[HARDCORE]

A piece recently appeared on ABC that brought to mind visions of Mary Shelly (Frankenstein) and Bram Stoker (Dracula).

Was it set in Transylvania or even at the Munsters or Adams' Family Home - HELL NO! It took place at, what should have been, a bastion of safety, healing and cleanliness, the Nation?s Veterans Administrations Medical Facilities!

Also scheduled to appear on this program to field questions was Anthony Principi, Bush?s head of the VA! Well, Tony opted not to make it (sick they said), and in his place, someone far down the chain of command put in a hesitant appearance! "Gee, I wonder if Tony was hospitalized in that same maggotized VA facility I mentioned at the beginning of this piece?"

In my opinion, it would take volumes to report upon the affluent ills of the VA and those who pull the strings, right up to the top, but there was at least one segment of this show that had me wanting to toss my cookies! It seems that in at least one VA, the walls were infested with maggots, and these (in turn) quickly matured into an army of mobile filth (the maggot fly)!

Well, to make a long story short, these buzzing germ machines, after the lights went out, swooped down (especially upon comatose veterans) and set up shop in their noses, their ears, mouths and open sores, doing their putrid thing!

I think that what gets me the worse, however, is forever hearing the "VA Powers That Be", justifiably crying the blues over under funding, while our rich bureaucrats continue to suffer on, ingesting naught but caviar, truffles, and bubbly from the back seats of their stretched limos, reading the stock pages and the war news out of Iraq no doubt! And this, while our nation?s veterans barely make ends meet and are imprisoned in Twenty-first century Black Holes of Calcutta when deathly ill, and then, only if they are lucky to even gain admittance! "After all, one can do only so much on a $35 to $60 Billion measly bucks a year, depending upon who you believe!?"

Finally, and this bakes my bacon, even though most of you claim to care and are fully aware of this miserable crime against America?s Finest (her veterans), you do less than nothing! Oh, some bitch up a storm right enough, but when it comes to busting out of the closets of silence, you chose blind acceptance in stead!

Is it fear, the threats of some VA bonvivants, apathy, or even brain washing that has you oblivious to this national tragedy? Or could it be that, like most, you just refuse to believe what you are seeing!

I again beg you, if you know of anyone here in San Diego County, or anywhere else in our nation, who has experienced unacceptable treatment at a VAMC, spit out now and take that first step toward demanding change and accountability at the Veterans Administration!! "Either that, or silently become a nation of Les Miserables!"

Don?t wait until it is far too late for you and yours, as was shown on ABC, Thursday Night Last (Primetime Thursday- Fighting For Care, Assessing The VA Hospitals) , for this beast just may devour you and yours! Or could it be that you require personal proof from a movie like Article 99, which may indeed, have at least some basis in fact!

This is your life, the only one that you will ever get - the life that many of you put on the line for our beloved nation. You deserve quality care and not excuses at the Veterans Administration Hospitals that you built with your blood, sweat and tears!

Come forward while you can, and take a stand for your brothers and sisters! Either that or go back to sleep while your life and health are willfully eroded away! ?It?s Your Choice, and these are but my opinions after all!?

DEMAND THE BEST - YOU GAVE YOUR BEST!

VERITAS