#veterans' advocacy

[giannic]

Annie Oakley - Wikipedia

Born in Phoebe Ann Mosey, on August 13, 1860 in Starke County, Ohio. Her birthplace is where today lies Willowdell, Ohio, near the Indiana state line.

[gemmahale]

Okay, I'm home, I've been on the road for the better part of 4 hours today due to a miscommunication and a cancelled event, and I've had this rant brewing.

Being Anti-Military and Pro-Veteran are stances that can mutually exist.

Games like CoD and whatever other FPS/Military Simulation game is out there is propaganda. It’s meant to make you want to sign up or support military action.

The military (I’m speaking specifically to the US, as I am most familiar with them by proxy) uses some incredibly underhanded techniques to ensure they have the warm bodies soldiers they need to keep the system working as intended.

This includes but is not limited to: promises of paying for education, aspirations of “seeing the world”, provision of job security, access to healthcare, a stable job and housing, etc. They use things like “patriotism” and “glory” and “security” to lure people in.

And then, when that person is wholly and completely reliant on the military - for a paycheck, housing, healthcare, you name it - they spit them back out into the world with a "thanks a lot and good fucking luck."

Into a world where:

Financial support for care has been axed and axed and axed again under "budget cuts"

Care is secured with red tape so thick you can tightrope walk across it

Care is denied for things the military caused (by saying "it didn't happen while you were serving".) *Yes, that's a direct quote from a doctor to one of Kallen's peers. When assessing a life-altering injury sustained while they were in country overseas, it was deemed as "non-service related injury”.

In comparison to civilians:

Veterans are ~40% more likely to be homeless.

Veterans are ~80% more likely to suffer from untreated mental and physical health issues - PTSD, hearing loss, nerve damage, etc.

Veterans are ~60% more likely to turn to addictive substances - alcohol, drugs, etc.

Veterans are ~70% more likely to commit suicide.

This isn’t limited to combat vets. Logistics specialists, administrative specialists, IT specialists all get screwed when they leave.

Ask just about any veteran that has served, they are incredibly likely to be staunchly anti-military.

The military causes a tremendous amount of damage to every person involved, even if they aren't aware of it at the time.

It’s a cult, it’s an abusive relationship, it’s predatory. Treat it as such.

Support veterans, advocate for their care. They made choices you may not agree with, but they made them because of what they thought the military was offering to them. Many thought they were doing the right thing for their country - that was the lie they were fed from 9/11 on (in the US). Then they were chewed up, spit out, and left for dead by the same people that made all those promises to them.

Here are some US-based, apolitical Veteran Support groups (many have International chapters/members):

22 Until None - 501-C3 that provides support to veterans by veterans. There are local chapters on Facebook that are all active and are listed on the website

Disabled American Veteran - Veteran help association; involved in legislation and local assistance, connections to VA advocates to help navigate the VA

Wounded Warrior Project - 501-C3 charity supporting disabled veterans.

Note: I am absolutely not doing the "not all servicemembers" thing here. I'm saying "veterans are living with their choices, and still deserve access to care."

[chaosartisan]

Project 2025 is scary but it's so scary for veterans and disabled people. Disability is also something that can happen to anyone. I implore you all to research and listen to disabled voices. If you are disabled and you have something you want to say whether it's a charity that will help, or a bill we can press our senators on or a harmful stereotype, I will reblog, I will listen, I can be uncomfortable and I will annoy my senator about the issues you bring to me. I want to do anything I can to make your life easier. If you're a veteran, speak up. Is there anything we can do for you? What systems do you think should change? You deserve compassion and you deserve support. I'm sorry if any part of this sounds like virtue signaling or if it sounds patronizing. I'm sorry I haven't been doing more before the election.

[swash0067]

The War Still Rages…

[heswrongshesright]

Smokeless Vets & Vote4America Special Guest Matt Kenney - HWSR Ep 93

In this episode of the 'He's Wrong She's Right Podcast,' hosts Andrew Lemacks and Nona Phelps sit down with Matt Kenny of 'Smokeless Vets' and 'Vote4America.' The discussion delves into the culture of smoking in the military, the challenges of quitting tobacco, and the impact of veteran engagement in civic duties like voting. Matt shares his own journey from military service to veteran advocacy, highlighting the importance of harm reduction strategies and the underrepresentation of veterans at the polls. The talk is interspersed with anecdotes about military life and reflections on the policy landscape, while also calling upon veterans to connect with their peers and take actionable steps towards healthier habits and civic participation.

Check out Smokeless Vets https://www.smokelessvets.org/ 

and Vote4America https://www.vote4america.org/ 

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00:00 Introduction and Personal Background

00:50 Welcome to the Podcast

01:07 Matt Kenny's Mission and Organizations

02:37 Transitioning from Military to Civilian Life

06:15 Smoking and Tobacco Use in the Military

08:38 Challenges and Strategies for Quitting Tobacco

13:58 Building and Growing Smokeless Vets

20:18 Engaging Veterans in Policy and Advocacy

31:20 Vote America: Encouraging Civic Participation

35:52 Navigating Voting Decisions as a Veteran

37:11 Challenges Faced by Homeless Veterans

38:31 Disconnection from Politics

39:11 Encouraging Veteran Voter Registration

41:58 Community Support for Veterans

49:09 Veteran Advocacy and Stolen Valor

56:17 The Importance of Checking on Battle Buddies

01:03:29 Transitioning Out of the Military

01:05:31 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

#AndrewLemacks #NonaPhelps #HWSR #MattKenney #SmokingCessation #VeteranAdvocacy #HealthAndWellness #VoteAmerica #VeteranSupport #MilitaryLife #QuitSmoking #NicotineAddiction #VeteranStories #MilitaryTransition #VeteranHealth #CommunitySupport #VeteranAwareness #VeteransMatter #HesWrongShesRight #QuitTobacco #MentalHealthMatters

[headlinehorizon]

Miss September 2024 in Pin-Ups for Vets: Sarah Lamp's Journey of Resilience

Discover the inspiring story of Sarah Lamp, a physicist and Air Force veteran who overcame her demons to feature in the renowned Pin-Ups for Vets calendar. Her journey highlights resilience and mental health advocacy.

[notdonner]

Advocating for the homeless veteran

Homelessness. The word itself conjures up all sorts of desperate images. Many who have not experienced homelessness are often one paycheck away (layoff or an economic recession) from such a fate. Some of these veterans whom I have encountered in the past, did not expect to be homeless, but due to marital issues, mental health challenges, the high cost of living, or addiction ended up in shelters…

[genderkoolaid]

I come late to organizing as a transgender activist. In doing so, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned transgendered people truly are everywhere and not just in New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C. I’ve learned many want to quietly assimilate into the white, heterosexual, middle class status quo that is the dominant culture of our nation. I’ve learned quite a few of us have no wish or desire for such assimilation — that for some of us, our greatest desire is to shake up that dominant culture, to question gender and identity on every level — social, biological, political and personal. I’ve learned that perhaps right at this moment there is a transgendered person — most likely an MTF transsexual or crossdresser, most likely a person of color, being brutally murdered. I’ve learned people much younger than I are coming out as transgendered in ways I never believed possible when I was their age and are challenging not only the status quo, but also calling on “old” activists like me to take another look around and see the world through their eyes. And I’ve learned that, perhaps like all other communities, we love to eat our own. Some of you reading this are aware of the controversies and conflicts swirling within the transgender community, most of which focus upon the organization GenderPAC. For those of you who aren’t up on it, here’s an abbreviated version. A significant number of transgender activists and community organizations have taken issue with GenderPAC’s expansion of its mission and vision to incorporate a larger view of gender rights rather than a specific and focused emphasis upon civil rights advocacy for transgendered people. Depending on whom you ask, this reinventing of GenderPAC is either the logical extension of its organizational vision to secure the rights of all people to free gender expression — or the cold-blooded abandonment of the very community by whom and for which it was created, nurtured and financially supported. Being the baby TG activist I am, I come to this drama late. Long after the battle lines were laid down. Long after sides were chosen, opinions formed and set in stone. Long after wounds (both real and imagined) were inflicted.

I’ve watched carefully for the past couple of years as the battle has played out online, in internet chat rooms, and on mailing lists. I’ve read statements from individuals and organizations that have taken a stand on the issue. I’ve received press releases and announcements from one camp or another; a battle of media propaganda that would make the veterans of the Cold War proud. And through it all, I’ve tried to be a rather casual observer, if one can be casual as they watch some of the best and brightest of their community consumed in an internal battle that threatens to tear the entire community apart. Of course my being a casual observer hasn’t stopped a few folks from demanding to know where I stand. I’ve been pulled aside at conferences and been given “information,” primarily innuendo and accusation, so I am up to speed on the situation. I’ve been directed to websites that were little more than character assassinations in badly laid-out HTML. And I’ve been emailed privately and off-list by those concerned I was going to make the “wrong choice.” Want to know what my answer to these people is? Okay, here it is — I really don’t care. That’s right. I DON’T CARE. You see, I believe almost everyone entangled in this controversy is acting in what they believe are the best interests of the community with which they feel most closely aligned. I believe they’re doing the best they can with what they have. I believe mistakes have been made by everyone involved, that the personal has become political in the most destructive of ways. I also believe in change and evolution; that even organizations that have had to be forced to listen to me and to consider my issues can learn from their mistakes and realize they must make a seat for me at the table if they are to truly realize the dream of civil rights for themselves and for others. But most of all, I believe in hope. I was asked point-blank whose side I was on. This is my answer: I am on the side of whoever has the guts and initiative to end this thing and make a real effort to move our community forward out of this debilitating and destructive conflict. I’m on the side of anyone who is more interested in healing the wounds than in proving who is right. I’m on the side of those who have the ability and the willingness to put aside their personal and political animosities and seek some way to bring together everyone involved to begin a healthy dialogue, one without finger-pointing and name-calling. Until that happens, I guess I’m on the side of those who are the most negatively affected by this dysfunctional family feud. In case anyone needs a refresher course as to who those folks are and the issues they are dealing with, allow me to introduce just a few of them. The transsexual FTM who has lost custody of his child when he began transition; the butch lesbian who lost her job because she refused to wear makeup or shave her legs; the crossdresser whose wife is seeking a divorce and custody of the children he adores; the effeminate gay man beaten to death and crucified on a fence on a lonely Midwestern plain; the 17-year-old MTF doing tricks in the back alleys of San Francisco because her parents kicked her out when they found “him” wearing dresses; the FTM who died of uterine cancer because he couldn’t get insurance approval for a hysterectomy after he had completed sexual reassignment. Ultimately, it is these transgender, transsexual and gender- variant people who have the most to lose if someone doesn’t step up to the plate to end this.

"Gender, Identity Politics, and Eating Our Own" by Alexander John Goodrum (2001)

[eretzyisrael]

by POTKIN AZARMEHR

‘Pro-Palestine’ protests have become a near-weekly occurrence across Britain. Since Hamas’s 7 October massacre, regular marches have been drawing in a growing number of young people, marked by passionate advocacy and fervent slogans. Yet despite their zeal, many of these protesters lack a fundamental understanding of the conflict they are so vociferously decrying.

In the past six months, I have attended many of these marches. Having engaged with numerous protesters, I have noticed a startling disconnect between their strong opinions on the Gaza conflict and their shaky grasp of basic facts about it. Among the most perplexing are the LGBT and feminist groups (the ‘Queers for Palestine’ types) who flirt with justifying Hamas’s atrocities. This is a bewildering alliance, given that Hamas’s Islamist ideology is clearly antithetical to the rights and values these groups claim to champion. Its reactionary agenda is profoundly hostile to women’s rights and LGBT individuals.

Protesters seem eager to make excuses for Hamas, but are conspicuously uninformed about exactly what or who this terrorist group represents. On 18 May, during a protest at Piccadilly Circus in London, I spoke to demonstrators who firmly believed that Hamas represents all Palestinians. When I questioned a well-educated participant about the last Palestinian election, she was unaware that none had occurred since 2006, when Hamas gained power in Gaza.

It wasn’t just young people who were uninformed. An older woman with an American accent, seemingly a veteran protester, admitted she knew that Hamas was linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, but had no deeper knowledge of its ideology or history. Others, such as members of revolutionary socialist groups, displayed similar gaps in understanding, unaware of critical events like the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

That revolution gave birth to the Islamic Republic of Iran, a theocratic regime that brutally oppresses its own citizens. It also sponsors Islamist groups like Hamas. I left Iran for the UK not long after that regime began and have spent years resisting its religious extremism and ruthless political intolerance. Protesters were not only unaware of these facts about the Iranian regime, but also ill-informed about the struggle against it, such as the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ protests against the government that began in 2022.

One particularly telling conversation involved a man advocating for a ‘Global Intifada’ to replace capitalism with socialism. When asked about successful socialist models, he was unfamiliar with the Israeli kibbutzim, one of history’s few successful egalitarian experiments. His ignorance of these communal settlements in Israel, built by socialist Jewish immigrants, was all too typical.

Perhaps the most telling moment was captured by commentator Konstantin Kisin earlier this year, when he encountered a young man holding a ‘Socialist Intifada’ placard. The protester admitted he had no idea what this meant and that he had taken the sign simply because it was handed to him.

Reflecting on past movements, such as the American anti-Vietnam War protests of the 1960s and the British Anti-Apartheid Movement of the 1980s, one can’t help but note a stark contrast. Protesters then were generally well-informed about their causes. Today’s pro-Palestine protests, however, seem to be driven more by unthinking fervour than by an understanding of the issues at hand.

Throughout all these protests, I am yet to encounter a single participant who condemns Hamas or carries a placard denouncing its terrorism. This not only undermines the protesters’ cause, but also risks aligning them with groups whose values fundamentally oppose the very rights and freedoms they claim to support. It appears that today’s young protesters are high on ideology, but woefully thin on facts.

Potkin Azarmehr is an Iranian activist and journalist who left Iran for the UK after the revolution of 1979.

[libraford]

Queer communities in June: yay, it's pride month! Here's some things to be proud of! Here's our history! Here's some advocacy programs! Here's some resources! Here's some calls to action! Here's some things happening! Here's a party!

Some randos in june: we should have a month for veterans instead of a pride month!

Queer communities in july: -fucking exhausted from june-

Randos, july: pride month is over, fuck off gays- I'm so patriotic!

Randos, august: pride month was 2 months ago get over it, you should be supporting the vets.

Randos, september: why do you get a whole month to celebrate your perverse sexuality and the vets only get one day?

Randos, october: absolute insane that you're still rubbing your sexuality in our faces- june is over, deal with it!

Randos, november: we should have a veterans month, this is unfair! (November is Veterans Month and Military Families Month.)

Randos, december: why are the gays still talking and taking focus away from Jesus Christ's birthday?

Randos, january: you don't see me making everything about MY sexuality.

Randos, February: without veterans, you wouldn't even HAVE a pride month.

Randos, March: all we ever hear about is pride month, pride month, pride month- but none of you are supporting the troops!

Randos, april: we just want it to be fair- if you get a whole month to yourselves, the vets should have a month also.

Randos, May: it's absolutely insane that there's a month for the gays, but not one to honor the vets. (May is Military Appreciation Month.)

Queers in June: happy Pride month! We've got-

Randos, june: SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT PRIDE!!!

[reasonandempathy]

Trump Names Fox News Host Pete Hegseth to Head Pentagon, John Ratcliffe for CIA

Most important bits quoted below.

If confirmed by the Senate, Hegseth would take over the federal government’s biggest department with a budget that last year reached $850 billion, overseeing a workforce of nearly three million civilian workers and military service members, many deployed around the world. He has never held a senior government post, an issue likely to be raised at least by Democrats ahead of a vote on his nomination. Hegseth, 44, is a National Guard veteran from Minnesota who has been a commentator on Fox News for the past decade. He once led an advocacy group that sought to privatize healthcare provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, leading Trump to consider him as VA secretary during his first term.

This is such a fucking shitshow. It's just gonna be full of dumb, incompetent loyalists. A god-damn Major is going to be in charge of the Pentagon, with no credentials other than:

Sucking up to and worshiping Trump on TV for a decade

Wanting to break up and privatize the VA, because veterans totally deserve to deal with private insurance companies

God damn.

[yourdailyqueer]

Robina Asti (deceased)

Gender: Transgender woman

Sexuality: N/A

DOB: 7 April 1921  

RIP: 12 March 2021

Ethnicity: White - American

Occupation: Flight instructor, activist, veteran, makeup artist

Note: Her advocacy changed government rules to allow transgender people to receive Social Security survivor benefits. In July 2020, Asti was awarded two Guinness World Records for being the oldest active pilot and active flight instructor.

[simply-ivanka]

Like many unfortunate things, the rise of advocacy took off with Donald Trump. As in many newsrooms, his election in 2016 was greeted at NPR with a mixture of disbelief, anger, and despair. (Just to note, I eagerly voted against Trump twice but felt we were obliged to cover him fairly.) But what began as tough, straightforward coverage of a belligerent, truth-impaired president veered toward efforts to damage or topple Trump’s presidency. 

Persistent rumors that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia over the election became the catnip that drove reporting. At NPR, we hitched our wagon to Trump’s most visible antagonist, Representative Adam Schiff. 

Schiff, who was the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, became NPR’s guiding hand, its ever-present muse. By my count, NPR hosts interviewed Schiff 25 times about Trump and Russia. During many of those conversations, Schiff alluded to purported evidence of collusion. The Schiff talking points became the drumbeat of NPR news reports.

But when the Mueller report found no credible evidence of collusion, NPR’s coverage was notably sparse. Russiagate quietly faded from our programming. 

It is one thing to swing and miss on a major story. Unfortunately, it happens. You follow the wrong leads, you get misled by sources you trusted, you’re emotionally invested in a narrative, and bits of circumstantial evidence never add up. It’s bad to blow a big story. 

[coochiequeens]

"I have two little girls, I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I'm supposed to be afraid to say that,". And that's one of the reasons conservatives won so many races.

BOSTON - Rep. Seth Moulton is defending controversial remarks that he made about transgender athletes in the wake of the presidential election.

President-elect Donald Trump's campaign spent millions on anti-trans political ads this fall. The Massachusetts Congressman told The New York Times after Trump's win that "Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone" and called for a new approach from the party on the transgender issues.

"I have two little girls, I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I'm supposed to be afraid to say that," Moulton told The Times.

The Boston Globe reported that a top aide to Moulton resigned after his comments appeared in The Times, and there were protests outside his Salem office. 

Seth Moulton defends comments on trans athletes

Moulton appeared on CNN Sunday and did not back down from his statement.

"Look, I was just speaking authentically as a parent about one of many issues where Democrats are just out of touch with the majority of Americans," he said. "And I stand by my position, even though I may not have used exactly the right words."

Moulton said that despite the public backlash, the vast majority of feedback he's received has been "incredibly supportive."

He said fellow Democrats and Congressional colleagues have told him, "You're exactly right Seth, this is our problem. We try to cancel people rather than actually having debates about issues that Americans care about."

"We're losing on issues like this"

Congressman Seth Moulton doubled down on the comments after a Veterans Day event in Marblehead on Monday.

"I stand by them because importantly, I'm just trying to raise the debate. I'm not saying I have all the answers on this. It's not my area of expertise. But this is an example of a contentious issue that we have to be willing to take on as a Democratic Party," Moulton told WBZ. "One, we got to start winning elections and we're losing on issues like this. And two, if we don't actually define the terms of the debate then Trump and the extremist Republicans will define it for all the rest of us." 

Backlash to Seth Moulton's statement on trans athletes

On Monday, a handful of trans activists and anti-war protesters gathered outside Moulton's Veterans Day event. One of them was Kyle Davis, a Salem city councilor who is now calling for Moulton to resign.

"If the Congressman's theory of change is that we need to sell out and scapegoat every marginalized community in order to win, I don't really know what we're winning at that point," Davis said.

Moulton told WBZ that the outrage about his comments proves his point. "It's a whole variety of issues where Democrats are clearly just out of touch with most of America. And I think that's because we do too much preaching and not enough listening," Moulton said. 

LGBTQ+ advocacy group MassEquality called Moulton's comments "both harmful and factually inaccurate." 

"Our community is deeply hurt by these remarks, which reinforce harmful stereotypes and undermine the dignity of transgender athletes," Executive Director Tanya Neslusan said in a statement. "We hope that by engaging with the Congressman, we can work toward a more inclusive and informed understanding of transgender issues in sports."

Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley did not mention Moulton by name in a social media post Sunday, but wrote that the transgender community has been "scapegoated and dehumanized."

"I will always stand with trans people and the entire LGBTQ+ community," Pressley said. "This Congresswoman sees you and loves you."

[usnatarchives]

The Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP): Soaring Through Gender Barriers 🛩🐝

During World War II, while the world battled on various fronts, a quieter revolution took flight in the United States. The Women's Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP, were a pioneering group of female aviators who defied traditional gender norms, proving that women could excel in roles historically reserved for men.

Origins of the WASP

With many American men serving overseas, the country faced a need to tap into underutilized domestic resources. The WASP program, initiated in 1943, merged two existing women's flying programs: the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS). These women, under the guidance of aviators like Jacqueline Cochran and Nancy Love, would play a critical role in the war effort.

Duties and Contributions

The WASPs were trained pilots who contributed in non-combat roles. They ferried military aircraft across the country, tested planes, instructed male pilots, and even towed targets for live anti-aircraft artillery practice. They fulfilled the non-combat roles formerly occupied by male pilots, so more male pilots were available for combat roles. Women were not allowed to fly combat missions until [many years later, in 1993.. By the end of the war, WASPs had flown every type of military aircraft, logged over 60 million miles, and transported nearly 12,650 aircraft of 78 different types.

Challenges and Gender Biases

Despite their significant contributions, WASPs constantly faced skepticism and discrimination. They weren’t considered members of the military but were seen as civil service employees. They had to pay for their own uniforms, lodging, and sometimes even their way home after the end of their service. If a WASP pilot died during service, her burial costs fell on her family or fellow pilots.

Recognition and Legacy

In 1977, after years of advocacy by WASP veterans, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation granting WASP pilots veteran status. Later, in 2009, they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their service, sacrifice, and pioneering spirit. The legacy of the WASP program not only paved the way for women's integration into the U.S. Air Force but also demonstrated the capabilities of women in high-pressure, technical roles.

[drdemonprince]

I feel like not only do people seem to be ignorant that the U.S. military preys on autistics, there are a lot of people that actively deny this. Having been in the military I can say that the recruiting tactics were laser focused at exploiting my (undiagnosed, even to this day) autism. They really played on the things about military life that were soothing to my autistic brain. Twisting service to seemingly align with the autistic sense of justice, emphasizing the routine, talking up cool technology that you could use, emphasizing the "fairness" in promotions. I was in nuclear power and the majority of my training class (including myself) was visibly autistic in some way, but even after a disciplinary action had me in a training program not selecting for high ASVAB scores, there were so many autistics around.

Are you aware of any writing about this, because as hinted at above the last time I looked into this, I could really only find posts from people asking about whether the military does this (it do) which then got tonnes of responses of "no, of course not they don't even let autistic people in" and articles advocating for letting diagnosed autistics in the military (fuck that). I'd probably try to write something if I were openly autistic or openly a veteran, but I'm only engaged with autistic advocacy and support offline for safety and I'm too ashamed of my military service to discuss it openly.

Anyway I got out after a failed suicide attempt after I was maltreated in therapy (a trend that continued until I swore off the institution of therapy in college,) which I was sent to because I was having frequent panic attacks because of my growing awareness of the evil I was participating in.

Pat Loller is working on a memoir about his military service that touches pretty strongly on this. I'd look into his comedy and TikTok videos for now. And James Finn has told me very similar things to what you are saying -- you've probably read his interview in my book, but he writes on Medium and you might find little details about his military service and how it relates to his Autism there from time to time, too. It's a sadly underexplored topic, still. We need more people telling these stories, but it's also profoundly triggering and draining to do.