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.

Expert Debunks Veteran Suicide Myths

Expert Debunks Veteran Suicide Myths

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Saving a Life Starts Here

Veteran suicide suffers from the same stigma associated with civilian suicide. That stigma slows down the conversation, and not just on a national level, but on a personal one. What you think about discussing suicidal thoughts might be wrong. Here are five ways that you can think differently talking with someone you love about suicide. 

Veteran families have a higher obstacle to climb because soldiers can want to carry the load no matter how heavy. They all feel that maybe they could have said that one thing that their loved one would still be here. So for them, and for you if you think you need one little nudge to get you over the hump to talk to someone you love about suicide, read on.  

The Reddit community supplied all the content below and the original material can be found here. If you’re a Veteran, this is a place to meet other Vets. 

deployed soldier take a break

Five Myths to Reconsider

Asking about suicide plants the idea in their head. False [see: Dazzi, T., Grobble, R., Wessely, S., & Fear, N. (2014). Does asking about suicide and related behaviors induce suicidal ideation? What is the evidence? psychological medicine] Instead it might help save their lives by reducing the stigma and allowing them to open up a conversation about their thoughts (also, don’t be afraid to use the word “suicide” or “killing yourself.”

People who are suicidal want to die. In most cases, suicidal people don’t want to die, they want the PAIN to stop. There is a difference. They don’t see any way to make it stop unless they are dead. Depression is treatable and there are ways to help reduce the pain and find reasons for living.

People who are suicidal are weak. False. Depression is a serious, but treatable illness that has nothing to do with moral strength or weakness.

People who commit suicide are selfish. False. Most people who commit suicide truly believe that their loved ones would be better off without them. Many believe that they put a burden on family and friends and that they would be much happier without them. I’ve had patients share these thoughts with their loved ones and they were utterly surprised to see their loved ones vehemently disagree with their thoughts.

People who are suicidal are just trying to get attention. I’ll end on this one, because I really want you to remember this. OF COURSE THEY WANT ATTENTION. And?? They are crying for help, they do want attention because they are screaming for help. If someone’s house is on fire, don’t they cry for help and try to get someone’s attention? Why do we shame people for suicidal behaviors or sharing their thoughts? There are so many more I’d love to share, but I’ll just start here for now. Check on your loved ones.

Another common attitude that shows a problematic lack of empathy is when people take seriously only completed suicides or “real suicide attempts” and even praise them as signs of genuine and heroic suffering and struggle. Meanwhile mocking and downplaying “fake” or “attention seeking” suicide attempts, surviving less effective methods, as well as self harm in general.

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The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author.