What Veterans Think About Republicans Voting NO In The PACT Act

What Veterans Think About Republicans Voting NO In The PACT Act

Real Comments From Reddit’s Largest Veterans Group

Please Note: The following content is Not Safe For Work (NSFW) because it contains profanity.

Keeping our finger on the pulse of what Veterans think about current issues, like the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act, or PACT Act, keeps us in touch with what they need. Here’s some of the unedited comments posted the day after the new broke. Here’s a blog post on the news event of the PACT Act getting voted down by Republican senators.

All 7 Democrat veterans voted yes (Kelly, Market, Peters, Reed, Blumenthal, Duckworth, and Carper). 9 of 10 Republican veterans voted no (Marshall, Sullivan, Inhofe, Ernst, McConnell, Scott, Wicker, Young, and Cotton). 3 of those no voters have OIF and/or OEF service. Even Republican veterans hate veterans (and before you fuckers bring it up, regardless of party they’re pretty much all former officers).

Crazy but there is some just flat out lies from people in this thread. Hell I would even question people that come in here to Gaslight some if they are even veterans. As they aren’t really here to help just here to try to paint one side horribly to win an election. Here is the main objection https://youtu.be/PPPeW1kpZY8 The issue is the way it’s structured allows to cram unchecked billions through a budget loop hole. So the people are using vets to eventually cram through other unchecked spending. Glass half full, there is already 400 billion allocated for burn pit treatment. Hopefully the people trying to play games can Lobby their side to just submit a bill that is not some scheme to leave an opening for more spending not currently outlined in the bill. If they truly cared that is what they would be doing.

With all due respect, that’s BS, and I’ll tell you why.

  1. This bill makes burn pit related illnesses and conditions presumptive conditions. That would make thousands of veterans suffering from these conditions eligible for care and support who are currently not due to the limited time window.

  2. These folks voted for it a couple weeks ago. The bill already moved through the Senate, and the House. It goes back to the house of origin mostly as a formality to re-approve the reconciled bill.

You know what changed in a couple weeks? The projections regarding the “red wave” that was supposed to sweep Congress. For the first time, it appears that the Democrats might hold the Senate, and the Republicans are desperate to prevent any win for the Democrats. This is a purely cynical political play, and thousands of veterans have just been sacrificed for nothing except cynical, dirty, low down politics of the worst kind. But people like you will always be around to apologize, gaslight, and spin on their behalf. It’s disgusting.

They love playing both sides when veterans are the ones getting fucked. Wouldn’t expect any less from an account named after the racist/homophobic emails.

“Joni Kay Ernst is an American former military officer” – Voted No, How fucking dare she. What veteran votes no on this?

The agent orange act wasn’t passed for Vietnam veterans until 1991. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange_Act_of_1991

If you want to check how your particular Senators voted, here’s the Senate.gov vote tally: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1172/vote_117_2_00272.htm

*Edit – Holy hell – This is not the separate reconciliation bill. I keep seeing that conflated to give cover to no votes, but that’s a separate animal. Read folks. READ.

Wow shocking Burr and Tillis voted No? But I got am email saying Tillis loves vets … fucking scumbags.

I will never understand how people buy that the Republican part is pro veteran when they consistently vote against shit that will benefit veterans.

Never fails. Post 9/11 GI bill, probably one of the best thing to happen to veterans… yup, you guessed it GOP against it. John McCain lost me after that one.

Republicans are Pro Making Veterans. Once we’re home they don’t give a fuck unless we can be used for a photo op.

Republicans are Pro Making Veterans. Once we’re home they don’t give a fuck unless we can be used for a photo op.

They didn’t even give a fuck about us while we were in. I can’t tell you how often we had to suspend training because Bush was flying above us on the way to his ranch. Or the field op we cancelled because he needed a backdrop for a speech. Or the shitty armor he sent us there with. Or the bullshit lies that got in into that war in the first place.

Here’s the source of these comments. 

What Is a Burn Pit?

A burn pit is an area devoted to open-air combustion of trash. The use of burn pits was a common waste disposal practice at military sites outside the United States, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan. Smoke from these pits contained substances that may have short- and long-term health effects, especially for those who were exposed for long periods or those more
prone to illness such as individuals with pre-existing asthma or other lung or heart conditions.

Waste products in burn pits include, but are not limited to: chemicals, paint, medical and human waste, metal/aluminum cans, munitions and other unexploded ordnance, petroleum and lubricant products, plastics and Styrofoam, rubber, wood, and discarded food. Burning waste in pits can create more hazards compared to controlled high-temperature burning—like in a commercial incinerator.

The VA fact sheet on burn pits says veteran burn pit exposures to high levels of specific, individual chemicals that may be present in burn pit smoke have been shown to cause long-term effects, in some cases, on: skin, respiratory system, eyes, liver, kidneys, central nervous system, reproductive system, cardiovascular system, peripheral nervous system, and gastrointestinal tract.

The IOM study  – supplied by this group – found these health effects associated with five or more chemicals it detected at Joint Base Balad in Iraq:

  • Neurologic effects and reduced central nervous system function
  • Liver toxicity and reduced liver function
  • Cancer (stomach, respiratory, and skin cancer; leukemia; and others)
  • Respiratory toxicity and morbidity
  • Kidney toxicity and reduced kidney function
  • Blood effects (anemia and changes in various cell types)
  • Cardiovascular toxicity and morbidity, and
  • Reproductive and developmental toxicity.

Here’s the roll call vote from yesterday. The one Democrat NO vote was cast by House Leader Chuck Schumer. The reason for that was so that he could recall the vote for a later day if something exactly like this happened.

About Once A Soldier: Starting in 2017, our mission is to limit the scars of Veteran suicide. We offer prevention services and postvention services. We reach a national audience and our goal is to become the preferred channel for those who want to help Veteran families who need our services. With 17 Veteran suicides a day in 2021, we believe our two niche services will make a difference to each family and to our nation.

Florida Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Clinics

Florida Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Clinics

New Mental Health Breakthroughs Are Now Mainstream Services All Across America

Our mission is to prevent veteran suicide using cutting-edge treatments and also to take care of the veteran family when prevention fails. All the promising research for new ways to fight mental health illnesses have pointed towards previously forbidden drugs like ketamine, MDMA and psilocybin. Although still at least a Schedule 3 drug according to the FDA, they are saving lives. Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) seems to have risen to the top. KAP treatment centers are opening up all across America and mid-to-major cities all have multiple options.

See the Glossary of KAP Terms

Florida Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Clinics

Jacksonville Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

Revitalist
6871 Belfort Oaks Place Suite 2 Jacksonville, FL 32216
904-204-1182
Email jacksonville@revitalist.com
Monday – Friday 8:00am – 4:00pm

Ketamine Therapeutics
3685 Crown Point Rd Suite D · (904) 662-1485
Open ⋅ Closes 4PM

Ketamine Wellness Centers – Jacksonville, Florida
3753-2 Cardinal Point Dr
(855) 538-9355
Open ⋅ Closes 6PM

Ketamine Academy
(386) 433-2143
Open ⋅ Closes 5PM
Online classes

The Practice
3547 Hendricks Ave
Jacksonville , FL 32207

Best Ketamine Clinics
8833 Perimeter Park Blvd., Suite #1004
Jacksonville, FL 32216

Satyen Madkaiker, MD, FAPA
3685 Crown Point Court
Jacksonville, FL 32257

First Coast Wellness Infusions and Ketamine Clinic
1100 Plantation Island Dr S
STE 140
St. Augustine, FL 32080
(855) 258-0325

What Is Ketamine & How Does It Work?

Definition of ketamine: a general anesthetic that is administered intravenously and intramuscularly in the form of its hydrochloride C13H16ClNO·HCl and that is used illicitly usually by being inhaled in powdered form, especially for the dreamlike or hallucinogenic state it produces.

More and more research facilities like Stanford University and Johns Hopkins continue to explore the ways this disassociative drug can help us all on the way to better mental health. But how does it work?

Chronic stress weakens neural connections in the brain over time. Depression actually decreases the number of synapses in the brain. Ketamine works directly to restore these connections. It binds to the NMDA receptor and releases a glutamate surge. This in turn releases growth factors, like BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which help make new synaptic connections and pave healthier thought patterns in the brain.

The unique experience that ketamine facilitates with its biological, experiential, and psychological impacts has been tailored to optimize office-based treatment evolving into a method that we call Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).

PTSD Definition

PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a mental health problem that some people – soldiers and civilians – develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault.

It’s normal to have upsetting memories, feel on edge, or have trouble sleeping after this type of event. At first, it may be hard to do normal daily activities, like go to work, go to school, or spend time with people you care about, but most people start to feel better after a few weeks or months. If it’s been longer than a few months and you’re still having symptoms, you may have PTSD.

About Once A Soldier

Starting in 2017, our mission is to limit the scars of Veteran suicide. We offer prevention services and postvention services. We reach a national audience and our goal is to become the preferred channel for those who want to help Veteran families who need our services. With 17 Veteran suicides a day in 2021, we believe our two niche services will make a difference to each family and to our nation.

Once A Soldier Funds First Ketamine-IV Drip Therapy

Once A Soldier Funds First Ketamine-IV Drip Therapy

 Finally, Effective Treatment for Suicidal Veterans & Their Families 

How long do PTSD Veterans and their families have to wait for psilocybin treatment to get going? While Congress idles with no answers, some Vets are going out of the country for this treatment. We can do better here at home and we are. Our answer to how long is “no longer.” Help is needed now as more and more Veterans are committing suicide at an alarming rate above the civilian average.

Putting our money where our hearts are, Once A Soldier is defraying the costs of a full six sessions of Ketamine IV drip treatments. James Simpson and his wife Jennifer are both combat Veterans. It is our intent for James to defeat his PTSD with this grant. We know he will.

 

ketamin iv drip

Ketamine Clinics Are Already Functional Around the Nation

The initial call from James’ wife Jennifer spurred Once A Soldier to monetize their prevention efforts with this first-ever grant. Treatment will be at the Virginia Beach Ketamine and Wellness starting in February 2022. Private, out-of-pocket clinics like this are all over the country, and we have partnered with two here in Jacksonville during our service time. We wish the Simpson family the best and will update James’ progress in this blog.

Once A Soldier has always been a resource for Veteran suicide prevention and information. Our mission started as – and still is – postvention, but we have grown to offer prevention help for both Veteran and family, pre and postvention. Note our scholarships for Equine-Assisted Therapy for Veterans and their families here in north Florida, as well as our Transcendental Meditation scholarships which has been granted around the country now that COVID-19 has changed. Despite the apparent dichotomy, we have also championed other free and drug-free mental health treatments.

We are first, but we are not alone.

Back in 2021, a collection of the largest Veteran service organizations implored Congress to fast track the journey towards adding psilocybin to prevent Veteran suicide. Across America, renowned institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University run psychedelic research centers and medical groups. They see the future. With 20 Veteran suicides a day, and the reason they suicide, something advanced needs to be considered. And they are. Meanwhile, Once A Soldier has grant a modest amount to enable That is a big ask as some psilocybins currently sit in Category 1 with heroin. Ketamine is considered a Schedule 3 because it is so hard to make. However, r

There are US Veterans leaving the country to seek this type of medical treatment. Surely, we can find our way faster for their sake.

Virginia Beach Ketamine and Wellness owners

James Stephen Oleksa, MD Anesthesiology,Medical Director and Sentara Princess Anne Hospital, Virginia Beach, VA.

Virginia Beach Ketamine and Wellness owners

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Carolanne Garofalo and Tricia Lee are co-owners at Virginia Beach Ketamine and Wellness.

ABOUT ONCE A SOLDIER

Our Veterans are killing themselves in record numbers mostly due to PTSD. An overmatched VA can’t take care of them or their families. We will.

Soldier suicide leaves Veteran families with thousands of dollars of bills unpaid, mostly bank loans.

We are the only nonprofit standing with the families after a veteran suicide. Stand with us.

Our Mission: Become the preferred channel for donors, advocates and volunteers who care about veteran families left behind after a soldier suicide.

Opinion: The VA Needs a Veteran Suicide Funeral Loan Program

Opinion: The VA Needs a Veteran Suicide Funeral Loan Program

Once A Soldier Advocates for a New Bill to Help Veteran Suicide Families

The VA Home Loan program continues to provide value to Veterans and it is a well-earned feather in the cap of the Veterans’ Administration. Once A Soldier believes that a similar government backed loan program needs to be made into law. Significantly smaller in scope than the successful VA Home Loan Program, it will still mean a great deal to our Veteran families.

Now, with the close of the war in Afghanistan, more soldiers will be coming home. We know that transition out of a war zone has is a bumpy road for many. For some, getting a job, keeping it, and just fitting back in seems like a lost cause. Add in the curse of PTSD, and we get a Veteran suicide rate like we have now. 

Additionally, sixteen of the twenty-two military suicides happen to a Veteran and therefore their family. Often times they witness it. They need to clean it up in both ways. It is a great American tragedy.

To us, Veteran families have earned this program in a way to only a Veteran family can. Service means deployments, low pay, and frequent re-assignments. A suicide is one cross too many to bear, in our opinion. We think most people from all countries would agree.

John Rutherford, R-Florida pledges his support for our cause, and we are asking him and the rest of the Congress to consider this Veteran Family Suicide Funeral Home Loan Program. Once you see the vaule, the right thing to do is to act now. 

ABOUT ONCE A SOLDIER

Our Veterans are killing themselves in record numbers mostly due to PTSD. An overmatched VA can’t take care of them or their families. We will.

Soldier suicide leaves Veteran families with thousands of dollars of bills unpaid, mostly bank loans.

We are the only nonprofit standing with the families after a veteran suicide. Stand with us.

Our Mission: Become the preferred channel for donors, advocates and volunteers who care about veteran families left behind after a soldier suicide.

Speaking On A National Crisis With Representative Rutherford

Speaking On A National Crisis With Representative Rutherford

 “Positive Progress”
The Latest on Stopping Veteran Suicide

Speakers Forum on October 25, 2020

Every two days, more United States veterans die by suicide than were killed in action during all of last year. But despite this disturbing statistic, and after almost nineteen years of post-9/11 conflicts, lawmakers and Defense Department officials still are no closer to ending the suicide crisis affecting veterans and their families throughout the country. The issue is complex – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can manifest itself in a multitude of ways, and there isn’t any guarantee for mental health care access to the veterans who need it most.

John Rutherford

John Rutherford

Congressman (R) from District 4 - FL

St. Augustine Event Presented by Once A Soldier

“Positive Progress” Speakers Forum featuring Rep. John Rutherford
When: October 25, 2020 from 6pm to 7:30 pm
Where: Gourmet Hut (17 Cuna Street, St. Augustine, FL)
Admission: Free — Seating is Limited to 45 Attendees
Complimentary hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine

Reserve Your Seat Here 


ABOUT THE EVENT

Once A Soldier’s team is dedicated to helping families in the United States who have been affected by a veteran’s suicide. It is our main mission to provide financial aid to families burdened by funeral and other expenses when a veteran they love takes their own life. In order to take our mission to the next level, and help even more families in need, we have been working with the Congressional Representative from Florida’s Fourth District, Rep. John Rutherford. Representative Rutherford and his team have listened to the needs of our organization and understand the scope of the problem our nation is facing when it comes to veteran suicide.

In order to raise awareness of this important issue right here in the Northeast Florida community, Representative Rutherford will be speaking at the Gourmet Hut (17 Cuna Street, St. Augustine, FL) on October 25th from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Along with other speakers from a veteran-owned PTSD clinic, and a father of a fallen soldier, Rep. Rutherford will be speaking about what it takes to combat the veteran and soldier suicide crisis. Get the details here.

Hosted outdoors in historic downtown St. Augustine, “Positive Progress – The Latest on Stopping Veteran Suicide” promises to set the standard on how we can tackle this issue from all sides and start saving lives. Rep. Rutherford will discuss how this will take a combined effort from the both legislative branch and the private sector. He will also share stories from the front lines to bring this issue completely into focus.

After the speakers have wrapped up, Once A Soldier will host a question and answer session. This is a great opportunity to speak one-on-one with the Founder and discuss any of our current and future initiatives. In addition, there will be complimentary beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres available throughout at the event. This is the only event of it’s kind and the outdoor seating is limited.

To abide by social distancing guidelines, all seating will be spaced appropriately, and masks are mandatory.

If you are interested in attending this free event, RSVP here!

ABOUT ONCE A SOLDIER

Our Veterans are killing themselves in record numbers mostly due to PTSD. An overmatched VA can’t take care of them or their families. We will.

Soldier suicide leaves Veteran families with thousands of dollars of bills unpaid, mostly bank loans.

We are the only nonprofit standing with the families after a veteran suicide. Stand with us.

Our Mission: Become the preferred channel for donors, advocates and volunteers who care about veteran families left behind after a soldier suicide.