort) for treatment.

Non-service connected veterans have been required to pay for treatment (if they can) or their insurance companies are billed. But service connected veterans (with disability ratings of 50% or higher) are not billed and are not required to pay for any services at a VA Hospital. Until now.

The leader of the nation's largest veterans organization says he is "deeply disappointed and concerned" after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.

"It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan," said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. "He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it."

The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, "This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ' to care for him who shall have borne the battle' given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America's veterans!"

Commander Rehbein was among a group of senior officials from veterans service organizations joining the President, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and Steven Kosiak, the overseer of defense spending at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The group's early afternoon conversation at The White House was precipitated by a letter of protest presented to the President earlier this month. The letter, co-signed by Commander Rehbein and the heads of ten colleague organizations, read, in part, " There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran's personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable."

Commander Rehbein reiterated points made last week in testimony to both House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees. It was stated then that The American Legion believes that the reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate that VA treat service-connected injuries and disabilities given that the United States government sends members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. The proposed requirement for these companies to reimburse the VA would not only be unfair, says the Legion, but would have an adverse impact on service-connected disabled veterans and their families. The Legion argues that, depending on the severity of the medical conditions involved, maximum insurance coverage limits could be reached through treatment of the veteran's condition alone. That would leave the rest of the family without health care benefits.

The Legion also points out that many health insurance companies require deductibles to be paid before any benefits are covered. Additionally, the Legion is concerned that private insurance premiums would be elevated to cover service-connected disabled veterans and their families, especially if the veterans are self-employed or employed in small businesses unable to negotiate more favorable across-the-board insurance policy pricing. The American Legion also believes that some employers, especially small businesses, would be reluctant to hire veterans with service-connected disabilities due to the negative impact their employment might have on obtaining and financing company health care benefits.

"I got the distinct impression that the only hope of this plan not being enacted," said Commander Rehbein, "is for an alternative plan to be developed that would generate the desired $540-million in revenue. The American Legion has long advocated for Medicare reimbursement to VA for the treatment of veterans. This, we believe, would more easily meet the President's financial goal. We will present that idea in an anticipated conference call with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel in the near future.

"I only hope the administration will really listen to us then. This matter has far more serious ramifications than the President is imagining," concluded the Commander.

It seems that we have a man as President who has no concern for the men and women who have returned from combat, who have served this nation honorably. This is his great idea for National Health Care.

I know from experience that a service connected veteran cannot afford health insurance. The premiums are just too high. And with the VA now going to charge for their medical insurance, it will become a death sentence for thousands of veterans who have no insurance, cannot afford insurance, and now cannot afford treatment at the VA.

Ask yourself this? Why is it an illegal immigrant from Mexico can get pregnant, and have the child in the US, paid for by US taxpayers. This immigrant doesn't have to pay a dime. Yet, not one veteran, service connected or otherwise, will ever receive the same thing?

What this Administration is planning to do to US Veterans borders on treason. He and his whole staff should be ashamed of just proposing this horrifying idea and should be getting down on their knees in a mea culpa to each and every one of us who has served this nation honorably.