House Veterans Affairs Committee about to hit the shitter
As a veteran, I wanted to voice my disapproval with just how ridiculously horrible this is about to be for all veterans. So here you go. Slight language warning.
Some back story first. For a while the Chairman of the House Vets Affairs Committee was Bob Filner, and the ranking member was Steve Buyer. I loathed both of them. Filner was a jackass that sexually harassed staffers non-stop, and Buyer, despite being a fellow alumnus took the occasion of the Christmas Tree lighting at the White House to literally scream at me in front of my date in the East Room. Both of them are now gone. Thank God. Those two couldn’t agree on water being wet. The one time I heard Filner say something humorous was when he and I were talking on an escalator and he said he wanted more money for PTSD research because “Lord knows Steve (Buyer) needs a lot of mental health help.”
After they left, it was Chairman Miller of Florida (GOP) and Ranking Member Mike Michaud of Maine. (Interesting side note, Michaud is the only Dem I remember running a race as a pro-life, pro-gun Dem against a pro-choice, anti-gun GOP.) Anyway, I loved Michaud. One of the nicest guys out there, bar none. Just a wonderful human being, and I honestly was rooting for him in his Governor’s race. (Maine is my birth state.) But he lost.
So now the Dems have an opening for Ranking Member. It’s down between two people (or was), Corrine Brown, and Tim Walz.
So, some more background. When Walz first ran, I loathed the man. Seriously loathed him. a) He was a sergeant major, and 99 percent of SGM’s are useless. b) He claimed repeatedly that he was an OEF veteran. That statement is true, in so far as he was activated under OEF orders. But he spent his time in Italy.
Then I met him, and spent damn near 2 hours literally shooting the shit with him. Over everything. When I disagreed with him, I told him so. And unlike all the other prima donnas in Congress, dude actually listened. With the exception of some time I spent with Jim Webb, it was the most entertaining time I spent with a Dem Congressman or Senator not named Herseth or Marshall. I still think his OEF thing was BS, but on a personal level, I really liked him.
And dude was incensed by the whole VA scandal. Like, red in the face pissed off at hearings. He was a damn bulldog. And honestly, I think he brought great credit to himself and the Vets Affairs Committee, and he got along great with Chairman Miller. Another sidenote, I’ve spent a lot of time with Chairman Miller as well, and he is great. In fact, Gabe Malor (from Ace of Spades) and I had a few beers with him at convention last year, and he never played the “don’t you know who I am” card or anything. He just walked up, stood at the table with us and drank a beer or two. Just awesome dude.
So anyway, Walz was NOT first in line for seniority on the Vets Affairs Committee. Roll Call has a pretty good recitation of it:
Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota thought there would be a vote after Thanksgiving on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee ranking member race. As it turns out, his face-off against Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida will happen on Wednesday.
It gives Walz less time than he and his allies said they anticipated to build support around his uphill challenge of Brown, who benefits from seniority and the backing of the Congressional Black Caucus, of which she is a member.
Before the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee can meet to vote on a recommendation to the full House Democratic Caucus, Walz will have to clear an additional hurdle: A vote on whether he is even eligible to hold the post.
Walz is the highest-ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress and has had a seat at the Veterans’ Affairs Committee table since 2007. He is, however, on the committee via waiver, and his opponents say it doesn’t qualify him to run against Brown, who after nearly two decades on the committee is next in line to succeed the current retiring ranking member, Michael H. Michaud of Maine.
Anyway, word leaked out today that not only will he NOT be the Ranking Member, he’s being stripped from the Committee. Which is a complete shame, because he at least has some clue about what vets are going through.
Instead, we get Corrine Brown. Who had this to say:
It would take a year to go through everything wrong she just said there. The Orlando VA is an unmitigated disaster. It is WAY over budget, and should have opened years ago. It’s like praising the Hindenberg for it’s safety record before it burst into flames. The VA there was so bad that INS actually found illegal aliens living in the ceiling of the place. I am not even making that shit up.
And all her claims about how great Florida is should be to the credit of Miller, the Chairman who is from Florida, and not her nonsense. So great, now she will be the Ranking Member and work with Miller. My prayers are with him, because she would drive me completely out of my mind in about 17 seconds. Want to see why? Well, just enjoy this video of the eloquent gentlewoman from Jacksonville:
And here’s Walz:
Corrine Brown’s the woman who will clean up VA? You have got to be shitting me.
BONUS: IN the last Congress, Corrine Brown sponsored 1 bill. HR 4439, which dealt with discrimination in rail projects. Tim Walz had 17 bills, 10 of which were veteran or military related.
Great job Dems. When you aren’t punishing a double amputee expectant mother with service overseas, you are promoting this lunatic. I can not stress enough how much this pisses me off.
UPDATE: I’m still super pissed, but Pelosi at least let Walz stay on the committee and gave him some responsibility. Probably because no one in their right mind would let Brown talk to the veterans.
Sometimes a consolation prize makes all the difference, Minnesota Rep. Tim Walz learned Wednesday.
After party leaders appeared to have blocked the Minnesota Democrat from running for ranking member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Walz — who is the highest-ranking enlisted soldier to serve in Congress — ended up getting much of what he wanted anyway.
He will be on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee in the 114th Congress, and he will have a larger role with veterans service organizations.
Still idiotic. He should be the Ranking Member. I get that the CBC wants more of their people in leadership, but come on. Let’s try not to be completely idiotic.
Category: Politics
So that’s what Don Shipleys hair looks like on Meth/Crack.
Sapper3307…The things I run into, when I don’t have my baby seal club on me.
Reverse/stop/forward.
Repeat as needed.
Washington DC, the Huge Whorehouse on the Potomac River!!
I guess that makes me the piano player…..
As has been said many times, many places to many of us……
“I wouldn’t shit you TSO, you’re my favorite turd.”
/right Green Thumb?
Word.
I am flabbergasted…this women is a representative in our government? And she is going to work for my rights as a Veteran? She sounds like uneducated trash. I am still shaking my head….
Look at the demographics of where she was elected.
BINGO! Green Thumb. Elections are now my lifeblood and I see people being elected for two reasons, neither of them qualify the person to hold office. The primary one is the color of their skin (and that goes both ways). The other is no one qualified wants to run.
Think Gwen Moore from Milwaukee and Shelia Jackson Lee from Texas if you want more proof of the stupidity in the House…
Thank God both Mary Burke from WI and Wendy Davis from Texas are not in office. Both were significantly beaten with Davis losing by a record 38% to Abbott’s 60%.
Burke wasn’t quite as bad but she still lost by about 6%…
So, just when Minnesota thinks it had a chance to dig out from all the negative publicity we get here on TAH, this Gentlewoman from Florida comes in. I don’t always support Tim Walz, however I give him kudo’s as a retired enlisted member, and he has an active enlisted National Guard Soldier on his staff that informs Representative Walz of some issues that Soldiers are dealing with. This Gentlewoman from Florida, well I didn’t do any research, but I’ll go out on a limb and say she very likely does not have that.
For what it is worth, Minnesota is my favorite state in terms of people. Ely Minnesota is one of my favorite places in the world, and The American Legion people in Minnesota are my favorites. I was hoping to go to Boys State there this year as a counselor, but something came up and I won’t be able to go. But as far as conventions go, Minneapolis is my favorite convention city. And Canon Falls, or whatever that town south of the cities was that OT took me to, was just awesome loved that town.
What? She went to college? Gradulate?
OH. Dear. God.
Sorry, TSO, I could not sit through more than a few seconds of the braying of that jackass.
Wondering how long it will be until that Doctor of Illogic candidate/Wannabe Blogger from UC Berkley shows up to advises you to “knock this shit off”. //Making popcorn.
This is my really shocked face! This is why I have maintained there should be mandatory intelligence tests to run for office. I listened as Corrine Brown laid down her “black thang” and could not believe she can hardly speak coherent English. She can’t even read what her staffers write except with word-by-word looking at her papers. What an absolute moron! By the way I watched the others panel members as they “listened to her” and I could almost hear their thoughts, “How in hell did she get elected? She embarrasses the hell outta me! Why can’t she speak English? Da f@ck did she just say…again? When the f@ck will she shut her ignorant pie hole?” (Or maybe I’m just projecting my thoughts onto them.) She is an embarrassment to me as an American to think other world leaders and people see the likes of her in one of our highest offices. Being surprised she can even sign her name without checking her driver’s license first, what the hell will she bring to this important and needed Committee except brainless drivel and further ruin to the VA? Oh and the big Oprah wig…ain’t cuttin’ it sister! Looks like a f@cking bear shit on your head after he ate a couple of ghetto hos.
She’s one of those people who don’t insult my intelligence, she insults my ignorance.
The unfortunate fact is, she’s not the only one who’s got the intelligence level of an empty bucket. (A filled bucket has water in it, which has a positive capability)
Her constituents don’t care that she can’t speak. They don’t care that she’s too stupid to properly support her. They don’t care that she is hurting them more than she’s helping them. They only care that she’s a democrat and I’m guessing her being black is in on that too. (Based on her district. I’ll even guess that her house there is empty 360 days a year when she goes back for a week to say that she actually lives there.)
It comes down to the fact that people spend more time and energy looking at a fast food menu in a drive-thru than they do on who they’ll vote for.
Eric…You are correct. Just like Sheila Jackson Lee in Houston.
I can fully understand how she was elected….the people she represents can relate to her, she speaks their language. We will see more barely literate candidates like this because this is exactly how some of our larger communities are.
I agree with one man one vote and people should be represented by whomever they choose, however this woman, while being indicative of the state of our nation, is an embarassment to us all.
I actually feel dumber having watched both of her clips up there. Her voice and complete lack of education and eloquence has sapped the intelligence from my brain.
Alan Grayson would hit it.
With an MRAP.
So would Phlegmron Dickey. Oh,wait,he lost.
Flagwaver…Me too brother. I’m sure I lost 20 or 25 IQ points after that.
You should definitely warn anyone on active duty not to watch that. It might drop their ASVAB below minimum qualification standards.
Go Gata!
I know they have a different accent down in “Flarda,” but I’m pretty sure most of what I heard on both those videos was regular old illiteracy.
My first thought was, how does she feel about taxidermy? She does have her head stuck up a black bear’s ass, doesn’t she? And our tax dollars are spent on her rant about the GATA’s. She should spend more time working on her diction.
She’ll probably accuse you of sexual harassment for saying “diction.”
Either that or swear that she never used drugs.
Take a look at her district map (5th), may give you a lesson in gerrymandering. Note where Sanford of recent fame lies.
Fortunately I lived in the 9th in my time their.
That wig looked hot on Tina Turner back in the day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyU7BbQSm98
Brown had it coiffed for congress, at taxpayers expense of course.
Not for nuttin’, but this appeared in the FloridaToday newspaper which is the paper for Brevard County, FL. (Yes, the home of All Points Logistics and Monkress.)
From the article:
Though the VA Health Administration target of 14 days for new patients to seen by a healthcare practitioner was eliminated because most clinics could not meet the standard, the Viera VA Outpatient Clinic sees almost all patients within that time.
Department of Veterans Affairs figures show that the Viera Clinic has the shortest wait time in Central Florida and one of the lowest anywhere — 14 days. Existing patients can generally get in to see a primary care practitioner on an average of little more than a day.
source: http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2014/11/17/patients-shorter-wait-time-viera-va/19050737/
I am curious if it floods in the VA clinic there the way the courthouse does. Viera = flood plain for the St Johns river.
Thank goodness that none of Brevard is in her district.
Sorry, but I am just going to say what I am thinking…Black is the operative word is it not? Not who best represents the veterans. Can’t we introduce legislation for an appointment that only veterans can serve on the Affairs Committee? Sigh. As Claire Fallon used to say, “Well, fuck me dead!”
That’s part of it. The other part is “Democrat” and “Obama worshipper.” The first part is a bonus; the other part is absolutely essential to this administration.
No have way. Can’t get there from here. Too much. I listened to Moms Mabley for nearly a minute and it hurt. So, now, I’m going back to the other thread and look at the bikini-clad ladies.
I’ve met Rep. Walz a couple of times and after every interaction I have had, I always left rather impressed with the man. I agree full-heartedly with TSO’s opinions, it’s a damn shame someone like Ms. Brown will be taking that leadership position in a Committee where Mr. Walz could make such a difference, and be a wonderful supporter of veterans rights.
I am not coming to this woman’s defense, but Dr. Tom Lynch, the one she is addressing, is a real piece of lying dogshit.
The guy is a fucking yes man, no more no less. And unfortunately he is still in the employ of the VA.
Is Ms. Brown drunk in these videos? And what’s with that hair? And what the hell is she doing in a bathrobe? Coach Irvin Meyers, Tim Tivo?
On a side note, how can you say that SGM (or SgtMaj for me fellow Leathernecks) are useless? Who else would remind me to not drink and drive, wear a glow belt, use the buddy system or otherwise berate me for the stupid things LCpl Grabbasandwich is doing if they weren’t around?
I gotta go their.
Please bring back more Vogon poetry. Its the only thing that makes it stop.
Cept a claw hammer.
Sapper3307…Ay least she’s too stupid to start reciting Maya Angelou. THAT would have been a disaster. First though she would have to find Maya’s books and have her staffers recode it into Ebonics for her.
From the Washington Times;
So they just don’t plan on fixing the VA until the next Congress. Those of you on wait lists can just continue to wait until the Dems think that they can take back the House.
I want to gradulate congresswoman Brown on becoming ranking member-and that is not just a talk.
Also, wile I have no idea who this “Percy Harvey” is, he sounds like a heck of a player. Go Gata!
Neil Boortz, back when he had a regular morning show on WSB, used to have fun with the Gator sound bite.
Does he no longer have one? I used to listen to him on AM radio back in Colorado and had expected to be able to listen to him in GA at Ft Benning, but I haven’t been able to find a station that carried his show in the three years I’ve been down here.
Boortz retired a couple of years back, though he still takes a few swings with his Twitter account. Herman Cain took over the show/time slot.
No, Boortz retired last year or the year before. He does a few guest hot jobs but thats about it
TSO,
What’s the story with the waiver for Rep. Walz to be on the committee?
SAD VERY SAD! NEARLY FELL OFF CHAIR WITH LOL! YOU ARE A STRONGER MAN THAN ME! CORRINE BROWN WOULD MAKE ME LOL IN THE FIRST FIVE SECONDS! YIKE AND YUCK! SHE SHOULD BE EATEN BY HER “GATERS”!
That is what happens when people vote for a living instead of working for one.
That illiterate piece of garbage has never did anything to gain office except promise her lazy constituents other people’s money.
There needs to be a literacy test, not only to vote but to hold public office.
There is a textbook example of Ebonics in action.
And yes, for too many Americans, melanin trumps all. What a waste of time and attention.
Does she know there is a wild animal living on the top of her head?
Was her 5 minute BS rant on the “gatas” in a session of Congress, or please please tell me that was in some other group in some other large open room using parliamentary procedure.?
Did Flarda really elect this person to talk about a college football team win in Congress?
My uncle is a retired MCPO in Orlando and he has had nothing but problems with the VA there the past few years. So I suggest the Congress woman from FL who is overseeing the VA talk to the veterans who USE the VA instead of the VA facilities themselves. She might find there are a few more complaints that way.
Race trumps all. Welcome to tribalistic ameica.
This just proves, once again, that this country isn’t a racist/sexist/homo-phobic authoritarian state. When a complete tard like Brown can make it to such a high position over a much more qualified person. Although, I’m not surprised by the Nancy Pelosi pick. She also doesn’t know who Johnathan Gruber is, so who knows.
My wife and I laughed our asses off at the clips of this dipshit before we realized how serious this is. She is in Congress and passing laws on us.
Good God.
15 seconds into that….that…What?
Exercise in failed articulation?
Brain matter began to leak form my ears.
THAT is what is going to be working on my behalf??
Just….no.
Doc Savage…Yea brother, I listened to “it” speak yesterday and what helped last night was laying on my side, one at a time, with my lost brain matter in a funnel and eventually in the night, most drained back into my melon. Still lost some and when the wife came home from work instead of “Hi honey how ways your day?” I was all like, “Sup’ ho! You gots some money fer me? You work today! You better hads worked today! I gots my wife beater on and I’ll wear yo ass out!” Of course, as she reached for her baby seal club, I explained I had just come off a bad head trip, listening to Corrine Brown speak to Congress and she immediately understood and forgave me. She does love me though. She took me to the bathroom and gave me a high colonic and then had me stand in the tub while she poured bleach in my ears and peroxide in my eyes to help me “cleanse” from the experience. She was even considering an ashram and guru to help me. I think the high colonic helped the most. The shit was packed pretty badly and I felt much more myself afterwards. Thank goodness too. Before it was done I was contemplating voting Democrat and contributing to Corrine Brown’s next campaign. I tell you that stuff gets in your system and it’s like a bad acid trip. Thank the Lord for a loving and understanding and…Republican, ultra-conservative wife!
FWIW – When I was contracting, the guys with the Mr. Beer kits in their rooms and the ones having their wives/girlfriends send them weed in the mail were the AF, Army, and Navy vets I worked with.
Wow… that ended up on the wrong thread. Not my fault! SWEADEN! SWEADEN!!