REAL THANKSGIVING FOR THE TROOPS: CHRISTIAN EXTREMIST "VET HATER" , DANIEL COOPER FIRED
November 26, 2009 posted by Gordon Duff · 20 Comments
SPECIAL PROSECUTOR DEMANDED
By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER/Senior Editor
The individual responsible for overseeing the "accidental" destruction of million of vital veterans records may be the person most responsible for the backlog in claims handling and the suffering of our veterans and their families. Cooper, famous for saying, "Bible study is more important than doing my job" definately did a job, and did it well, if that job was to cheat veterans.
Bill Eckard, 34 year VA employee, highly decorated Marine and Vietnam double amputee, former Chief of Prosthetic Services for the VA said of Cooper, "he brought in a new system, as soon as a claim came in, the files were either shredded or sent from desk to desk until the veteran finally died. He invented a shell game that led from hiding files to pushing them off on others and eventually losing or destroying them. The end result was to totally destroy the claims handling system. I worked thru all of this, it was a nightmare."
Cooper is accused of spending the majority of his time while employed by Veterans Affairs working as a fundraiser for religious groups. Cooper’s primary accomplishments, other than to cause a massive backlog in claims was to deny a record number of veterans, already diagnosed by the military, compensation for PTSD and to have given his assistant, Ronald Aument, a $33,000 bonus during a time when office performance reached record levels of incompetence.
Demands are being made for a Special Prosecutor to look into wrongdoing by Cooper, who is said to have continually violated federal ethics laws during his tenure with the VA. Key veterans leaders have gone to the FBI since the VA Inspector General cleared Cooper in a report still being kept secret. Veterans leaders claim Cooper is being shielded by other Bush appointees within the VA’s oversight agencies.
Paul Sullivan of Veterans for Common Sense says of Cooper, "We’re very concerned about this because hundreds of thousands of veterans are waiting for their benefits while Cooper himself says that promoting his religion is more important than helping the veterans."
The most significant issue isn’t just Cooper’s abandoning his job for continual religious prosletizing but that his extremist religious views , as seen in his management style and job performance, express a value system that characterizes veterans as undeserving and chosen by God for punishment.
The issue: Should a person whose religious beliefs are at direct odds with his job responsibility have been chosen by President Bush in the first place? If Cooper sees veterans asking for compensation or medical treatment for PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injuries, amputations or other wounds as undeserving of God’s favor, should such an individual be put in a position to destroy the lives of thousands of American veterans and their families?
Gordon Duff is a Marine combat veteran and regular contributor on political and social issues.
This scum disgusts me. I was medically discharged from the US Army after a back injury, and waited 6 months before my first check. To think that thinks could have been delayed further, my family could have been delayed further support by this piece of crap sickens me. Placing your religious views before the well-being of veterans and their families is just wrong. Hell, placing anything before the well-being of veterans and their families is wrong. This slime needs to be punished to the full extent of the law.
Ding Dong… the witch is dead… kinda…
Now… we need a Special Prosecutor…
I mean it.
Join the queue…enough vets to go half way around the world.
g
I’m not that patient. I wanna shake things up. Doing everything ‘right’ doesn’t work… being ‘nice’ doesn’t work… Nope, I’m not that patient.
HOW do we get the VA to dismantle itself and start over as totally new? NOW.
Without breaking the law, of course.
???
I refuse to believe that there is a problem that is so big it cannot be solved… and soon.
rIGHT ON TOM & FRAN. GUESS I WAS LUCKY,ONLY TOOK THREE YEARS TO COMPLETE MY CLAIM (AGENT ORANGE) NEED TO SOCK IT TO THAT #**^^ AND HUNT OUT THOSE WHO ENABLED HIM TO GET AWAY WITH HIS ACTIONS. BEST ACTION— SEND HIS A– TO DOWN RANGE WITH FROZEN RANK OF PRIVATE MIN OF TWO YEAR TOUR.
Though the VA has always been a nightmare, the Bush years were, by far, the worst. Secretary Shensiki is actually fixing many things, though not fast enough for many.
We are still chosing to ignore document destruction.
g
I think this is one of the best things that has happened to the V.A. I agree he needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Vietnam Combat Veteran who is in the process of getting disability.
See what I have said about the VA Inspector Generals inspections? It is like the police policing the police. They can’t be trusted and why are they keeping the outcome of his so called ‘clearance’ ca secret. What a piece of your know what! If you are hired by the VA, keep your personal activities outside the VA. Perhaps they had better check on others also.
I so feel for you vets. Its the same in all western countries where the soldiers go off to fight for what they beieve is the freedom of the country when in fact they are in the securing assets for corporations and destroying competion for the same corporations game. And when they return home they are looked upon not as men but as slabs of meat to be tossed aside and forgotten. It doesn’t have to be this way. These are not wars that are being fought but invasions. America is not defending freedom but practicing global terrorism, invading innocent
countries, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent families and destroying decades upon decades of human creativity. This government
are guilty of war crimes on a monumental scale. And the vet is the patsy.
9/11 has never been investigated. Where’s the plane debris at the Pentagon and in the field in Pennsylvania??? Not to mention WTC 7.
We don’t have to stand for this and like deer in the headlights just take
it. Stop consuming, break your addictions to all that consmerism. Don’t
but into globalization/big brother… Do not cooperate and take care of your neighbours, send Love to each other…this is the only answer,
this is our true collective power… we are omnipotent if we stay together and realise we are all in this together. The Afgani’s and Iraqi’s
and Iranian’s and Isreali’s and Chinese are our family we all belong to the human race… the Pentagon and Wall Street haven’t got anything right for decades…. it’s time to change.. Much Love to all ulysees (-:
Never let a bureaucracy investigate its own wrongdoing ! This is a classic example of a political appointment ( like Brown heading up FEMA ) with absolutely NO qualifications or prior experience in the requirements for the job. An independent audit of all of the DVA’s short comings is a good start. Cooper, in particular, should be
turned into a classic example of gross negligence and overt neglect by being tried by a federal court with the correct jurisdiction and procedural protocol.
Letting the DVA judge him will only make it easier for others to follow down the same path and progressively ruin the adjudication system and process for another
four to eight years.
Dr Zimbardo University of Sanford 1971 did some social research on what happens when one group of people have total power without any oversite on another group. The ones in power became so abusive towards the ones without power Dr Zimbardo had to stop the experment early. To teach other students across this naton. Teachers have copyed this experment on a much smaller scale in schools where the differance was the students who wore blue arm bands were better than the red arm bands. Again everytime the students in power abused that power.
What has the Stanford experments have to do with veterans? The power struktuer of the VA was set up exactly as the Stanford experment. Except the VA is a reality which the vets cant excape and no one will put an end to.
This kind of conduct by our government would never be accepted by a jury if we demanded to have rule of law restored to veterans. Unfourntally veterans arnt even aware of there constitutinal right to be under rule of law and how to restore it back to there lives. Veterans are there own worst enemys
“Power conceds nothing without a demand. it never did and ;never will”
Fredick Douglass Nov 13, 1857
Terry
If the man was another religion say jewish or muslim, then it would get a pass, due to political correctness,but being that he is a Christian, heaven forbid his actions, I am saying calling him an extremist is going to far. Its ok to trash Christians in this new pc age, but if it were another religion no way would you call them extremist, now he should have worked on veteran claims and not fund raise on Government time, I agree, and losing vets claims is not right either,think before you call someone an Christian etremist.
OK….the issue is tied to him altering the claims process so vets couldn’t receive help.
You are missing the point.
g
I agree with Duffster. You are really missing the point. Most level headed adults could care less if this individual is Buddist, Shinto, Holy rollers, Jewish, Muslim or whatever. The point is his religion has no business in his role at the VA. As a Christian, I sometimes get offended when the impression is that Christianity is the one and only religion. It is not!
Preaching the Gospel, while ignoring your brothers and sisters is not what Christ taught. Extremist or not, this guy just wasn’t doing his job. He should have been fired!!
Why was it Bush put in people who reused to do there job on all levels and areas of government? This should really be studied. The republicans lost the electon because of this wrong headed thought proces. It seems that even when its brought to everyones attenton while its happening. nothing can be done about it.
Lets see if the democrats follow in Bush’s foot steps and have the voters replace them. Obama better get his VA staff in line.
Terry
Personally, I would like to see choices for these spots chosen for a persons qualifications, and track record only. That will probably never happen. I suppose nepotism in one form or another will always rule these choices.
Instead of the VA going out and hiring 3 stars or 4 stars, lets see them hire an E-5, E-8 or E-9 or if they have to be military let them hire an officer who went from E-1 to full colonel. Lets stay away from the Ivy League schools and the military academies also. As a career military man, I have always heard good officers say the backbone of the military is a good sgt or a good Chief. They might surprise alot of people. My kid brother just retired as a field first. He has a degree in public relations and knows how the job should be done. Whats more important he remembers what its like in the trenches. Too many of these people in admin positions in the VA have not a clue how it is in the trenches. Many of them received their promotions because of whose butt they smooched. When they then get a civilian job, VA for example, the smooching goes to the politicians.
By the way Gordon, an excellent article. It sure the hell however, is not good to hear about such an individual within the VA system!
Steve
This guy had a good navy career, much of it in finance. He and several key others seemed to have gone totally insane, letting religious beliefs, nominally called "Christian" but really something quite twisted and sick (as happens with other religions all too often) take over his mind and turn him against the men and women he was charged to protect.
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