Veterans Demand Apology from GOP and FOX for Lies About VA

August 27, 2009 - The claim that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has a manual encouraging veterans to "commit suicide," made by Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, is an asinine assertion with no basis in fact.

Steele made the charge two days ago (August 25th) on FOX News. Steele's egregious comments are an outrageous slander against VA designed to create an atmosphere of mistrust and fear among the millions of our veterans who rely on the VA for medical care. Veterans demand an apology from Steele and FOX News.

"Let me be absolutely clear, Steele lied. There is no VA manual encouraging veterans to commit suicide," said Paul Sullivan, the executive director of VCS, a non-profit based in Washington, DC providing advocacy for veterans, especially veterans with mental health conditions.

Here is the full text of Steele's comments:

"If you want an example of bad public policy, let's look at this situation with our veterans where you have a manual out there, telling our veterans stuff like, ‘Are you really a value to your community?' and, you know, encouraging them to commit suicide. This is crazy coming from the government, and this is exactly what concerns people, what puts them in fear of what government controlled health care, of health care, will look like."

Source: Fox News, August 25, 2009:
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/index.php/whats-new/1165-veterans-for-common-sense

for a while, every time I visited the VA they bombarded me with questions about depression and suicidal tendencies. Much literature around talking about depression, hotlines, and therapy.

With all the suicides, the VA was under the gun to do something about it, and the thought that any medical organization, much less the VA, would encourage it is ridiculous.

Steele is an idiot.

Why do the repukes continue to get away with shitting on veterans?

The Chickenhawks don't give a crap about us. :mad:

He and the Republican party don't give a flying fuck who they hurt, in order to get their lies out.

I am glad this group is speaking out against him, and saying flat out that he lied.

It's not within their nature to be contrite even when caught red handed.

To repugs, veterans are just pawns to be played for their political advantage. This is the sort of blatant example of their sociopathology that needs to be trumpeted loudly so that ordinary people can see their lies and their sickness.

Up until 2007 there was a questionable group listed as a reference:



Steele is blatantly parroting a Rove lie.

-Hoot

I'm gratified that this thread received 15 recs, but I'd like for it to receive more coverage before disappearing down the Memory Hole.

What's next? RW Media propagandists don't tell the truth? :rofl:

:sarcasm:

It's who they are. It's what they do. It comes natural to them.