Marines Scoff At VA "Deathbook" Media Spin Of VA Pamphlet Helpful To Vets

Posted September 3rd, 2009 at 10:39 am in Listen Up Marines!

Marines are no strangers to scuttlebutt and are used to having to weed out the truth by reading between the lines when they have to. In the case of the so-called VA "Deathbook," what critics are calling a VA pamphlet titled, Your Life, Your Choices. It baffles me that something as simple as a government publication meant to assist veterans in life choices can be the cause of so much feather ruffling. This was a publication written during the Bush administration that was thought to be too controversial for an already unpopular president, shelved (not dismissed), re- edited and re-released under the current administration to show how the President supports veterans.

This does not mean that the book represents in any way what Fox News and other media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal would have you believe. They have single-handedly managed to spin a simple VA handbook into a ridiculous little drama designed to inflame opinion against the health care initiatives proposed by our president. We can thank Sarah Palin for her little "death panels" speech but I wonder if she is willing to disclose what special interest group decided to use what little popularity she had left by luring her out of Alaska's Governors mansion and into the sleazy world of well-paid-for opinion. And to think I used to admire her! Marines and others of the Armed Forces of America, must be careful to use their heads to get at the truth of this debate and be aware that special interest groups now buy some American's opinion the way folks used to buy a used car.

The customer interested in buying a used car wants honest answers to their questions about the car's history in order to make the best deal possible but the sales person can't be trusted. He or she has an agenda where it's only about them. To heck with the customer, all they can think about is how much commission they can make on a sale or if I sell this clunker the boss will promote me, same thing goes for these rich special interests groups, insurance companies and the like who will do anything to convince you that their opinion is the "truth" or is "best for the country."

There doesn't seem to be any right or wrong in this country any more, only how deep your pockets are so that you can sway opinion to your cause. A lawyer doesn't care about truth, guilt or innocence, if you have enough money you can buy a legal loophole or technical error and get away with almost anything. And just as a savvy car buyer will get to the truth and make the best deal they can for themselves – a person can learn to recognize when they are being manipulated by the media or special interest groups – but it takes a little digging – something called work, and some people nowadays would rather believe the worst than try to get to the bottom of an issue – simply because they are lazy.

Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd. – Bertrand Russell

This great quote says a lot about human nature and how some Americans like to follow what they believe to be true regardless of the truth. I found it on a website called Battle of the Bilge, a blog by the Military Officers Association of America that debunks military and VA related rumors, untruths and downright lies. On their blog you can get the truth on subjects like the one in our headline – if you care to read it.

This latest one, "VA Death Book" is typical of the kinds of tripe you see in the news and on the web about how our current president wants all those "hopeless" vets out there to "pull the plug" when that's not the real story at all. I could write volumes about those who would leap at these kinds of opportunities (Fox News is only one) to make President Obama look like a modern day Jack Kevorkian but then I would appear to be a ranter, which I am not. I am a vet, one of those guys who will have to make hard choices about the quality of my remaining life.

Living Wills Are Not Death Books

The truth of the matter is that vets need to make choices, whether severely incapacitated or not. And making the right choice is not made any easier when you have media like Fox News and groups such as Dying With Dignity spinning a VA pamphlet called, Your Life, Your Choices, a guide to helping veterans with life choices and living wills, into something resembling a Nazi death camp journal. It makes for a much more dramatic story for people to discuss at cocktail parties, especially when they know only part of the story. Fox News has succeeded in inflaming the public against this effort to help veterans, much to the dismay of the VA, who despite many stories to the contrary, continues to work hard for veterans care.

I am a former Marine, disabled Vietnam vet and holder of the Combat Action Ribbon. I have seen the look on men's faces, men who are critically wounded and do not want to live to be a burden to their families, men with no arms, legs, nor any real chance at a productive life. This pamphlet was made for men like this who do not want to be resuscitated should they lapse into a coma or experience a stroke as a result of their injuries – nothing more. We all want to live – but not at the expense of our families and loved ones quality of life.

The reason we served in the first place is because we unselfishly put the defense of our country and the cause of freedom above that of our very own lives, why would we do anything less for our families? We knew the sacrifices we might have to make. The VA provides assistance with hard decisions pertaining to quality of life, by providing family counseling, living wills and other health-care issues for veterans. I don't see any of these so-called critics coming up with anything better for the veteran, do you? All I hear is name calling and half truths.

I can say from personal experience that the VA has been a life-saver for me. After suffering the effects of Agent Orange, PTSD and now toxic poisoning from the water supply of a military base I onced served at. So I am pretty sure I know where I am going to end up in my 80's (if I am lucky enough to live that long). I know that at some point in my future I will have to make some hard choices. For now the VA has assisted me with a living will, one that specifically states "do not resuscitate" and thanks to that VA pamphlet and honest information I understood what needed to be done.

My experience with the VA has always been positive and I encourage all marines and other former members of our armed forces to examine carefully the agenda's of those (like Fox News) who would take a harmless pamphlet and turn it into something that stirs controversy and a cause for their BS – before forming an opinion.

If you want to read about the other side of the story, those who thought the pamphlet helpful and not at all what it is being portrayed you can find some heavy duty comments here – but be warned – It does NOT suggest that veterans die to save money, it does NOT encourage suicide, it does NOT ask vets to "hurry up and die."

What it DOES do, according to ethicist s, legal and medical experts (those with cooler heads) is provide a reasonable attempt to help veterans plan for the end of their lives. What it DOES do is ask that veterans think about whether, for example, life would be worth living in a wheelchair or nursing home – something ALL vets should consider regardless of their condition. What it DOES do is to get veterans to think about their place in life. Unfortunately, the media does NOT support anything less than the controversy that they create themselves (media frenzy) by labeling our administration with catchy phrases like "death panels" and "death books" when critics are after anything BUT the truth.

Critics of the current administration and the VA must stir the pot for their cheap carnival acts such as the smarmy Megyn Kelly and Jonah Goldberg of Fox News. Watch the video closely for half truths, severe eyebrow lifting, negative voice inflection and much drama. I only post it here to demonstrate how baised they really are and how they do everything they can except attempt to get to the truth.

This is just plain mis-reporting, where are the vets on this issue? Where are the supporters of this issue that will publicly say that the VA pamphlet was revised and brought back to help veterans, not to ask them to kill themselves to save us taxpayers money or to save their families from financial ruin? Truth does not sell newspapers or get people to tune in to a particular TV station, where numbers dictate ad revenues. Why tell the boring truth when you can spin it into a drama worthy of an Emmy?