Rough economy felt at Redneck Gourmet

Rough economy felt at Redneck Gourmet
Plenty of patrons are still eating at the Redneck Gourmet, but restaurateur Casey Smith said the reeling economy has also stopped in for a bite. Smith's story resonates among small business owners nationwide, as Wall Street woes and rising food and gas costs have entrepreneurs looking for creative ways to survive. full story

Former President Clinton touts Obama in front of thousands at UCF

Former President Clinton touts Obama in front of thousands at UCF
Jim Stratton Sentinel Staff Writer
1:22 PM EDT, October 1, 2008
ORLANDO - Campaigning in Florida Wednesday, President Bill Clinton told supporters that Barack Obama has the right philosophy, better answers and betters advisers than John McCain.Clinton, speaking to several thousand people at the University of Central Florida, said the country "is a mess" thanks largely to policy decisions made by President George Bush. He told supporters that "it didn't have to be this way" and that Obama and his running mate Joe Biden know that the next administration must "grow the economy from the ground up."

Another death by police taser

Man dies after deputies stun him with a Taser
Oct 01, 2008 14:10 -0400

Updated: 11 minutes ago
The Orange County Sheriff's Office said the man who deputies tased died this morning. The agency confirmed the man was "under the influence" but has not released his name.

Military accused of pushing Christian faith again

I have two videos that talk about God. One is I Grieve and the other is PTSD Not God's Judgment. I did not talk about being a Christian in any of the videos I've done. In PTSD Not God's Judgment, I did include a picture of Christ because He addressed that there is no great love than being willing to lay down your life for your friends. Other than that, I try very hard to keep my branch of Christianity, as well as Christianity itself out of the videos I do. While I am a Christian, a Greek Orthodox Christian, I fully understand that there are many branches of Christianity itself along with other faiths. While they Bible is used by the major religions of the world, each group has their own ideas of what to believe.

For those who still find no problem with what the military is doing pushing one particular branch of Christianity, you need to be wondering what happens to your own views and your own choices? There are Christian sects who do not believe in the Holy Trinity or the Divinity of Christ. Some do not believe in the Saints. What do you think happens if a commander is allowed to enforce his theology upon his command? Still find this kind of pushing faith harmless? What is you have a commander who believes that you have to speak in tongues to be true but no one under his command can even pretend to? What if the commander does not believe in any of this but his men do? Do you see how damaging this all can be?

While the Purpose Driven Life is a good book for those who are exploring their faith, I cannot recommend it for people who are dealing with PTSD because it is not helpful for that. I've read it but you also have to consider that I've been reading religious based books all my life and was the head of Christian Education for a church. There are many books I've read that would be more appropriate in helping Christian soldiers and veterans heal but I would not recommend any of them be suggested by the military and certainly not enforced reading.

If I can draw the line when I am invested in the spiritual health of people as a Chaplain, why can't the military do the same?

Soldier alleges religious bias at Lakenheath

By Sam LaGrone - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Oct 1, 2008 13:08:22 EDT

An atheist serviceman has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Defense Department of several counts of religious discrimination, including at least one instance on an Air Force base.

Army Spc. Dustin Chalker and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation are accusing DoD of a laundry list of violations of separation of church and state.

Chalker and the MRFF cite more than a dozen violations, from military installations around the world, that promote the “practice of constitutionally impermissible promotions of religious beliefs within the Department of Defense and the United States Army,” according to the suit.

Among the violations, the suit complains about a mandatory suicide-prevention briefing from an Air Force chaplain that borrowed heavily from a wildly popular Christian self-help book.

Chalker alleges that at a commander’s call at RAF Lakenheath, England, last March, an Air Force chaplain gave a talk on suicide prevention that heavily referenced concepts from “The Purpose-Driven Life,” a self-help book based on evangelical Christian theology.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/airforce_lakenheath_suit_093008/

Police Officers Learn to Help Veterans in Crisis

Officers Learn to Help Veterans in Crisis
Darry E. Owens


The Miami Herald

Sep 30, 2008
September 29, 2008, Orlando, FL - Though aging vets from past wars present ongoing problems, Barbara Lewis, crisis intervention training commander for the Orange County Sheriff's Office, said deputies are facing the issue more now because of veterans home from the current wars.

''We're seeing it in these economic times: stressors in their lives pushing them over the edge,'' Lewis said. ``Anything we can do as law-enforcement officers to protect our returning vets is important.''

Given the troubling incidence of post-traumatic-stress disorder -- or PTSD -- associated with recently returned troops, mental-health experts have pushed for alternative ways for law enforcement to deal with vets in nonviolent incidents.

A recent RAND Corp. study found nearly 20 percent of returning troops -- about 300,000 -- have PTSD or major depression.

Of those, only 53 percent sought treatment. Many others are battling traumatic brain injuries and depression that also can alter mood and behavior.

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http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/11295

Veterans beware of McCain trick on how he treats you

This Halloween there is something veterans really need to fear and that is a McCain Palin administration. McCain claims to "care about veterans" and it's a claim he's gotten away with making for far too long with having nothing but the opposite to show for it. His record on votes against veterans is legendary. So much for this maverick who betrays his own. While McCain has received a free ride from the broadcast media, the print media has not forgotten his consistent lies about "supporting" veterans. Most Americans who do not read the congressional record of votes or the publications coming in from the DAV, the VFW, American Legion or go onto sites like Vote Vets and IAVA, are stunned when they discover how they have been mislead all these years and tricked into voting against their best interests by supporting people like McCain who do not support them. Military and veteran's families should have expected more out of one of our own.

When I began doing this work with veterans who have PTSD, I took an oath that no matter what party someone belongs to, I will go after them if they do not support veterans. Having the wrong people in office means that all the work I do will mean nothing if they are not one their end fighting just as hard for veterans and what they need. People like McCain are the reason so many are without the care and treatment they not only earned but deserved. What is most telling about McCain is that he can stand in front of the camera with tens of millions of Americans watching and lie without blinking. His claim of how much he supports veterans came out of his mouth as easily as he says the words "my friends" when addressing an audience.

They say that doing the right thing is doing it all the time when someone is watching as well as when they are not. As soon as the cameras are off McCain, when no voter hears his words, he votes against us. Again we are reminded of his attitude with the latest Palin spin.

Gov. Palin was asked a question by a voter about if she thought we should strike in Pakistan if there had been evidence of Al-Qaeda. She said she thought we should. McCain then went on TV with Palin at his side saying that it was a voter who shouted the question across the room and passed it off a "gotcha journalism" insulting all voters in the process. What was not mentioned was the fact that this implies McCain finds no problem with lying to voters. If he does in fact know that Palin agrees with him, then he's approving of this message of lying to voters.

While McCain took high profile positions on powerful committees, he did not serve on the Veterans Affairs Committee. Obama saw it as payback for his father, uncle and all veterans to serve on this committee and he's been fighting for veterans ever since. Most of the improvements happened in the last two years with the Democrats in leadership roles and Obama has been part of that. The following is a letter from Senator Obama. When you read it and you get angry that the letter didn't come from McCain, the man who says he supports the veterans, get angry enough to look up his voting record and understand that the way he treats veterans is no treat at all. kc

Senator Obama Seeks Critical VA Data on Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans to Improve Veteran Services

U.S. Senator Barack Obama


Sep 30, 2008

September 24, 2008, Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today sent the following letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake, requesting that he release critical information and data relating to veterans health care, disability claims and Vet Center activity. Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, veterans have faced unique challenges as they return to their families and communities, including health-related needs as well as community readjustment concerns. It is essential for Congress to have as much information as possible in order to best determine the needs of community and veterans service organizations so it can better understand how to serve them. The National Academy of Sciences is also expected to begin a study, based on Obama legislation, to document the long term needs of these heroes and will require this information as well.

The text of the letter is below:

Dear Secretary Peake:

I am writing to request your cooperation in providing the American people with some critical information regarding the needs of our Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans.

As you know, OIF and OEF veterans have faced unique needs as they return to their families and communities. Some of these needs are health-related, but other needs are related to community readjustment concerns. I am pleased that the National Academy of Sciences is expected to begin a study, based on my legislation, to document the longterm needs of these heroes. However, the VA can assist in our efforts to determine the needs of these veterans by sharing some critical information.

I am requesting the VA release, as soon as practicable, the following information:

1. The latest reports on healthcare use by the OIF and OEF veterans;

2. The latest reports on disability claims made by OIF and OEF veterans;

3. The latest reports on Vet Center activity by OIF and OEF veterans.

I appreciate your cooperation in providing this important information. With this information, the Congress can better determine the needs of this community and veterans service organizations can better understand how to best serve our most recent veterans.

I also want to commend your office on taking into account recommendations that Chairman Akaka, I and other Senators on the Veterans Affairs Committee submitted on the proposed regulations regarding rating disabilities for veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The recently released revised regulations are a significant improvement from the draft regulations and I am pleased they will provide for consideration of both the frequency and severity of disabilities. I also appreciate that the VA will notify veterans who were rated under the previous regulations that they have the opportunity for a re-evaluation under these new regulations. As you know, we must do all we can to ensure our nation's heroes receive the benefits and services they deserve. I hope all OIF and OEF veterans are afforded this notice. I also hope we can continue to work together to increase TBI research and care for mild-moderate TBI victims.

Thank you for your assistance and I look forward to hearing from you.

Barack Obama
United States Senator
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/11294

This is more on how veterans feel when they know the difference between who supports them and who does not.

Iraq Veterans Talk About Senator Obama at University of Wisconsin
Signe Brewster


The Badger Herald (Madison, Wisconsin)

Sep 30, 2008
September 30, 2008 - A panel of veterans spoke to University of Wisconsin community members Monday about their experiences at war and why they will support Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in the November election.

The panelists spoke about their time in Iraq and Afghanistan and how this influenced their choice to support the Illinois senator, citing what they called Obama's commitment to providing health care to veterans.

"We were called to duty and we answered that call," said Abbie Pickett, a veteran of the Iraq war and Desert Storm. "Now where is the support that we need? I came back to a brand-new, different world. Getting help wasn't as easy as I thought it would be."

Pickett sought out psychological care during her tour in Iraq, but said the disorganization of the system prevented her from getting the treatment she needed. She started to drink heavily and entered a "downward spiral."

According to Pickett, she eventually became an advocate for others in need of help and campaigning for Obama is an extension of it.

"I had to look beyond the war hero stories. I looked at the policies and the voting record, and time after time John McCain wasn't the answer," Pickett said. "He isn't the maverick he is made out to be."

go here for more

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/11290

Post-Hurricane Efforts Raise Profile Of Mental Disorders

Post-Hurricane Efforts Raise Profile Of Mental Disorders
It is the storm damage that people often don't talk about--mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder that strike in the wake of a catastrophic experience.

Post-trauma mental conditions are one of many mental disorders that affect some 57.7 million Americans in any given year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which is observing Mental Illness Awareness Week, Oct. 5-11, 2008. Organizations, including Allsup, which represents people nationwide for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, are helping to raise awareness about mental illnesses and the help available to people and their families.

Anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder and phobias, affect about 40 million people, NAMI reports. One in five veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan (almost 300,000 troops) will experience major depression or PTSD when they return home. Other types of mental disorders also affect millions of people, including 5.7 million with bipolar disorder and 2.4 million who have schizophrenia.

"People living with mental illnesses often are among the most vulnerable in our society. Unfortunately, they also are often overlooked during disasters," said NAMI executive director Michael J. Fitzpatrick, who recently announced the creation of a NAMI Hurricane Relief Fund to help individuals and families affected by hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
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North Carolina has a unique hero in Daniel Johnson

We use the word hero a lot when it comes to the men and women serving this country. They are a rarity among the population of America considering we are a nation of over 300 million people but have less than 30 million veterans. Hero is an appropriate word for them along with the men and women who enter into the police and fire departments, all willing to risk their lives for the sake of others. They are deserving of the word "hero" for this alone.

Then there are unique heroes. The men and women who go above and beyond to save the lives of those they serve with. This is one of the unique heroes this nation should hold in the highest esteem.

Democrat looks to break GOP stronghold in 10th District
By WHITNEY WOODWARD
Associated Press Writer

Posted: Sep. 30 3:42 p.m.
Updated: Sep. 30 4:02 p.m.

NEWTON, N.C. — For nearly three decades, voters in the largely rural foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains have made up one of the GOP's most reliable North Carolina strongholds, consistently electing Republicans to Congress by double-digit margins.

But in what is expected to be a good year for Democrats, political newcomer Daniel Johnson - a decorated Navy veteran and a double amputee - is making a solid run at 10th District Rep. Patrick McHenry, the youngest member of the House and an aggressive conservative who gleefully needles the opposition.

"I think a lot of people are starting to put partisanship aside," said Johnson, 32. "A lot of voters are tired of it themselves, and are looking past party labels for the first time in a long time."

The son of a Presbyterian minister and a retired public school teacher in Hickory, Johnson comes to his race against McHenry with a compelling resume. He joined the Navy while attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and left for active duty after graduation in 1998.

Fifteen months later, Johnson rescued a fellow shipmate who was ensnared in ropes on his ship, the U.S.S. Blue Ridge, near South Korea. The Navy awarded Johnson its highest peacetime award - the Navy and Marine Corps Medal - but his legs were severed by the ropes during the rescue, ending his military career.
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http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/3645339/

When we are all Americans, we are strong. When the men and women serving this nation serve side by side with members of an opposite political party oblivious to what divides them, they are strong. When any refuse to see what the common bond is, there is a weakness penetrating the foundation. Daniel Johnson acted without regard for himself or anything above the fact one of his shipmates needed help. This is the kind of unique hero this nation needs. kc

Advisory Committee on Women Veterans; Notice of Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Advisory Committee on Women Veterans; Notice of Meeting

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gives notice under Public
Law 92-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that the Advisory Committee
on Women Veterans will meet October 28-30, 2008 at the Capital Hilton,
16th and K Street, NW., Washington, DC, from 8:30-4:30 p.m., each day.
The meeting is open to the public.

The purpose of the Committee is to advise the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs regarding the needs of women veterans with respect to health
care, rehabilitation, compensation, outreach, and other programs and
activities administered by the VA designed to meet such needs. The
Committee will make recommendations to the Secretary regarding such
programs and activities.

On October 28, the agenda will include overviews of the Veterans
Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, the
National Cemetery Administration, an update on the 2008 Advisory
Committee on Women Veterans Report, and an update on the activities
conducted by the Center for Women Veterans. On October 29, the agenda will include
discussion on legislation related to women veterans, women veterans'
health, updates to recommendations made in the 2008 Advisory Committee
on Women Veterans Report, updates from the Department of Labor, and
VA's suicide prevention initiatives. On October 30, the agenda will
include updates on rural health, military sexual assault prevention and
response programs, and VA's homeless programs. The agenda is tentative
and is subject to change.

Any member of the public wishing to attend should contact Ms.
Shannon L. Middleton, at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for
Women Veterans (00W), 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420.
Ms. Middleton may be contacted either by phone at (202) 461-6193, fax
at (202) 273-7092, or e-mail at 00W@mail.va.gov. Interested persons may
attend, appear before, or file statements with the Committee. Written
statements must be filed before the meeting, or within 10 days after
the meeting.


go here for more
http://regulations.justia.com/view/122236/

Disabled Veterans in Connecticut need new form or lose tax breaks

System Snafu

Disabled Veterans Must Seek Form To Keep Tax Break
By ANN MARIE SOMMA
October 1, 2008
Thousands of disabled state veterans will lose a tax break if they don't contact the federal Department of Veterans Affairs requesting proof of their disability.

The VA on Monday told Gov. M. Jodi Rell that because of a computer system change in July, the agency will not mail forms to veterans that verify their disability ratings for local tax purposes. The forms must be filed with local tax assessors today.

The last-minute announcement left state officials on Tuesday scrambling to get the word out to more than 20,000 disabled veterans and stunned veterans' advocates.

"This is going to be a big problem because veterans really count on the tax break," said Al Church, executive director of the Connecticut chapter of Disabled American Veterans.


Eligible veterans get exemptions on the assessed value of their homes and cars, based on their disability rating. Veterans must declare their service-connected disabilities annually. Historically, every September the VA has mailed a 20-5455 form that veterans use to verify service-connected disabilities.

David Leonard, director of the VA's Hartford regional office, said the VA converted to a new payment records system that no longer allows the form to be issued to disabled veterans, excluding retired veterans. Veterans must now request the form from the federal VA. The change affects disabled veterans in nine states that provide state and local state tax relief for the veterans and surviving spouses.
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