Michael Connelly
For
months now I have been writing about the relentless assault by the Obama
administration on our military and veterans. However, I now must modify my
observations since it is no longer just an assault. It is now an all-out war.
In previous articles on this blog I
have discussed the Veterans Administration and its attempts to use phony mental
illness claims to deny veterans their rights under the Fifth and Second
Amendments to the Constitution. I have reported on the violations of a Federal
law requiring that members of the active military be sent their absentee
ballots for upcoming elections at least 45 days prior to an election. Some states are ignoring the law because Eric
Holder had a member of the DOJ inform secretaries of state around the country
that his department would not enforce the law. As a result, hundreds of
thousands of votes cast by members of the military were not counted in the 2010
and 2012 elections. We expect the same thing to happen during the upcoming
electric cycle.
In the meantime, we at the United
States Justice Foundation continue our investigation into the activities of
both the VA and the FBI and the horror stories continue to mount. We have
received numerous reports for some time that at many VA hospitals and clinics
veterans were not getting the medical treatment they required in a timely
matter. Now, we have the recent revelations that veterans are dying while
waiting for appointments and treatment because bureaucrats in the VA are
separating the files of the more seriously ill patients who need expensive
treatments and putting them on the back burner.
This is clearly the VA’s version of
death panels and helpless wounded or ill warriors are dying. We have also
received numerous reports of veterans being pressured by VA officials to accept
a diagnosis of PTSD in order to keep their benefits or have them increased.
They are also being told they have to take medications even if they don’t
believe they need them. The penalty for refusing is being threatened with
losing their benefits. According to some experts I have talked to these
medications may well be responsible for the increase in suicides among both
veterans and active duty military personnel.
We have also confirmed that some
veterans are being punished for exercising the limited appeal rights they are
given by the VA when the veterans are notified that the VA is considering a
declaration that they are incompetent to handle their own finances and will
lose their Second Amendment rights. The penalty is the same, the loss of their
benefits during the appeal process which can last as much as two years. Veterans
are being told that if they want to fight the VA they may not be able to feed
their families.
Unfortunately, the hits just keep on
coming. I have recently talked to a veteran who is one of the rare cases of
success in getting his declaration of incompetency reversed. However, when he
tried to purchase a firearm he found out that he was still on the NICS list
maintained by the FBI and cannot legally purchased a firearm. When he called
the FBI to try and get the situation rectified he was transferred to a recorded
message that told him he had to hire a lawyer or the FBI would not talk to him.
In other words, the FBI appears to have their own agenda when it comes to
denying veterans their Constitutional rights.
We have also been made aware that once
they are declared incompetent some veterans are being put on the list of people
that aren’t allowed to fly and family members of the veterans are being told
they can’t own firearms if they live with an “incompetent” veteran.
In addition, I have received two other
disturbing reports from veterans in the past week. A 93 year old WW II veteran
and a second younger veteran have both told me that the VA declared them
incompetent and appointed a fiduciary to handle their finances. The next thing
they knew their checks were being sent to someone else’s bank accounts in other
states, and the VA seems unable or unwilling to do anything about it. I had
heard of this happening before, but it appears be accelerating.
At the USJF we have long been aware that
veterans who go to the VA for any reason are being questioned about firearms
ownership. I have had this confirmed by veterans I have talked to in the
Dallas, Texas area. According to one source in the VA this is the result of a
directive from the White House. Yet, as with other things happening to
veterans, it just keeps getting worse. A Marine veteran has told me that he was
notified to appear at the VA Pensions office for an appointment. He was told
when he got there that some unknown party had suggested an increase in benefits
for him. This was a red flag for him and then the VA employee asked him if he
owned any firearms and he was further questioned about what he thought of the
government.
In my view the conclusion is obvious.
There is a systematic effort being made by agencies in the Federal government,
up to and possibly including the White House, to disarm, disenfranchise,
demoralize, and even eliminate the very heroes who have laid their lives on the
line in defense of our nation and our Constitution.
As a veteran I am appalled by what I
am seeing and hearing and at the USJF we are dedicated to make every effort to
defend our veterans and their families at no charge to them. If any of you are
veterans who have been impacted by any of this or have friends or family
members who have been impacted, please contact us. This is a war we must win!
Michael
Connelly
