Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

Of all the things I've thought most about over the last year since the election, what's most disgusting to me is how ignored and forgotten and discarded the people I fought for have been by Washington. I'd love to have a debate about whether patriotism is giving speeches about veterans and then having a 1.2 billion dollar hole in our veterans budget, or whether it's actually going out and providing for veterans who come home from a war with all kinds of scars from the battlefield, visible or invisible.

There's a lot more we need to do, but it will only happen if we raise hell about it and organize around it. I intoduced a Military Family's Bill of Rights as legislation in this Congress and I've been able -- piece meal -- to pass parts of it to do things like improve housing benefits and death benefits for military families. But talking about PTSD and funding treatment programs and counseling programs is something Washington remains pathetically incompetent at really getting done. It requires pressure -- real pressure -- to do it. Please follow what I'm doing on it, and what people like Rep Lane Evans and others are doing on it because we really need your voice on it. 2006 will be a moment of accountability on this issue if we make it so, and we can especially with so many Iraq War vets running as Democrats.

by John Kerry on Sat Jan 21, 2006 at 12:38:56 PM CST

Let this be a call to arms for us to join together and help our elected leaders to push hard on this. Let's do better by our troops. They're counting on us...

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Research Resource for Reporters

• Veteran PTSD Incidents Timeline at ePluribus Media

A Selection of PTSD-related Diaries at Daily Kos - PTSD tag [for all articles]

• KIA in Alabama - In Memory of Douglas Barber by Stan Goff by jimstaro
  
• A Soldier For Truth Has Fallen: In Memory of Specialist Doug Barber by Jay Shaft
  
• 'No Nuke Nuns' Enrage Iraq Veteran in AL by ilona
  
• Returning Veteran News + Events - Jan2006 by ilona
  
• #3 | Returning Vet PTSD: The Marlboro Marine by ilona
  
• Will You Understand Our Returning Soldiers? by Sinister Rae
  
• Living with Someone with PTSD by Sinister Rae
  
• Politics of PTSD: Hide It, Deride It, Bleed It Dry by ilona
  
• WaPo Front Page:: PTSD Claims Rise, VA Considers Cuts by murrayewv
  
• #2 | Returning Vet PTSD - One Wife's Story by ilona
  
• TSA Wants to add Veterans to `Mental Defectives' Watch List by rickeagle
  
• #1 | Returning Vet PTSD - One Soldier's Story by ilona
  
• 16,000+ Returning Combat Vets Need Our Help by ilona
  
• Take That, PTSD! Rep. Lane Evans Rocks by ilona
  
• Doonesbury this Week: One Vet's PTSD Struggle by ilona
  
• Veterans PTSD Compensation: New Policies? by murrayewv
  
• Torture Of U.S. Troops on U.S. Soil by jimstaro
  
• I Thought Special Ops Were Tough by DrReason

Soldier's Heart

• PTSD Education Page

Infinity Publishing

• Military Veterans PTSD Reference Manual - comprehensive online book

National Center for PTSD

• Veterans with PTSD Fact Sheet
  
• Managing Stress Fact Sheet
  
• The Iraq War Clinician Guide, 2nd Volume

• PTSD - Iraq Discussion Forum
  
• PTSD Support Group for Family Members
  
• Aftermath of War - Coping with PTSD Forum

• Guide to Listening to War Veterans for Family Members

• Seamless Transition- resources for OEF and OIF vets
  
• PTSD Counseling Centers

• PTSD Benefits Guide

• PTSD Resources Page

• Self Help Guide for Post Traumatic Stress

US Marine Corps

• Leaders Guide for Managing Marines in Distress