How many?

Like most, I have been following the Bergdahl trade.  I have been outraged by the stupidity, and the question of whether or not Bergdahl will be court martialed.  Also I’ve been somewhat entertained that this brilliant diplomacy blew up in Obama’s face and he’s now catching criticism from former Yes Men and Women about it.  Does bipartisan fury make him at long last a uniter?  Still, even though Obama’s dance through the minefield was not without incident, he got what he wanted, just not the way he wanted it.  We’ve been distracted from the VA scandal.  If you are reading this on Tuesday the 10^th tomorrow it will have been a week since Bergdhal pushed the VA scandal out of the headlines.

Even though the Bergdahl trade infuriates everyone (as it should,) the truth is that story is going to move very slowly. We should not be distracted from the Veterans that need help RIGHT NOW.  So in an effort to refocus the outrage in a direction that will do some good, I ask this one simple question in hopes it will be shouted from the rooftops!  I want to inspire people who know better than I how to get answers to do so NOW.

How many Veterans died on the waiting lists this week?

I want to know.  I want a number that I can use to hit this issue, hard, until changes are actually made.  A number that reminds people that this is not over.  The fact is that nothing has actually changed. I want to stop this shameful situation and to hold people responsible. We need to stay on it.  Politicians tend to think that talking about an issue is the same as actually making a change.   They are wrong.  Whatever sideshow Obama manages to produce, our Veterans continue to die while we are looking elsewhere.  That is still not good enough, and I will remain furious until it is changed.  It is my hope that enough people ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISLE also remember that they are angry, and why, and DO SOMETHING about this instead of just talking.  The treatment of our Veterans has never been a Right/Left issue. It’s a basic responsibility.  A promise made.  How many die before we can fix it?  How many we will LET die to protect the President’s prestige? We cannot ignore the fact that time = more dead Veterans.

To continue to allow this is shameful.