veterans – R&R – Reachout and Rebuild

Zeldin, your name is Shame

David Posnett — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 15:27:56 +0000

Mr. Zeldin, your name is shame.

You are either with our constitutional system of government, or you are not. And then you are for mob rule. Which is it?

Are you a leader? – def. “a leader is someone who rallies people to move toward a better vision.”

Are you continuing to promote sedition? – def. “conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of the state.”

Are you a Conspiracy Theorist? – def. “promoting a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.”

Our American Constitution is a better vision. Why are you inciting rebellion against it? Why are you continuing to lie to us about the circumstances of the 2020 election? Why are you confusing people about the election and spreading lies? Did you not take an oath to uphold the Constitution?

We Americans want our American Democracy to work. Impeach Trump Now and get to work for a better vision for us all, or Resign.

Signed,

A daughter of America, daughter of a family who has served to form and preserve our country from the Revolution through the Civil War, WWI, WWII and Viet Nam.

Curb Drug Costs: Makes Sense For All

David Posnett — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 15:31:21 +0000

By Mike Anthony, on page A10 of the Southampton Press:

http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODN/SouthamptonEast/

Makes Sense For All

Dr. David Posnett’s informative letter about House of Representative bill HR3 [“Choosing Sides,” Letters, January 9], see prior post herein, details key elements of Congress’s promise to establish a consumer- and patient-friendly drug price negotiation system. Dr. Posnett aptly captures the gist of the matter in several paragraphs.

My prime takeaway: If the Veterans Administration can negotiate drug prices, why not the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services? High-quality and lower-cost drugs makes sense for all of us.

As Dr. Posnett points out, Congressman Lee Zeldin repeats the canard that “these policies would siphon $1 trillion from biopharmaceutical innovators over the next 10 years.” A cynic might ask: Why don’t the drug companies use some of their robust advertising budget and redirect it to research?

The thing is, you don’t have to be a cynic to think that way. Dr. Marcia Angell reveals how drug companies have strayed from their mission in “The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It.” Here’s an excerpt from the publisher:

“As Dr. Angell powerfully demonstrates, claims that high drug prices are necessary to fund research and development are unfounded. The truth is that drug companies funnel the bulk of their resources into the marketing of products of dubious benefit.”

Any doubt about that? Just ask Purdue Pharma, the company that pleaded guilty to criminal charges of misbranding Oxycontin by claiming that it was less addictive compared to other opioids. Purdue was fined $634 million.

Yes, drug efficacy and safety are as important as pricing — and HR3 covers that as well.

NPR reports that several overseas generic drug manufacturers abuse safety protocols. In India, about 25 percent of inspected drug manufacturing plants violated drug integrity rules; in China, 32 percent of their plants violated these rules.

To guarantee the safe manufacture of drugs, HR 3 provides $920 million to improve regulatory oversight of medical products and to protect public health. And, most important to the East End community, HR3 provides $7.5 billion in funding for states, counties, cities and towns to fight the opioid epidemic.

Contact Congressman Zeldin and ask him to reconsider his opposition to HR3: https://zeldin.house.gov/contact/offices

Mike Anthony

Westhampton

Trump thinks we are gullible!

David Posnett — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 15:14:35 +0000

No Charitable Thought for Donald Trump (NY TIMES, NOV 8 2019)

Fined $2 million after admitting his foundation was his piggy bank, the president shows he always comes first.

By The Editorial Board

Credit…Illustration by Nicholas Konrad; photograph by Doug Mills/The New York Times

On Monday, President Trump will kick off the 100th New York City Veterans Day Parade, at which he is likely to boast, as is his wont, of his devotion to the men and women who have served in the military.

But a legal settlement announced on Thursday reveals that for Donald Trump, personal interest outranks even the needs of veterans. Under the agreement, a New York judge ordered the president to pay $2 million in damages after Mr. Trump admitted that his now-defunct Donald J. Trump Foundation largely benefited Donald J. Trump….

More here: Judge rules that Donald Trump must pay $2 million to charities. Published Nov 8th by Michael Collins Dennis Wagner Kevin McCoy in USA TODAY

The lawsuit, filed last year by then-New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, outlined a wide array of mismanagement by Trump and his three eldest children.

Chief among them: allowing Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign to orchestrate a televised fundraiser in Des Moines, Iowa, for the foundation, which then distributed $2.8 million to veterans’ charities that were also chosen by the campaign.

Charities are prohibited by New York law from supporting political candidates or campaigns.

Trump staged the fundraiser on Jan. 28, 2016, days before the Iowa caucuses, rather than participate in a Republican presidential debate.

According to the lawsuit, Trump’s campaign staff, not the foundation, chose the veterans’ groups that would get the money. That violated New York’s charity laws.

The Attorney General’s Office and the Trump Foundation reached an agreement last year to dissolve the foundation and distribute its remaining $1.8 million in assets to a variety of charities, including the Army Relief Fund and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

And this:

The Trump Foundation was a sham.

By Dylan Matthews @dylanmatt dylan@vox.com Nov 8, 2019, 9:40am EST

The New York State attorney general’s case against the Trump Foundation — Donald Trump’s nonprofit that a court shut down earlier this year — has concluded. The Trumps have agreed to pay a $2 million fine, the attorney general’s office said in a press release on Thursday.

The deal follows years of incredible, careful reporting by a number of reporters but most of all the Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold. As Fahrenthold discovered, the Trump Foundation often operated as a slush fund for the Trump family and Trump’s businesses. It bought Trump an autographed Tim Tebow helmet, a portrait of himself, and money for various lawsuit settlements. Less entertainingly but perhaps more importantly, he also used a foundation fundraiser, which was nationally televised a few days before the Iowa caucuses, to promote his presidential bid in 2016.

I would be mad as hell as a veteran…

See more here:

Inside Trump’s VA – Investigating Trump’s Promises to America’s Veterans

The Truth About Lee Zeldin’s Record

David Posnett — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 14:37:35 +0000

October 1, 2018 by Jacquelyn Gavron and Amy Turner

You deserve the facts about your representative, but you won’t get them from Lee Zeldin. Here’s the truth about his record.

OPPOSES GUN SAFETY

After Parkland, Zeldin said, “This tragedy could have and should’ve been prevented.” But he voted against bills to prevent them—background checks and assault rifle ban.
Zeldin’s received $61,181 from the NRA, more than any NY rep. No wonder he co-sponsored its pet “concealed carry” act overriding our laws and letting out-of-state guns flow into NY.
Zeldin voted against a bill banning firearms in airports and prohibiting terrorists on the FBI’s no-fly list to buy guns in the U.S.

ANTI-LGBTQ

Zeldin voted against preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity
Said he believes marriage is between a man and a woman and voted against the Marriage Equality Act of New York
Supported Trump’s rescinding Obama’s rule on transgender bathroom use and all but said he supported Trump’s ban on transgender people in the military.

DISHONORS VETERANS

Zeldin’s vote to repeal the ACA would leave 340,000 veterans covered by the Medicaid expansion without any health care coverage.
Did little to address equipment and infrastructure issues at Northport VA Medical Center, which serves approximately 30,000 of the 130,000 veterans on L.I.
Zeldin received $20,000 from Koch Industries, which has been funding VA privatization PACS including Concerned Veterans for America.

ETHICAL LAPSES

Zeldin was sworn in to the House on Jan. 6, 2015. That same day, he voted to limit the power of the House and Senate ethics committees to investigate members.
Zeldin repeatedly voted against investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election–
Although use of private jets for routine travel violates federal rules, Zeldin voted against protecting whistleblowers who disclose on improper use of aircrafts by government officials.

ANTI-IMMIGRATION

Supported Trump’s repeal of the DACA, or Dream Act, which protected from deportation those brought to the U.S. as children
Defended Trump’s comment about immigrants from “shithole countries” and voted to require state/local governments to comply with ICE requests to detain undocumented immigrants
Voted to block federal funding for states and localities with “sanctuary” laws on immigration.

Put Our Safety First

David Posnett — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 01:52:59 +0000

Tuesday Feb 20th, 3 PM: Rally in Patchogue at Lee Zeldin’s Patchogue Office

Put Our Safety First – Protect the Russia Investigation/ Gun Reform Now!

Zeldin’s voting record on guns:

“Mr. Zeldin has accepted $14,850 from the NRA since his first congressional run, the most of any sitting NY representative, and has earned NRA’s A rating” –Editorial, East Hampton Star, 10/05/17

Co-sponsored Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which compels states with strict concealed carry requirements to allow individuals from states with no or lax permit requirements to carry a concealed weapon. (H.R. 38) Opposed by police commissioners and District Attorneys across the country. (12/6/2017)
Voted in favor of H.R. 3354, which among other harmful provisions prohibits federal funding of CDC research on gun violence. (9/14/17)
Voted to end federal checks that prevented 167,000+ veterans deemed “mentally incompetent” from owning or buying firearms. H.R.1181 (3/16/2017)
Voted to prohibit bans of firearms in airports and other public transportation facilities. Griffith Amendment to H.R.2406 (2/26/2016)
Voted to restrict the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms from regulating the sale of ammunition for semi-automatic weapons. H.R.2578 (6/1/2015)

The rally in Patchogue at Lee Zeldin’s Patchogue Office was attended by 400-500 people, with Newsday and other press outlets present. Here are some pictures. Videos on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/dposnett/videos/10213198645013157/
https://www.facebook.com/cindy.morrisproothi/videos/pcb.1848659871864496/1848656928531457/?type=3&theater

shame

big voice in a tiny body: go girl: go girl!

the victims

blood everywhere

Response to Rep. Lee Zeldin’s 10-point Plan for Gun-violence-prevention Advocates

David Posnett — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 15:28:56 +0000

Dear Congressman Zeldin,

Every American is saddened and appalled by the massacre in Las Vegas. Yet while the public is overwhelmingly united in wanting Congress to act, you continue to try to divide us by belittling and misrepresenting the positions of gun violence prevention constituents and scaring pro-gun constituents by egregiously mischaracterizing the solutions being suggested.

Rep Zeldin, your overwrought claim to be ready to lay down your life to prevent something like Las Vegas from ever happening again would be a little more credible if you had the courage to support even one of the practical solutions that both gun owners and gun-violence prevention advocates support and that well-respected researchers have deemed effective.

In answer to your recent response to the Las Vegas shooting in the form of a condescending 10-point plan to the gun violence prevention community, our answer is this: We are not idiots. We are tired of being lectured to. We’re tired of platitudes and recycled talking points and no action. We are especially insulted by the tone of your snarky list of criticisms against us, which we feel compelled to answer:

1) Not one of the many respected gun-violence-prevention groups demeans gun owners or is threatening the second amendment or gun ownership. Gun owners and cops and veterans are volunteers and members of our Boards! Stop using the NRA’s caricature of who the advocates of stronger laws are, and what we want. Try actually reading and listening instead. Since Las Vegas, gun violence groups have never had so many gun owners say they’ve had enough and now want to work for stronger laws.

2) I’m sorry if you’re feelings are hurt because some advocates hold you personally responsible for the ongoing slaughter on our streets, or for not backing laws to keep guns away from terrorists or away from the severely mentally ill who are so impaired they can no longer handle their own affairs. But as the body count mounts, year after year, I suggest that it would be much more upsetting if citizens weren’t furious at Congressional inaction when their loved ones are being killed every day. And by the way, if you want to talk about abuse, your pro-gun allies intimidate and threaten us constantly – on social media, at peaceful vigils and educational rallies, and at our places of work. And did I mention that your guys are armed and most of us are not? Your allies have posted photos of the kids and homes of the women I work with, and I can’t imagine how many hours of close-up footage of us your video-toting Oathkeeper friends must have. It’s a nasty form of intimidation.

3) We get it that that Hillary is your favorite whipping post but let’s set her aside (she is not in office, you are) and actually talk about silencers. Let’s talk about all the law enforcement groups that oppose deregulating them because it will make their jobs harder, including the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA), the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), and the Police Foundation (PF), which together comprise the National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence.

4) We all agree that a lack of interest in facts is appalling. But in the heat of the moment after a terrifying massacre, police and government officials (and the media) are trying to communicate using the information available, then correcting it as more is known. What I find disturbing is not a mistake in the heat of the moment but afterwards, when you continue to refuse to consider any research or reports that don’t back up your pro-gun myopia. If you want truth, why don’t you vote to fun gun violence research? What are you afraid of?

5) Playing with semantics about the definition of an “assault weapon” is an effete and cowardly way to avoid the issue that weapons developed for use in war have no place on our streets. Other developed countries have no problem defining – and banning — assault-style weapons and do not have the kind of mass murders that we keep seeing over and over again. I have offered to introduce you to longtime gun shop owner and a blogger for stronger gun laws, Mike Weisser, who would be more than willing to enlighten you on the subject.

6) Accusing people who don’t want terrorists carrying guns of being emotional and frivolous is a characterization that’s beneath contempt. Americans do not lack interest in keeping guns out of the hands of terrorists. The vast majority of Americans support this measure – gun owners and reformers alike — and Congressional obstruction and your purposely unworkable bill, offered as a killer to the real proposal, is the flaw. Why does your concern for the accuracy of the Terror Watch list begin and end only when “no fly no buy” is mentioned. May I once again remind you that Americans make up only 0.5% of the total number in all the US Terror Watch Lists databases?

7) At a guess, people will stop tying you to the NRA when you stop taking their money, spouting their talking points, and offer one position that is at odds with their agenda of selling more and more guns and devices to the American public.

8) Misleading statistics? Yours are the ones out of date. In 2016 the numbers of gun fatalities soared to 36,000. Moreover, gun suicides are a major focus of many in the gun violence prevention community. We do not hide that fact. You maybe don’t care that there’s an epidemic of suicide among white rural males but we do. We think it’s a preventable, national tragedy. You maybe don’t care that there’s an epidemic of suicide among Veterans, especially those suffering from PTSD, but we do, and we – and the mental health community — are working hard to prevent that, even as you’ve voted to overwhelmingly cut back funding for mental health.

9) We work with the victims of gun violence every single day and their pain is often overwhelming to bear. We do not criticize anyone for sending prayers to them. But prayers are not enough, especially from our elected leaders, especially not now. The criticism is directed at you and other electeds who offer prayers, then do nothing.

10) By mentioning the creation of gun-free zones, I guess you’re referring to keeping guns out of schools and off college campuses, where the debate is most fierce right now. You’re right. Administrators, professors, students, campus police and parents have all strongly opposed guns on campuses whenever they’re introduced, but pro-gun politicians in several GOP states think they know better and have passed these measures anyway. Since the proposals are new, we can’t yet measure the result yet, but after the shooting Oct. 9th 2017, of a Texas Tech campus police officer, guns on campus looks like as bad an idea as everyone feared. I would point out that it is exceedingly ironic that the NRA forbids guns inside its convention hall and the US Congress and almost every legislature, including those controlled by the GOP, do not allow guns. Why exactly is that?

Finally, we are not the ones in an echo-chamber, Mr. Zeldin: We suggest you leave yours. Whenever you want to. We’re still waiting for an open town meeting.

Sincerely your constituent,

Sue Hornik

Anthem and Flag

David Posnett — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 22:06:50 +0000

Picture from http://newsbreakouts.com/nfl-teams-respond-to-trump-with-non-participation-kneeling-in-protest/

Letter printed in the East Hampton Star, Sept. 28, 2017

Dear Editor,

Here’s Lee Zeldin (leezeldinforcongress.com) on the N.F.L. protest:

“An entire N.F.L. football team (Pittsburgh Steelers) protesting the national anthem. These spoiled rich brats may think they are being cool and trendy, but they obviously have no true understanding what that anthem and flag mean to our service members, their families, and countless other Americans.”

No, Lee, you’re the one who does not understand. The flag is a symbol of our country, a country that has been degraded and divided by the bully-in-chief just about every day since he took office. Most Americans are horrified by the ignorance and petty vindictiveness of the president. One of the glories of this country is the freedoms it provides us, freedoms that include peaceful protest. (Perhaps it would have been more palatable for you if the players had been holding tiki torches?)

Why are you supporting an authoritarian wannabe who doesn’t understand the most basic tenets of our great democracy, let alone what it means to be a decent human being?

Sincerely,

CAROL DEISTLER

Zeldin’s Approval of Senate Healthcare Bill Reveals His Lack of Concern for Veterans

David Posnett — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 16:24:52 +0000

Tester and Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee Members Highlight Impact of Senate Health Care Plan on Veterans

Approximately 7 Million Veterans’ Health Care at Risk

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

(U.S. Senate) – Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Jon Tester and Senators Patty Murray, Richard Blumenthal, Joe Manchin, and Sherrod Brown today highlighted the negative impacts of the controversial Senate health care plan on the nation’s veterans.

Approximately 7 million veterans choose to receive their health care outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the number of uninsured veterans has dropped by nearly 40 percent.

“This plan, written in secret, will devastate thousands of elderly, disabled and rural veterans who go outside of the VA for all or some of their health care,” said Tester. “This plan guts Medicaid which provides life-saving treatment, mental health care and access to a health care provider for thousands of folks who have bravely served this nation. I will be working hard to make sure that any health care law honors our promises to our veterans, but this plan doesn’t even come close.”

“Our country makes a promise to take care of the men and women who serve, but Trumpcare would do just the opposite,” Murray said.“Hundreds of thousands of veterans in Washington state, not to mention countless military families, could see their costs increase or lose their Medicaid coverage if Republicans jam this bill through, which is why I am fighting it every step of the way.”

“Senate Republicans are recklessly gambling with veterans’ healthcare,” said Blumenthal. “If this bill passes, millions of the men and women who put their lives on the line for this country will lose access to care, including at least 18,000 Connecticut veterans. Every Member of Congress who plans to support this bill needs to imagine looking a veteran in the eye and telling them why their mental healthcare for PTS has been halted, or why they can no longer afford treatment for traumatic brain injury sustained while serving their country.”

“More than 50 percent of our Veterans in West Virginia seek healthcare outside of the VA system. Our Veterans and their families don’t deserve to have their healthcare ripped away from them or to have their out-of-pocket costs skyrocket after they have bravely sacrificed for their country,” Manchin said. “The Republican healthcare bill will raise costs on the 80,000 West Virginia Veterans who are older than 65 and on the 85,000 West Virginia Veterans who live in rural communities. Moreover, with less care available in our community hospitals, the Veterans Health Administration expects to see an uptick in enrollees, which will overwhelm their already overburdened resources. This bill does not reflect our obligation and promise to our Veterans and their families to take care of them when they get home and it is one of the many reasons I cannot support it.”

“The last thing we ought to be doing is making it harder for these men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country to get the care they need,” said Brown. “When returning home, they should be able to focus on spending time with loved ones and rejoining their communities, not worrying about how they’ll afford healthcare.”

After 13 Republican Senators drafted the so-called Better Care Reconciliation Act behind closed doors, they finally released the legislation to the public just days before forcing a Senate vote.

The potential impacts of the Senate health care plan on veterans nationwide include:

Nearly 1.75 million disabled and low-income veterans could lose Medicaid coverage.
Approximately 600,000 veterans face a tax that could charge them up to 5 times more for health insurance.
Over 5 million rural veterans could face difficulty in accessing vital services at their rural hospitals.
Up to 20 percent of veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and up to 30 percent of Vietnam veterans who have Post Traumatic Stress could be charged more for mental health care.
Up to 7 million veterans could lose tax credits that help them afford health care. Many of these veterans are not eligible to enroll in VA health care.
Approximately 7 percent of veterans could lose access to care for opioid or other substance abuse disorders.

As a soldier, I worked for Lee Zeldin

David Posnett — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 08:34:49 +0000

His values don’t reflect what we were taught.

Posted Oct 31st, 2016

By Richard Allen Smith, Veteran, writer, advocate

As a US Army veteran, I’m troubled by the rhetoric of Donald Trump and the Republican candidates that support him, especially Rep. Lee Zeldin who I served under in the 82nd Airborne Division.

During the 14 months I served in Afghanistan from 2007 to 2008, I spent part of my time helping immigrants serving in our Army apply for their US citizenship, including immigrants from South and Central America, as well as predominantly Muslim countries. The things Donald Trump has said about these brave men and their families are simply unconscionable.

During his campaign, Trump has frequently criticized veterans and servicemembers that were not immigrants as well. He cast aspersions at prisoners of war, saying “I like people who weren’t captured” in reference to Sen. John McCain. He attacked the parents of Gold Star Army Captain Humayun Khan (see image), who heroically fell in the line of duty. And he has implied that Sergeant Bowe Begdahl should be “shot,” without a trial, an idea I find unacceptable and one that Zeldin, should condemn as well.

While he says he stands up for veterans, Trump’s actions show a deep apathy, and arguably disdain, for our service to our country. His intolerance towards other groups — Latinos, immigrants, Muslims, women, the disabled, and more — shows that he simply does not possess the values that so many of us fought to defend.

I served under Zeldin in the 82nd Airborne Division as an enlisted JAG Corps soldier. Zeldin was my officer in charge prior to deploying to Afghanistan. The Army and the 82nd Airborne Division instilled in both of us the values of inclusiveness, integrity, and respect that I keep at the forefront of my life to this day. Both Trump’s record and rhetoric, as well as Zeldin’s anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim statements, are in direct contradiction with those values.

In my time working with Zeldin, I found him to be perhaps the most unremarkable and mediocre military officer I ever served with. I was not alone in that assessment. I share this not because I revel in criticizing my fellow soldiers. In fact, it makes me deeply uncomfortable.

But what makes me more uncomfortable is when Zeldin uses his service to promote a version of patriotism that is inconsistent with every value I learned from the military, and then uses the political platform he’s been given to support fundamentally un-American things and people who threaten the very America that we swore to defend.

Mr. Trump has demonstrated that he is willing to attack veterans and their families, fan the flames of anti-immigrant and racial hatred, and mock women. Zeldin stands with him, and even calls President Obama a “racist.” I hope Zeldin will tell voters what it is about those values we learned in the Army that he has since found to be so distasteful that he must support a candidate that stands against them in every way.

Zeldin: AHCA Tax Credits but not for Vets

David Posnett — Thu, 25 May 2017 18:10:14 +0000

By Robert Wick, published as a letter to the Editor, East Hampton Star on May 25th, 2017

As a veteran myself, I’ve never particularly understood, why being a veteran makes one any more qualified to hold a public office than a non-veteran. Be that as it may, Congressman Zeldin proudly advertises his veteran credentials. So, I was very dismayed by his vote for the recent health bill passed by the House that threatens to strip tax credits from up to seven million veterans. The bill offers all of us tax credits that we can use to buy private insurance, but only if we are not eligible for other low-cost government health care options. So, here’s the catch for the estimated seven million veterans who qualify for VA health care benefits: If they elect not to take VA health care benefits, they would be ineligible for AHCA assistance.

Proponents of the AHCA conceded that the bill threatened veterans with the loss of health care coverage in this way, and so a provision had been inserted to exempt veterans. However, in the final bill, it was removed because its inclusion would have required Senate approval by 60 votes, something they apparently didn’t want to risk, instead of a simple majority. A bit of inside baseball – indeed; but the upshot for veterans is simple – the possible loss of tax credits for up to 7 million veterans, and yet Rep. Zeldin endorsed it. Who is Rep. Zeldin serving with this kind of vote? Certainly, not our veterans.