U.S. Debt From $13T to $14T in 6 Months
February 28, 2011, 1:06 pm
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
barack obama,
commodities,
Congress,
corruption,
cotton prices,
DEBT,
deficet,
devaluation,
Dictatorship,
Economic Collapse,
economic crisis,
economic disaster,
Economy,
economy collapse,
emergency spending,
Empire,
Federal Reserve,
federal spending,
food prices,
gas prices,
GDP,
government spending,
Great Depression,
harry reid,
hyperinflation,
Inflation,
middle class,
national debt,
Neolibs,
obama,
obama deception,
oil,
petrol,
Senate,
spending,
unemployment,
US Economy,
Washington D.C.
U.S. Debt From $13T to $14T in 6 Months
ABC Video – Jonathan Karl – June 2010
To demonstrate how quickly the national debt is growing, we are posting this clip that aired on ABC seven months ago when the debt first crossed $13 trillion. We are now past $14 trillion. Excellent reporting from Jonathan Karl, including hypocrisy from Harry Reid that confirms what you already know.
Dramatic Spikes In Food, Oil Prices Fuel Inflation Worries
IRS Propaganda Campaign to Promote ObamaCare Taxes
February 16, 2011, 4:08 pm
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
barack obama,
Communism,
Congress,
Dictatorship,
Economy,
Empire,
fascism,
fines,
government bureaucracy,
government bureaucrats,
government control,
government terrorism,
health care mandate,
health care reform,
Healthcare,
House,
income tax,
insurance company bailout,
IRS,
IRS enforcement,
irs terrorism,
John Barrasso,
mandatory detention,
mandatory health insurance,
middle class,
nanny state,
Neolibs,
new world order,
NWO,
obama,
obama deception,
obama fines,
obama tax,
obamacare,
Oppression,
pelosi,
Police State,
Senate,
socialism,
tanning tax,
taxes,
taxpayers
IRS Propaganda Campaign to Promote ObamaCare Taxes
Pajamas Media
February 16, 2011
The Tatler has learned that Obamacare government auditing of American society has begun at the Internal Revenue Service.
New details about the IRS budget were released this afternoon by Senator John Barrasso (who also is an MD). Quoting from the IRS budget document, he reveals that for the IRS, ObamaCare “represents the largest set of tax law changes in more than 20 years, with more than 40 provisions that amend the tax laws.”
More than $93 million has been budgeted by the IRS to assure that the public complies with the new tax rules. Among other new IRS activities, the agency will spend $11.5 million to promote compliance by tanning salon owners who will be asked to impose a new 10% excise tax on their customers. Originally the tax was supposed to be on those who offered cosmetic surgery, but their upscale customers defeated the tax and shifted it to those who own storefront tanning beds.
The IRS will not only audit Americans, they intend to be helpful too. They are requesting more than $34 million for something called “information reporting,” $15 million for a call center to help confused citizens to deal with the new Obamacare tax laws, and $22 million to “assist taxpayers in understanding new provisions.”
In a Tatler interview with Senator Barrasso, he called the IRS budget “irresponsible” and that it “empowers the IRS to begin to audit Americans’ health care.”
He also told the Tatler, “Adding hundreds of new jobs and millions of dollars to the IRS isn’t going to make care better or more available for anyone. I will continue to fight to repeal and replace Obamacare with patient centered reforms that help the private sector – not the IRS – create more jobs.”
Theft By Deception – Deciphering The Federal Income Tax
Ron Paul Wins Presidential Straw Poll at CPAC — Again
February 13, 2011, 12:57 pm
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
Congress,
CPAC,
cpac 2011,
end the fed,
freedom movement,
GOP,
House,
liberty movement,
patriot movement,
Ron Paul,
Senate,
tea party,
truth movement,
us constitution
Ron Paul Wins Presidential Straw Poll at CPAC — Again
FOX News
February 12, 2011
For the second year in a row, Ron Paul won the presidential straw poll at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, earning 30 percent of the vote.
The Texas congressman, known for his libertarian views, ran for president in 2008 but was never a serious contender for the GOP nomination.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a 2008 GOP candidate who is expected to run again, came in second place with 23 percent of the vote. Romney won the previous three presidential straw polls before Paul snapped his streak last year.
Many convention-goers booed when the results were announced but the Paul supporters drowned them out with chants of “Ron Paul! Ron Paul! Ron Paul!”
Paul’s consecutive victories in the straw poll have frustrated many GOP faithful who would rather see a more credible contender win. A CPAC official told Fox News that the big story is not Paul winning again but rather the strength of Romney’s second-place finish.
Read Full Article Here
The Best Speeches at CPAC 2011
February 13, 2011, 9:34 am
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
2-party system,
4th amendment,
afghanistan,
army,
civil liberties,
civil rights,
Congress,
CPAC,
cpac 2011,
dicatorship,
Empire,
end the fed,
Federal Reserve,
foreign aid,
GOP,
House,
iraq,
left right paradigm,
liberty movement,
military,
military industrial complex,
military spending,
national debt debt budget,
patriot act,
patriot movement,
rand paul,
Ron Paul,
Senate,
tea party,
troops,
truth movement,
us constitution
The Best Speeches at CPAC 2011
House Clears Path For PATRIOT ACT Extension
February 13, 2011, 9:03 am
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
1st amendment,
2-party system,
4th amendment,
barack obama,
big government,
civil liberties,
civil rights,
Congress,
corruption,
DHS,
Dictatorship,
Empire,
fascism,
FBI,
free speech,
homeland security,
House,
Janet Napolitano,
left right paradigm,
obama,
obama deception,
Oppression,
patriot act,
patriot act extension,
privacy rights,
right to privacy,
Ron Paul,
search warrant,
self written search warrant,
tea party,
Tom McClintock,
us constitution,
War On Terror,
warrantless wiretaps,
wiretaps
House Clears Path For Extension Of Government Spying On American Citizens
Steve Watson
Prisonplanet.com
February 11, 2011
Two days after proposals to extend provisions of the draconian PATRIOT Act failed to attract a super majority in a fast track vote, another vote in the House of representatives has cleared the way for the smooth passage of the legislation.
Last night’s vote put in to place a new rule that will allow the legislation to be passed by just a simple majority. It is expected that the House will vote again on the legislation next week, and that it will easily pass.
Earlier in the week, House Republicans had attempted to suspend House rules and pass the extension with limited debate and no amendments. That fell 7 votes short because a 2/3rds majority was required.
Last night’s ballot saw 248 vote in favour of allowing the extension to proceed, while 176 voted against.
Just four Republicans, including Congressman Ron Paul, voted against the extension. On Tuesday 26 Republicans had voted against. The other three Republican nays were Chris Gibson (N.Y.), Raul Labrador (Idaho) and Tom McClintock (Calif.).
Several representatives who ran on a Tea Party platform of restoring civil liberties also voted in favour of the legislation, following a lecture by Homeland Security Head Janet Napolitano, who told the congressional oversight panel that the nation faces a “heightened” terror threat, the like of which has not been seen since 9/11.
Meanwhile, 172 Democrats voted against proceeding Thursday, up from the 148 who voted against the measure on Tuesday.
Excluding the 15 who voted for the extension, Democrats protested the Republican attempt to hold the vote under the “closed rule”. Rep. Sheila Jackson (D-Texas) said Republicans were practicing “unique trickery” by calling the bill back for a second vote.
“We have a right to have a voice and that voice has already been expressed,” said Lee. “What more needs to be said?”
Read Full Article Here
PATRIOT ACT FAILS: Obama Wanted 3 Year Extension
February 10, 2011, 9:03 am
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
1st amendment,
2-party system,
4th amendment,
barack obama,
big government,
civil liberties,
civil rights,
Congress,
corruption,
dennis kucinich,
Dictatorship,
Empire,
fascism,
FBI,
free speech,
House,
judge napolitano,
kucinich,
left right paradigm,
obama,
obama deception,
Oppression,
patriot act,
patriot act extension,
privacy rights,
right to privacy,
search warrant,
self written search warrant,
us constitution,
War On Terror,
warrantless wiretaps,
wiretaps
PATRIOT ACT FAILS: Obama Wanted 3 Year Extension
Raw Story
February 9, 2011
Faced with a looming vote on a planned one-year extension of special powers authorized in the USA PATRIOT Act, the Obama White House did not object or propose reforms, as the president vowed to do as a candidate.
The Obama administration instead asked Congress to grant those powers for an additional three years.
As a US Senator and candidate for the presidency, Barack Obama never actually argued for a repeal of the Bush administration’s security initiatives. Instead, he’s consistently argued for enhanced judicial oversight and a pullback on the most extreme elements of the bill, such as the use of National Security Letters to search people’s personal records without a court-issued warrant.
While many in his own party opposed the PATRIOT Act outright, as president Obama has said repeatedly that the emergency measures remain a valuable tool for law enforcement engaged in national security prerogatives.
On Tuesday, ahead of a House vote to reauthorize the PATRIOT Act for another year, the White House did something unexpected: they asked for even more.
A prepared statement issued Tuesday afternoon said that President Obama “would strongly prefer enactment of reauthorizing legislation that would extend these authorities until December 2013.”
The move was likely aimed at avoiding the potential conflation of national security legislation and an election year’s hyper-partisan atmosphere.
The House voted last night 277 to 148 in favor of the single-year PATRIOT Act extension, falling 23 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass it. Some two dozen tea party-backed Republican freshmen ended up joining with a majority of Democrats in voting against it.
The power-shift caught Republican leadership off guard. Even after keeping the 15-minute vote open far longer than the rules permitted, they did not have a two-thirds majority.
Some suggested that the House’s most liberal member, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), might have played a role in the sudden spurt of rebellion. He issued a challenge on Tuesday aimed at Tea Party Caucus members in the House, urging them to join him in standing up for civil liberties by resisting the PATRIOT Act’s extension.
“I am hopeful that members of the Tea Party who came to Congress to defend the Constitution will join me in challenging the reauthorization,” he wrote.
While the brief alliance might not be enough to stave off the extension, as the PATRIOT Act was expected to return after its unexpected defeat, it could be the first inklings of a political common ground between libertarian-leaning tea party Republicans and progressive Democrats, especially since both groups are largely seen as disillusioned with the two-party system and partisan gridlock.
The only significant proposal to reform the PATRIOT Act came from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who proposed last month that Congress add greater judicial oversight to the bill. Leahy’s bill would have also extended the PATRIOT Act’s powers until 2013, shifting the extension away from 2012’s election season.
When the act was first signed into law, “sunset” provisions were employed to quiet the concerns of civil libertarians, who were largely ignored once Congress set about on their successive extensions of the emergency powers.
Unfortunately, the concerns of civil libertarians proved to be well founded, and a 2008 Justice Department report confirmed that the FBI regularly abused their ability to obtain personal records of Americans without a warrant.
The only real sign of strong opposition to the act was in 2005, when a Democratic threat to filibuster its first renewal was overcome by Senate Republicans.
Ron Paul San Francisco Speech
September 8, 2010, 5:06 pm
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
2008 election,
2010 election,
anti-war,
big government,
california,
campaign for liberty,
Congress,
DEBT,
depression,
devaluation,
Dollar,
dollar dump,
economic crisis,
economic depression,
end the fed,
Federal Reserve,
government regulation,
Great Depression,
Greenback,
hyperinflation,
Inflation,
iraq,
john dennis,
libertarian,
liberty,
middle class,
nation building,
new taxes,
occupation,
rally,
republic,
Ron Paul,
Ron Paul Rally,
san francisco,
speech,
tax,
taxpayers,
truth movement,
us constitution,
US Economy,
war on drugs,
War On Terror,
Washington D.C.
Ron Paul San Francisco Speech – (9/4/2010)
Homeland Security’s War on Food
September 3, 2010, 12:16 pm
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
1984,
agriculture,
Codex Alimentarius,
Congress,
control grid,
corporatism,
DHS,
Dictatorship,
Empire,
farming,
fascism,
FDA,
food ban,
food nazis,
food police,
food safety,
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010,
gardening,
gardens,
government bureaucracy,
government control,
government regulations,
health and environment,
homeland security,
House,
malthusian,
malthusian catastrophe,
Michael R. Taylor,
monsanto,
nanny state,
nazi,
Oppression,
organic,
orwell,
permaculture,
Police State,
rima laibow,
s.510,
s510,
Self Sufficiency,
Senate,
small farmers,
survivalist,
survivalists,
US farms,
victory gardens
Homeland Security’s War on Food
Alan Villegas
Official Wire
August 31, 2010
The words “homeland security” are found 41 times in the text of the bill S. 510, also known as the Food Safety Modernization Act. Unprecedented powers over food are set to be handed over to Homeland Security if the bill is not stopped.
The bill opens opens the door to even more federal control over the everyday lives of American citizens. Since they are already engaging in organic raw milk raids without the increased powers of S. 510, the question is going to be how many more guns-drawn raids are we to expect after the bill becomes law?
It gets worse. Not only does the bill grant the FDA more power, Michael R. Taylor was named deputy commissioner for foods at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2010.
Michael R. Taylor also worked for Monsanto, was a lobbyist for them, according to Wikipedia. And all of this activity is happening at a time when a flourishing self-sufficiency movement is taking hold in this country, at a time when demand for fresh, local, and organic food is at an all time high.
The question is: Do America’s small farmers want a pro-Monsanto lobbyist in charge of the nation’s food supply?
The answer is clear and this may turn out to be a draw-the-line-in-the-sand moment for many people. May God bless America!
Obama’s New Tax On Rainwater
September 3, 2010, 11:19 am
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
agriculture,
barack obama,
california,
colorado,
Congress,
corporations,
Dictatorship,
Empire,
EPA,
facism,
florida,
government control,
government regulations,
harvesting rainwater,
harvesting water,
health and environment,
lisa jackson,
nanny state,
nazi,
new tax,
new taxes,
obama,
obama deception,
obama tax,
obama taxes,
ohio,
Oppression,
Police State,
rainwater harvesting,
Self Sufficiency,
Senate,
tax,
taxpayers,
utah,
Washington D.C.,
water harvesting,
water shortage
Obama’s New Tax On Rainwater
AFP Blog
August 29, 2010
Would President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency really force Americans to pay a tax on “rainwater runoff” from homes and small businesses?
You bet they would. In fact, the EPA, under radical environmentalist Lisa Jackson, is proposing regulations to do just that.
Take a look at the EPA’s own Federal Register filing, where the EPA generally describes the initiative it’s proposing:
…requirements, including design or performance standards, for stormwater discharges from, at minimum, newly developed and redeveloped sites. EPA intends to propose regulatory options that would revise the NPDES regulations and establish a comprehensive program to address stormwater discharges from newly developed and redeveloped sites and to take final action no later than November 2012. (Source)
This is bureaucratic-speak for having the EPA force cities and counties to limit stormwater runoff to levels the EPA deems acceptable. Limiting “rainwater runoff” will mean forcing homeowners and businesses to pay new taxes in order to rein in rainwater, and that’s no pun intended.
Think about just how big-government this is. A Washington, D.C. bureaucracy plans on forcing your local county or city to slap new taxes on you and me because this big-government bureaucracy wants to micro-manage rainwater across the entire country. Already, several counties and cities across the United States are moving to pass new taxes and fees in anticipation of the new EPA rules, including cities in states as disparate as Florida, Ohio and Kansas. For more details CLICK HERE
But really, this new EPA outrage is part of the pattern of the Obama Administration. Cap-and-trade is bogged down for now in the Senate (though they’ll try to bring it back this year), so the liberals try to use an un-elected bureaucracy to pass their radical agenda. First, they declared that greenhouse gases are a “threat” to the environment and to health, so they’re pushing new regulations that will in effect pass cap-and-trade without Congress having to act. Now, they’re pushing this new “rainwater runoff” tax.
Just last month, Americans for Prosperity launched a national effort to stop this big government over-reach by the EPA. We’re calling it the Regulation Reality Tour™, and we launched it in Arkansas with events across the state. Click HERE for photos. On April 19 we will begin the second leg of our tour in Colorado, with a third leg launching in Indiana and Ohio in early May. I hope to see you on the road as we take on Obama’s EPA!
Our goal is simple: educate Americans on the threat to their freedoms and our economy from the EPA’s arrogant, nutty agenda. The EPA’s head, Lisa Jackson, attended the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen where she stated her intention to “transform” the way the American economy works using her bureaucracy. I was there in the room and heard her say it.
EPA is such a runaway bureaucracy at this point that only Congress can stop them. Thankfully, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski has a proposal to do just that. Murkowski has a resolution of disapproval—which would stop EPA in its tracks—that has been gathering steam, but we need your help to put her over the top. CLICK HERE to take action and tell your senators to support S.J.Res. 26. Make sure they know you will hold them accountable if they don’t help pass Murkowski’s resolution. Any lawmakers who won’t stand up to stop the EPA are complicit in the onerous regulations they are trying to pass.
Spring is here. All things begin anew. And that includes renewing the fight for our freedoms.
PS: I just finished a father/son trip with my 16-year-old twin boys. It was great fun. On the airplane especially, my sons talked about what they wanted to do in the years to come. Hearing them talk about their futures, I was reminded of something Ronald Reagan said – freedom is never more than one generation from extinction. As usual, President Reagan was right. Let’s make sure we keep doing our part to ensure that our generation passes on to our children and grandchildren the same freedoms we enjoyed.
Please click here to contact your senators and tell them to stop the EPA.
Read Full Article Here
Freedom to Grow and Eat Your Own Food in Danger
August 30, 2010, 1:37 pm
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
1984,
agriculture,
Codex Alimentarius,
Congress,
control grid,
corporatism,
DHS,
Dictatorship,
Empire,
farming,
fascism,
FDA,
food ban,
food nazis,
food police,
food safety,
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010,
gardening,
gardens,
government bureaucracy,
government control,
government regulations,
health and environment,
health nazis,
homeland security,
House,
malthusian,
malthusian catastrophe,
nanny state,
nazi,
Oppression,
organic,
orwell,
Police State,
rima laibow,
s.510,
s510,
seed ban,
Senate,
small farmers,
UN,
united nations,
US farms,
victory gargens,
WHO,
WTO
Freedom to Grow and Eat Your Own Food in Danger
McCain wants U.S. citizens imprisoned without trial
August 30, 2010, 10:56 am
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
civil liberties,
civil rights,
Congress,
corruption,
detainee,
detention,
DHS,
Dictatorship,
domestic terrorism,
domestic terrorist,
Empire,
enemy belligerent,
enemy of the state,
extraordinary rendition,
fascism,
federal crimes,
geneva convention,
government crimes,
homeland security,
House,
human rights,
interrogation,
Joe Lieberman,
john mccain,
judicial system,
justice system,
mccain,
miranda rights,
Oppression,
prison industrial complex,
S. 3081,
scott brown,
Senate,
torture,
us constitution,
war crime,
war crimes,
War On Terror,
Washington D.C.
McCain wants U.S. citizens imprisoned without trial
McCain introduced a bill that will allow the federal government to detain any U.S. citizen they consider a hostile ‘enemy belligerent’, held indefinitely and without trial
Examiner
March 12, 2010
Last week, John McCain introduced a bill into the U.S. Senate which, if passed, would actually allow U.S. citizens to be arrested and detained indefinitely, all without Miranda rights or ever being charged with a crime.
The stated purpose of S. 3081 (The Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act) reads: “To provide for the interrogation and detention of enemy belligerents who commit hostile acts against the United States, to establish certain limitations on the prosecution of such belligerents for such acts, and for
other purposes.”
The bill has nine co-sponsors including Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA).
Section 5 of S. 3081 states:
“An individual, including a citizen of the United
States, determined to be an unprivileged enemy belligerent
under section 3(c)(2) in a manner which satisfies Article
5 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of
Prisoners of War may be detained without criminal
charges and without trial for the duration of hostilities
against the United States or its coalition partners in which
the individual has engaged, or which the individual has
purposely and materially supported, consistent with the
law of war and any authorization for the use of military
force provided by Congress pertaining to such hostilities.”
This bill, introduced by McCain, who despite overwhelming evidence, claims to be a “conservative,” would not only take away our right to a trial, but would also allow the federal government to arrest and imprison anyone the current administration deems hostile.
Of course, that would be the same administration whose Homeland Security Secretary has classified veterans, retired law enforcement, Ron Paul supporters, and conservatives as “terrorists.”
If it was not clear before, it should be now that John McCain has as little respect for the Constitution as he does for our borders.
US lawmaker calls for sanctions on China, Russia
August 6, 2010, 2:23 pm
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
ahmadinejad,
airstrikes,
beijing,
china,
Congress,
Coup,
Dictatorship,
dollar drop,
dollar dump,
Economy,
Empire,
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen,
Iran,
middle east,
military,
military industrial complex,
military strike,
nation building,
neocons,
nuclear warfare,
nukes,
occupation,
oil,
robert einhorn,
russia,
saber rattling,
sanctions,
Tehran,
UN,
US Economy,
War On Terror,
WW3,
ww4
US lawmaker calls for sanctions on China, Russia
AFP
August 3, 2010

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida) |
The United States should immediately impose sanctions on Russia and China under a US law that punishes major investments in Iran’s energy sector, a senior US lawmaker said Monday.
“It’s time to implement our sanctions laws and demonstrate to Russia and China that there are consequences for abetting Tehran and flouting US sanctions,” Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement.
Ros-Lehtinen, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said firms run by the Russian and Chinese governments had invested “huge sums” in Iran’s energy sector, “effectively bankrolling” Tehran’s alleged nuclear weapons program and its backing of Islamist groups.
She did not offer details, but US officials have noted that Chinese firms have been stepping in to fill the void left by companies leaving Iran because of UN and US sanctions.
“Russia and China appear determined to continue to facilitate Iran’s dangerous policies. This must not be allowed to continue without serious repercussions,” she said.
Her comments came as a top US State Department official, Robert Einhorn, was on a trip to Asia set to include a stop in Beijing to press China to fully enforce sanctions on Iran.
China has invested around 40 billion dollars in the Islamic republic’s oil and gas sector, but Chinese imports of Iranian oil fell in the first half of 2010, a senior Iranian official told Mehr news agency on Saturday.
In 2009, China became Iran’s premier trading partner, with bilateral trade worth 21.2 billion dollars against 14.4 billion dollars three years earlier.
Congressman: Federal Government Can Do Anything It Wants
August 4, 2010, 10:07 am
Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags:
civil liberties,
civil rights,
Communism,
Congress,
control grid,
Dictatorship,
Empire,
fascism,
federal government,
government bureaucracy,
government control,
government crimes,
government regulation,
government terrorism,
health care mandate,
health care reform,
IRS,
mandatory health insurance,
middle class,
nanny state,
Neolibs,
obama care,
obama fines,
obama tax,
obamacare,
Oppression,
pete stark,
Police State,
Senate,
slavery,
socialism,
tea party,
us constitution
Congressman: Federal Government Can Do Anything It Wants
Army official forced to quit for reporting mold in veteran’s barracks
August 21, 2008, 4:50 pm
Filed under:
Afghanistan,
army,
Iraq,
Military,
nation building,
occupation,
Troops,
veterans | Tags:
Chuck Roeder,
Congress,
fort sill,
House,
Maj. Gen. Peter Vangjel,
neglect,
Pentagon,
Senate,
soldier,
u.s. soldiers,
walter reed
Army official forced to quit for reporting mold in veteran’s barracks
Think Progress
August 20, 2008
On Monday, USA Today reported that barracks for wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan at the Army’s Fort Sill were infested with mold. In addition, soldiers living in the units said that “their complaints about mold and other problems” have been ignored for months and that they were told to keep quiet about the problems:
Twenty soldiers, who spoke to USA Today early last week, said their complaints about mold and other problems went unheeded for months. They also said they had been ordered not speak about the conditions at Fort Sill.
The base commander, Maj. Gen. Peter Vangjel, said in response to inquiries about the ongoing problems, “We’re going in and we’re going to take care of this for these guys.” In a later Associated Press report, Vangjel acknowledged that soldiers who knew about the mold were ordered to “remain silent,” but added that suggestions that the complaints were ignored are “simply not true.”
But now the Army appears to have retaliated against the Army social services official, Chuck Roeder, who first reported the poor conditions at Fort Sill — and their neglect — to the media. USA Today reports that Roeder has been forced out of his job:
An Army social services coordinator…who told USA Today about poor conditions at Fort Sill’s unit for wounded soldiers has been forced out of his job, the employee and base officials said Tuesday.
Soldiers meeting with Army Secretary Pete Geren…on Tuesday said Chuck Roeder, 54, was a strong advocate for their problems and should not have been forced to leave. […]
Roeder, a retired soldier, said he was told to resign or he would be fired.
An executive officer at Fort Sill said Roeder’s departure is “purely coincidental.”
The episode at Fort Sill is reminiscent of the handling of the deplorable conditions at Walter Reed uncovered by the Washington Post last year. In the aftermath of the Post’s report, CQ Today revealed that Walter Reed’s problems were long-known to officials in the Army and Congress, the Army accused the media of propagating “misinformation,” and the Pentagon tried to quiet criticisms by blocking the congressional testimony of the former Walter Reed Chief.
Noting that Fort Sill is the second Army installation in recent months to have such problems with barracks for returning soldiers, VetVoice writes, “this is pathetic.”