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*Action Alert: Help Gulf War Vets* Update on Support in US House of Representative, Attention Turns to US Senators
The List is in on who signed on to House side to support Gulf War illness Research for DOD CDMRP funding for Gulf War illness research-the letter goes to House Appropriations Committee………..
Current Signers: Kucinich, Holt, Filner, Michaud, Henry Brown, Corrine Brown, Berkley, Doggett, Hall, Conyers, Jr., McDermott, Ross, Hastings, Baldwin, Dennis Moore, Gwen Moore, Stark, Kagen, Grijalva
We are tremendously grateful to the 19 Representatives that signed on.
But we are extremely disappointed that out of 435 Representatives ONLY 19 signed on to this letter to in fact tell the House Appropriations Committee( that is powerful) to support Gulf War Illness Research thru funding DOD CDMRP Gulf War Illness Research at 25 million for FY 2011. Despite the list of veterans organizations that supported this effort, despite our veterans battling to contact their US Reps by phone during the week of HCR with 100,000 calls an hour to the hill 19 US Representative Signed on.
This is not the way that our Representatives should show support and appreciation to veterans and most certainly the ones that did not sign on don”t seem to care enough! This is not an earmark that only affects their district or state. It is a way to support finding treatment and answers through the best research possible for Gulf War Veterans and others who may be ill from environmental toxins, etc.
The damage to the brain is a real physiological damage. Many more researchers in the right fields are getting interested and involved and the submissions for research funding through the DOD CDMRP GWI panel has grown yearly. We have battled each year since 05 for these funds starting with 5 million the first year. Research is costly. That first year we had 33 submissions that got to the Merit Review panel after having been through an Integrative Panel that made sure that the research proposals were appropriate for the guidleines. Each year the numbers of submissions for research funding has grown by leaps and bounds. So we have the interest now and we need the increased funding. The amount being requested this year is still significantly less that the VA RAC GWI had requested.
The veterans with MS and the MS society have gone to the congress and senate and gotten overwhelming support on their efforts for funding MS research thru the DOD CDMRP. MS is important but they have access to other agencies ie NIH and powerful supportive civilian organizations whereas Gulf War Illness Research for openly world-wide competive research for researchers worldwide is only at DOD CDMRP.
Next week is the Senators turn. They have until Friday the 26th on the Senate side to sign on with Senator Sanders letter that will go to Senate Appropriations Committee. I encourage all veterans to start emailing, faxing, calling your US Senators at their DC offices. WE need 25 million for Gulf war illness research that is centered on finding treatment options for gulf war illness.
The DOD CDMRP is the only openly competive research process to every researcher in the US and overseas. This is the way we will get the best of the best medical and scientific minds to help find treatment for gulf war illness that affects at least one in four of the Gulf War Veterans of 1990-91. Which in itself is historical numbers of veterans ill after a war!
Get involved now! Call, write, Email, Fax deadline on Senate is next Friday 26th. Ask for the Senator’s staffer on veterans/defense issue. Tell them to call or email you back re their decision on whether to sign on with Senator Sanders letter that supports 25 million for Gulf War Illness Research at DOD CDMRP for FY2011. That letter then goes to the US Senate Appropriations Committee.
Please use every means possible asking friends, family members, all civilians to help. Use facebook pages to call attention to this not only on your facebook pages but other group pages at Facebook. Email all your contacts to help and do the same. Twitter is active on gulf war veterans, use the full social network. This is important let us all make this effort grow in support.
UPDATED EXTENSION OF TIME TO CONTACT US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES UNTIL FRIDAY MARCH 19 MID DAY
This is an urgent call for support to help your Gulf War Veterans 1990-91, please pick up the phone and call your US Representative Office and your Senators offices in DC Right Now. We have until mid afternoon Friday (March 19) to make this happen. For 19 years we gulf war veterans have been fighting for effective treatment. The VA RAC GWI has in their report stated the need clearly. WE have VSOs working but the US Representives like to know their people in their districts want them to sign on too! Please make phone calls to the US House Representatives in DC and ask them to contact Representative Kucinich and Holt to show their support of this effort by signing on to the letter!
Update: WE now have the letter for DOD CDMRP funding for Gulf War Illness Research circulating in the Senate by Senator Sanders of Vermont. Call your US Senators now and ask them to support this effort by signing on to the letter circulated by Senator Sanders.
All you have to do is convince them that this is a worthy and will needed research to help find treatment modalities for the ill gulf war veterans. The letter on Senate side is asking for the same amount of research money. The only difference is the Senators must call Senator Sanders office to sign on.
WE will keep you updated as to which US Representatives and US Senators sign on to these two letters to show support for helping the Gulf War Veterans who are ill. This is disgusting that there is such a lack of care from US Representatives and Senators to show support for their veterans! To have ill gulf war veterans and their families calling their US Representative and Senators and yet we just have a handful signed on. Time for Action all veterans and all citizens.
DEADLINE: mid afternoon Friday March 19
FY10 Signers: Kucinich, Filner, Michaud, Henry Brown, Holt, Hall, Corrine Brown, Edwards, Baldwin, Ross, Conyers, Grijalva, Maloney, McDermott, Dennis Moore, Gwen Moore, Pascrell, Pingree, Stark, Sestak, Yarmuth
Current Signers: Kucinich, Holt, Berkley, Henry Brown, Hall, Corrine Brown, Conyers, Jr., McDermott, Ross
Dear Colleague:
We invite you to join us in supporting research into Gulf War Veterans Illnesses by signing a letter to the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee requesting $25 million for fiscal year 2011. This request has the endorsement of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the National Vietnam and Gulf War Vets Coalition, the Fleet Reserves Association, the Reserve Enlisted Association, Vietnam Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States.
Last month, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki indicated that the VA intends to revisit the rejected claims of Gulf War veterans who have attempted to access treatment for the illnesses linked to their service. But there is still no effective treatment for Gulf War Illnesses. The research program’s tremendous successes are creating growing excitement among scientists in the health research community because of the potential to not only help veterans, but so many others who suffer from similar illnesses. GWI researcher Richard Briggs said, “In the last two years we have learned more about Gulf War Illness than we did in the previous 15.”
Research has shown that Gulf War veterans suffer from ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, at double the rate of their non-deployed peers. Additionally, the 2008 report from the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses (RAC) stated that “Gulf War illness is real, that it is the result of neurotoxic exposures during Gulf War deployment, and that few veterans have recovered or substantially improved with time.”
The 2008 report also recommended that Congress appropriate $40 million for the program, “an amount commensurate with the scope of the problem.” We propose to continue this important work with $25 million in FY11.
Related Posts:
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=21842
Posted by Denise Nichols on Mar 18 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under Legislation, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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Call them, then email, then fax.
Timing is terrible with Health Care Bill on table. But deadline is tommorrow for these REPS in US House of Representatives to sign on!!!! If deadline changes I will notify here and on my facebook page…..Please ask your friends, groups, networks to help make these calls!!! It is critical….ao please email, post, share the information. Go to http://www.house.gov to get phone numbers for DC offices…we are short on time…do everything you can!!!! Call DC first, then Email, then fax, then call local offices of rep last. And like I said get the word spread tonight by emails, postings on FB and websites, etc. Multiple your efforts with your friends help!!!
Why not go one better…….How about directing these comments directly to your President for his urgent attention and responce.
[...] the original here: *Action Alert: Help Gulf War Vets* Call Your US House Member NOW … Post a [...]
Thanks for all you do Denise!! I have been reading your stuff for quite some time, and just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your hard work!! I have contacted both of my Senators and my House rep concerning this letter.
thanks,
jeremy
Okay, with all the problems getting through by phone calls and emails being experienced with Health Care activity. We asked our sponsors of our initiative to give us as much time as possible to get all our voices heard!!!! Stay on the phones, emails, and faxes to all House of Representatives because we have a new deadline
URGENT LETTER RE DEADLINE TODAY DOD CDMRP FUNDING FOR GULF WAR ILLNESS TREATMENT RESEARCH—Deadline to Sign on is TODAY March 17
DEADLINE EXTENDED Until FRIDAY March 19th!!!!!
Here is a direct link to email the government.
http://answers.usa.gov/cgi-bin/gsa_ict.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php
[...] post: *Action Alert: Help Gulf War Vets* Call Your US House Member and … Post a [...]
I am a gulf war veteran with recent MRI’s showing unexplained spots in my brain and the VA MRI clinic told me I had to ask my Dr to request a definitive measurement of these, that the veteran doesnt havethe right to ask the radiologist! They referenced in the report these were seen in previous images but gave no indication of growth, or not, so I had asked for the size of the spots. The VA needs to treat veteran patients with more respect.
Many’s the time I’ve thought of this item:
First published in St. James’ Gazette, April 28, 1890; first collected in the Inclusive Edition of Rudyard Kipling’s Verse, 1919.
The Last of the Light Brigade
by Rudyard Kipling
There were thirty million English who talked of England’s might,
There were twenty broken troopers who lacked a bed for the night.
They had neither food nor money, they had neither service nor trade;
They were only shiftless soldiers, the last of the Light Brigade.
They felt that life was fleeting; they knew not that art was long,
That though they were dying of famine, they lived in deathless song.
They asked for a little money to keep the wolf from the door;
And the thirty million English sent twenty pounds and four !
They laid their heads together that were scarred and lined and grey;
Keen were the Russian sabres, but want was keener than they;
And an old Troop-Sergeant muttered, “Let us go to the man who writes
The things on Balaclava the kiddies at school recites.”
They went without bands or colours, a regiment ten-file strong,
To look for the Master-singer who had crowned them all in his song;
And, waiting his servant’s order, by the garden gate they stayed,
A desolate little cluster, the last of the Light Brigade.
They strove to stand to attention, to straighen the toil-bowed back;
They drilled on an empty stomach, the loose-knit files fell slack;
With stooping of weary shoulders, in garments tattered and frayed,
They shambled into his presence, the last of the Light Brigade.
The old Troop-Sergeant was spokesman, and “Beggin’ your pardon,” he said,
“You wrote o’ the Light Brigade, sir. Here’s all that isn’t dead.
An’ it’s all come true what you wrote, sir, regardin’ the mouth of hell;
For we’re all of us nigh to the workhouse, an’ we thought we’d call an’ tell.
“No, thank you, we don’t want food, sir; but couldn’t you take an’ write
A sort of ‘to be continued’ and ‘see next page’ o’ the fight?
We think that someone has blundered, an’ couldn’t you tell ‘em how?
You wrote we were heroes once, sir. Please, write we are starving now.”
The poor little army departed, limping and lean and forlorn.
And the heart of the Master-singer grew hot with “the scorn of scorn.”
And he wrote for them wonderful verses that swept the land like flame,
Till the fatted souls of the English were scourged with the thing called Shame.
O thirty million English that babble of England’s might,
Behold there are twenty heroes who lack their food to-night;
Our children’s children are lisping to “honour the charge they made – ”
And we leave to the streets and the workhouse the charge of the Light Brigade!
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1923.
——————————————————————————–
The author died in 1936, so this work is also in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 70 years or less. This work may also be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Last_of_the_Light_Brigade