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Ear to the Ground

Gonzales Among Defendants in Iraq Vets’ PTSD Suit

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Posted on Jul 23, 2007
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AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite

With the problem of post-traumatic stress disorder on the rise among American veterans returning from battle in Iraq and Afghanistan, two veterans’ groups have filed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (pictured) and other defendants, citing systemwide failures in dealing with the PTSD crisis on the governmental level.


Excerpted from the complaint filed by Morrison & Foerster on behalf of the plaintiffs:

This lawsuit stems from the shameful failures of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs ("VA") and other governmental institutions to meet our nation’s legal and moral obligations to honor and care for our wounded veterans who have served our country.  Because of those failures, hundreds of thousands of men and women who have suffered grievous injuries fighting in the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are being abandoned.  Unless systemic and drastic measures are instituted immediately, the costs to these veterans, their families, and our nation will be incalculable, including broken families, a new generation of unemployed and homeless veterans, increases in drug abuse and alcoholism, and crushing burdens on the health care delivery system and other social services in our communities.

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Read the full press release from Morrison & Foerster here.

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By ender, July 25, 2007 at 10:07 am #

Libby, Colin Powell, Rumsfeld and a boatload of Generals have already been sacrifised on the alter of the PNAC(Program for a New American Century) agenda for the advancement of the defense industry cabal that Pres. Eisehower warned us about.

There will be no impeachment of Bush or Cheney.  Neither Congress that voted for the war, nor the Busheep that elected the Axis of Evil, TWICE, want to have their noses rubbed in their own smelly offal of stupidity.

Many American institutions fall apart if viewed without the utter conviction that our emperor really isn’t naked, and that we are not run by a small group of monied emperialist.

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By AlohaMan, July 25, 2007 at 1:35 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Does anyone besides me think that the only reason Gonzales is still around is because he takes the heat off of Bush and Cheney?  I know we all like to think of them as idiots, but they did make it to the highest office in the land.  It’s not that uncommon that if you encounter a bull dog, you try to distract them with a piece of meat.  Gonzales is that piece of meat.  We’re growling at him and taking our eye off the real target.

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By QuyTran, July 24, 2007 at 5:29 pm #

Sleepy dog tries to bark !

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By ender, July 24, 2007 at 6:08 am #

Unlike much of the enemy we face in Iraq, who hide behind women and children, and revel in the political clout for their cause when those same innocents are killed, our soldiers suffer true regret and mental anguish at the death of noncombatants.

The war in Iraq isn’t wrong because Saddam deserved to stay in power, but because Iraqis don’t deserve freedom from the tyrant when they act just as evil and perverse against each other as he did.

I certainly hope your viscious little tyrant of a god, allah and his pimp mohammed, are proud of the monsters they have created.

And our gov’t needs to get our troops out of there and let you kill each other in a rapid manner.  We need to take care of our own.

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By PACRAT, July 24, 2007 at 5:22 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Gonzalez victim of Bush Stress Disorder (DSD)

We knew it would happen sooner or later. Gonzalez has finally subcumbed to the stress of lying and mismanaging the treatment of our military who have been in combat or witnessed it.

Our military carries the burden of kill or be killed - plus beginning to realize that their efforts are mostly in support of creeps like Gonzalez and his bosses. No wonder they are doubly stressed!

How can Gonzalez deal with the effects of the war on our military when he can’t deal with his own problems. I know, dump him and let him stew in his own stress!

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By Margaret Currey, July 24, 2007 at 3:04 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

You got to realize that Bush got elected because he used the Jeasus people, never mind that the man is still on drugs and that Chaney is the shadow president, the IMPEACHMENT WORD HAS TO GET OUT, IMPEACH BUSH AND CHANEY BOTH, BECAUSE CHANEY IS PRESIDENT BUT NOT IN NAME, BUT HE CAN DO A LOT OF DAMAGE, IMPEACH, IMPEACH, IMPEACH THE CONGRESS HAS GOT TO GET IT THAT THESE CRIMINALS MUST BE IMPEACHED.

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By cyrena, July 24, 2007 at 2:35 am #

Waxman, if there was a god, he would save the VICTIMS of these drunks, and let the drunks save themselves.

(for whatever reason, it’s always the drunk that survives the damage from whatever destruction they’ve caused.) I’ve seen it happen dozens of times on Interstate 20 in Texas. Other places as well.

I once saw a drunk guy fall off of a jet bridge at the Chicago airport. He had a bruise or two, but was basically OK. If he hadn’t been drunk, it probably would have killed him. (or, at least banged him up really bad.) On that occassion at least, nobody else got hurt either, but that isn’t usually the case.

So, I think drunks generally fall into the category that God watches out for, like babies and fools.

It’s the rest of us that have to be on guard.

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By Johnny Doughey, July 23, 2007 at 10:00 pm #

vet240....
Sorry, but we can no longer learn from history because the youth of today are no longer taught history.  Take a look at a current history textbook.  It is sold around the country to local school boards who really do not desire to have the children learn anything less than shiney good examples of local history.

We are therefore teaching our youth to learn from folklore, rather than true history.  We WILL, therefore, repeat it…

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By Outraged, July 23, 2007 at 8:17 pm #

We may need to remind Mr. Gonzales that we’re at war and our veterans need care, being that he suffers from SML (selective memory loss).

But really, I surely do understand how hard it must be for poor ol’ Mr. Gonzales suffering from his severe case of SML.  I mean doesn’t it just break your heart.  And now he’ll have to address this lawsuit, all while he’s sick and everything.  My,,,my what is this world coming to.  But don’t you fret Alberto.  I’m going to put fresh flowers in front of the “Mary in a bathtub” that’s in my backyard.  I’ll pray everyday that you’ll be miraculously cured....god willing.

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By weather, July 23, 2007 at 7:13 pm #

Expand the reach and scope of this class-action by naming Israel a co-defendant to this matter.

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By vet240, July 23, 2007 at 7:12 pm #

This is the true way our leadership feels about our veterans.

It’s never changed. Not since General Macarthur’s most controversial act in 1932, when then President Hoover ordered him to disperse the “Bonus Army” of veterans who were in the capital protesting against the governmentafter it had reneged on compensation.
MacArthur ordered the use of tear gas, tanks, cavalry with sabers drawn, and infantry with fixed bayonets to disperse the protesters.

The leaders will promise you anything to get you to fight their wars, and give you nothing in return.

How much history do you need to read to understand that these people do not support or honor our veterans.

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By tyler, July 23, 2007 at 6:52 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Good luck with that.

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By waxman, July 23, 2007 at 6:34 pm #

I AM A VETERAN, GONZALES IS NOT, HE IS STILL WHAT HE IS....HE DOSEN’T KNOW IF HIS GRANDPARENTS WERE EVER CITIZENS OR NOT....I FORGOT ..  HE IS PART OF BUSH’S TRIBE.........HE KNOWS MORE ABOUT THE ALAMO THAN VIET NAM OR IRAQ....WHAT A SORRY ADMINISTRATION PLEASE GOD, SAVE THE DRUNK....

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