allan

fwd: DoD) Deceptions and (DVA) Enforcement Hi to all, Below is another media release on generic and a particular case involving one of our Korean DMZ Toxic Chemical Veterans. The Department of Defense (DoD) Deceptions and Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Enforcement of Those Deceptions _http://www.2ndbattalion94thartillery.com/C...reanDMZVets.htm_ (http://www.2ndbattalion94thartillery.com/Chas/KoreanDMZVets.htm) Again, I would like for those that have contacts in the media and any political contacts to send this media release forward as you have done in the past. Not to reprint it is too long but just get the information out. I would think those scientists involved in this toxic chemical issue might also jump in but that is too much to ask as I will discuss later. It is obvious this one specific case I am referring to needs attention ASAP. Then VAC in the House and Senate would rather talk about other issues that while good in some venues are not really discussing the real issues, such as this one. Rather than government created disability and death issues going uncompensated a constant pat on the back of those in VA power seems more in order. This case and these generic issues is why I get so angry at our congress and those in VA compensations in DC for not doing anything regarding this disgusting and I would conclude unchallenged criminal behavior. Thanks folks for following through on this. We need to get this case resolved ASAP as well as many other cases that incompetent and less than knowledgeable VA rating officers are deciding on behalf of the White House with no mandated Benefit of the Doubt consideration for the Veteran or his/her family. In the news lately is the brain damage done by Saran Gas during Gulf War. While that is being portrayed as, an accidental issue related to war. Thu, 17 May 2007 ----“WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have found evidence that the kind of low-level exposure to sarin gas experienced by more than 100,000 U.S. troops in the first Gulf war can cause "lasting brain deficits," The New York Times reported on Wednesday. While the results are preliminary, scientists working with the U.S. Department of Defense said they found apparent changes in the brain's connective tissue -- known as white matter -- in soldiers exposed to the gas.” Did you know? From my book: ”The report notes the department limited its investigation of specific exposures to identifying former military personnel that could be eligible for medical services from the Department of Veterans Affairs, said the GAO. Finally, the GAO said, the Pentagon did not pursue all possible sources of information during its investigation. Between 1962 and 1974, the defense department conducted a classified chemical and biological warfare test program, named Project 112, which exposed service members and civilians to chemical or biological agents. The Pentagon has said the tests included spraying of chemical and biological stimulants and release of the deadly saran and VX gases. “The ocean-going tests, known as Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense (SHAD), were "to identify U.S. warships' vulnerabilities to attacks with chemical or biological warfare agents," said Pentagon officials. The land-based tests, said officials, were aimed at learning "more about how chemical or biological agents behave under a variety of climatic, environmental and use conditions." “The Desert Test Center, based at Fort Douglas, Utah, conducted the tests. “In October 2001, after seven years of inquiries from veterans, Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Pentagon finally confirmed that thousands of sailors were present during a decade-long series of classified tests to determine the vulnerability of U.S. warships to attack by chemical and biological warfare. With more urging from veterans and their advocates, still other ocean- and land-based tests around the world were identified.” This was no accident! This was no different than Germany Circa 1939. More evidence that our Presidents, the Defense Secretaries, Veterans Affairs, and some members of Congress knew this was going on from 1962 to 1974 to our finest citizens and none of them did anything. Even when inquiries were made, denials were made for almost four decades. Lies and more lies made acceptable by the Feres Doctrine that allows the DoD to lie and not only keep service connection for medical care at bay but keep life and death information from our Veterans and their families. If you have not done so please sign the new 2008 petition to either get rid of this black mark on our nation’s history or at least revise it to where those that harm others through their actions or lack of actions, whether they are directed by our own government or not - will be charged with liability. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/VERPA2008/index.html Accountability and Justice! Kelley

Section A. General Information on Due Process due process and the U.S. Constitution http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/admin21/m21_1/...2/ch02_seca.doc

KITV Hawaii Video - Hawaii Depleted Uranium « on: Yesterday at 07:55:25pm » -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KITV Hawaii Video - Hawaii Depleted Uranium - Leuren Moret/ Bob Nich Posted by: "Cal" calgirlsddd85021@yahoo.com calgirlsddd85021 Sat May 19, 2007 7:39 pm (PST) KITV Hawaii Video - Hawaii Depleted Uranium - Leuren Moret/ Bob Nichols Commentary - No Place is Safe. The US Army has contaminated Hawaii! This is a devastating video on the use of forever lethal uranium weapons by the US Army in the former Paradise of Hawaii. The Army has contaminated Hawaii forever with a form of highly radioactive and deadly uranium weapons. KITV Hawaii - Depleted Uranium Hawaii (2 Mins 33 Seconds) http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=L94IUSw54pQ The Psychopaths in the American Pentagon are methodically radiologically contaminating not only Iraq, Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia; but hundreds of sites in America like the fabled San Francisco Bay Area and Washington, DC. According to super secretive memos declassified from the Manhattan Project there are only two reason to use Uranium weapons. One is to kill people and the other is to contaminate the land - forever. Who are they trying to kill in Hawaii? Bob Nichols Project Censored Award Winner San Francisco Bay View Newspaper Radio Talk Show Guest and Weapons Expert NUCLEAR FREE ZONE http://peaceinspace .blogs.com/ nuclear_free_ zone/ -- ____________ _________ _________ ___ Alfred Lambremont Webre, JD, MEd ICIS-Institute for Cooperation in Space 3339 West 41 Avenue Vancouver, B.C. V6N3E5 CANADA TEL: 604-733-8134 FAX: 604-733-8135 Email: alw@peaceinspace. com ICIS: http://www.peaceins pace.com CAMPAIGN: http://www.peaceins pace.org NUCLEAR FREE ZONE: http://peaceinspace .blogs.com/ nuclear_free_ zone/ ------------

Has anyone ever researched to see just what the political affiliation of VA employees are? It would be interesting to see if it's stacked like the Justice dept. An ultra Conservative at every management, adjudication, directors, etc? Always making sure the money flows one way? These people act like the KKK when it comes to the determination to hate vets. Laws need to be passed to protect Vets from special interest hate groups like these, from continually atacking benefits of veterans, delaying proceedings to "assist" vets during a war. They are just not comfortable with telling such young adults, just how messed up they are. So they feel instead of cutting these people their checks for getting them messed up, they're going to cheat them out of it, keep them from going home & getting normalized, than brain washing them in to thinking they don't deserve the rating for what hell they've been through. How are these hate groups alowed to be in a position to assist veterans in any way? They're droids! They don't even think like humans. I won't go to these people for mental health. I've been up against these types before.

Hello Berta, Betty & I made an appointment & went to Seattle RO to view the entire C-file back in 97' or 98' after I received the 1/3 of SMR's they sent. When we got there, they gave of a working folder that had about 20 sheets in it, that was all. The guy that gave it to us would walk by & laugh occasionally. So we finally figure out what they were pulling & left. It's over a 600 mile trip. WE had to take food & bill money to make it & all they did was laugh at us. I was trying to find the rest of the SMR's. They have them, or they went to the shredder. The Seattle RO is the "Permanent" storage site for "all" of my SMR's. The records center said they never heard of it happening & could not explain it. For years & years, they had me send requests to the national records center, for my SMR's. Sure did make me feel foolish to realize just how long they played with me like that. There were enough SMR's for DR Bash to diagnose & service connect MS & my other issues. It wasn't until I received what SMR's they sent me in 97', before I remembered having a bad reaction to vaccines. Fever, vomiting, gastroenteritis, ocular inflammation, fluctuating vision, fungal hyphea skin eruptions & a testicular mass is what records say. I spent a month in the hospital & a month recovering following training. >Allan-did you apply for SSA-and is it possible that SSA had some of your SMRs? SSA? I was a bit surprised at how close the SSA & the VA coordinate together to save funding. I should have been service connected for my issues from the beginning & should have received both back in 93'. VA denied all claims at first. So did SSA. Won SSI, after two yrs. Won the Pension claim, hearing loss,etc., right after that & continued to service connect the neuromuscular disorder/TBI & spinal issues SSA denied SSDI, stating I don't have near enough credits. There were several yrs fighting wild fires for the state they wouldn't count & they both forgot to mention , I could receive additional credits for service during the Vietnam Era. About 10 yrs later I won the SSDI award & retro. I was lucky enough to talk with the guy at the SSA, that remembered me getting the SSI award. He asked, "I thought the VARO was going to take care of you with Pension"? I said, "yes I thought so to. Then I found out that I was entitled to SSDI all along & I'm sure I'm entitled to VA as well." He was all business after that. SMR's from the SSA? No they had nothing in their records according to them, from the VA. So far, I have only filed for issues that are in the 1/3 of SMR's they have sent. Dr Bash put much together out of that first one yr of service. No telling whats in the rest of it. >I was reading somewhere -maybe at one of the vet org sites -or at Watchdog that a brand new disabled Iraq vet's service medical records were already lost by the VA---- I bet the best in the world computer file tracking system, is just as good as the best in the world health care system, or the best in the world rating officers. >bet they didn't misplace those bonus checks? Nope, but they did figure out how to loose the rules in obtaining them! ###################### Hello Pete, >I have watched your claim and what the VA has done for a long time and my heart breaks when I see how you have been treated. You will never know how much I admire your patience and tenacity. I truly marvel at how you are able to come back time and time again and help other Vets with their claims. That's an easy one to explain. My wife says it's simply because I'm too stupid to stay out of it. >I think that you should give serious consideration to hiring a lawyer to process your claim against the VA. I use the word against cause there has been no semblance that the VA was trying to help you. I'm putting together a folder for the attorney now. Will try to have it detailed as best I can with my mind. Help? No, haven't seen allot of that. I'm not what you would call, "good ol' boy" minded. So I haven't made allot of friends along the road locally. My help & friends are on hadit & a few other boards. Would have been lost long ago. I get so stiff after I sit in car for long distance. And my vertigo kicks in traveling through the mountains so bad, that by the time I get to the VA hospital in Seattle, I can barely walk. Well, I used to take the wheelchair the VA gave me for times when I have trouble. Sometimes its from MS, spine or just vertigo so bad, it's far safer to sit. I can usually get to the back of the car & pull the chair out of the car to use myself. It didn't take but one or two flared up trips to get rumors flying around the INTERNET, how I fake using a wheel chair for appointments. So, I ordered a copy of my hospital records & sure enough, theres a comment from the provider that, "patient states he uses a wheel chair for appointments & a cane at home". Completely false statement. I told that man that the hospital provided it & that I use it for shopping on bad days, but use a cane most of the time. So that means, SOMETIMES, I can go from not using a cane, to using a cane, to using the chair. I had stepped on a bunch of toes over the performance of hospital, VARO & NSO's employees that put out pure crap for a living. So folks thought it best to put me in a place that I would shut up. Almost worked. Caused much conflict with the Mrs, but don't feel right knowing others will go through the same treatment, so I keep doing what I can do. The PVA has been good at helping, but it's the system, you know? >If there is anything that I can do I will try my best. You are one of the best and most decent people I have met on the Internet. That's very kind of you Pete. I could use help from anyone, but all that is needed, is for the claim to be viewed & processed in an honest & fair manner. And they have everything before them to do that. Lord only knows how long it will take this adminstration to operate within the law. I have learned with royalty, it's whenever they feel like it.

Hello les, What it looks like to me is, you would like a neuradiologist to give an interpretation as to what the MRI results mean & on a more probable than not bases is it service connected? Does that sound right? Allan #############################################

>This is why the veteran should get those SMRs themselves Hello Berta, if the other 2/3rds of my service medical records still exist, the VARO who has "ALL" of my originals, with no other copies available according to National Records Center. They said they sent them everything. I believe the form says the RO received it Dec 78', if I remember right. Would an attorney be able to locate these records or a responce to why they are missing or will they simply ignore them as well? Thanks Larry & jbasser

Special Monthly Compensation (SMC), Last Updated 09/29/06 http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/admin21/m21_1/...2/ch02_sech.doc

Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) is a rate paid in addition to (i.e., SMC (K)) or in place of 0% to 100% combined degree compensation. To qualify, a veteran must be disabled beyond a combined degree percentage or due to special circumstances (i.e., aid and attendance, loss of use of one hand, etc.). SMCs are referred to by the letters (K) through (R.2). These alphabetic designations follow the paragraph numbering system in 38 U.S.C. §1114 (also see references to that in 38 CFR §3.350 below). Eligibility criteria, see 38 CFR §3.350 (Special Monthly Compensation) Rates, see Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Benefits/

>and would they consider an HMO DR. saying at least likely as not. John and Dianne, concerning the "type" of consideration you may receive on any medical opinion containing the statement," at least as likely as not bases", "on a more probable than not basis" etc. Where a private treating physician stated, (after viewing a copy of my c-file & his medical records) that in his professional opinion, as an MD, that "on a more probable than not bases" the claimed issues are in deed service connected. He stated he also was in agreement with the Dept of Veterans affairs C&P examiners previous medical opinion, which also stated,"on a more probable than not bases". That all issues the "BOARD" sent back down for re-examination with an opinion were service connected, as symptoms & exacerbations have been steady over the yrs. Almost every RO rater including a DRO, has stated my private physicians opinion said, on an "probable and not basis". One said "on an eddie & hot bases" is what the doctopr stated. It all about what "they" state the dr stated as to wether or not it has any weight as evidence. Any statement from a DR that says a veterans issues are service connected on a"probable and not bases", cannot expect to be granted SC, can they? Then they will follow right after with, how veterans are supposed to have valid evidence to support their claims & qoate codes. THIS is what they recieve bonuses for!

When multiple ratings over a decade, reflect the same pattern of inacurately quoating medical phisicians statements, in order to grant 0 value to favorable evidence or show a possible connection between post service injurys and current spinal/neuromuscular disorders. is that legal? If a regional office(VARO), sends a requests for "ALL" ORIGINAL service medical records in the custody of the National Records Center in 1978, after a NSO requested them for a claim in 77'. Then refuses to send any copies of the only record of the orinal SMR's in existance, to your SO or you. Than Orders a C&P without providing any records to your SO. Then denies the claim on the bases, that the records do not support the claim. After mutiple requests for a complete copy of my SMR's for over two decades, the same VARO that stored "all" my originals, would only provide around 1/3 of the SMR's that existed, while using the missing records as the bases to mutiple denials, by stating there are no records in these missing treatment records, that show any treatment for anything Im claiming. In writing, I've requested copies of shipboard sickcall records, duty station records & clinicals from & oakland naval hospital, etc. I have asked specifically for these records multiple times & have never recieved a reply. Would any of the actions or inactions i've mentioned above, have a bearing on ealiear effective dates or a CUE case? Im trying to get everything that is an issue, gathered up for the attorney. Thanks for any replies........... Allan

>20 YEARS FROM NOW YOU WILL BE A STORY IN THE DAV MAGAZINE HOW THE DAV HELPED YOU GET BENEFITS AFTER 20 YEARS Hello Betrayed, It won't be me. I don't have 20 years left. My guess is, theres no need to to spend the time focusing on us old Vets from the view of the DOD & DAV. They know by focusing on low balling all these new vets, they have much longer to draw the benefit over their life span. Us older vets will die soon. Our children are all grown & have no need for many of the benefits they would have paid us now. About the only thing old disabled vets need is adequate health care. That just prolongs their lives & eases their suffering. Not beneficial to the bean counters looking for good bonuses from their buddies.

Satel's remarks? From Satels remarks & the remarks of a head shrinhk from Sandiego. I would guess their theories are responcible for the lack of 100% PTSD claims being awarded. They are very, VERY, confident that that can basically cure the problem of granting 100% for PTSD. There's no need for it, after they re-route your way of thinking, that all you need is a job. Im thinking, the vets that are homeless & waiting for their claims to be decided, will be not be thrilled by such confidence in denying the benefits for them & their familes. 100% PTSD vets, will now be reprogramed & given a job. There was discussion of holding troops for six months or so for a lab rat treatment as well, before separation. Won't it be nice to be held in captivity, on display like some damn reality show, so they can figure out how to do away with the PTSD rating altogether? All those on TDIU? Guess what, They have a cure for you also. I guess all you need is a job. The millions these brainiacs have saved our wonderful & grateful nation, will be remembered for generations to come by veterans across this country, & will be told to their children, & their children. This is what I amagine goes on behind the scenes............... "Yes, we lied about everything & cheated you out of it. SOOOOO what? We did it for your well being? Thats why we also forced all those raises & bonuses on our selves. we would do such a thing for ourselves during such an, IMPORTANT war. Why, this here warmust be fought like the war to end all wars. Thats why we think it's important for all you whiney vets to learn to shake it off & get back over there. We want to stay the couarce for yrs & use "YOU" PTSD vets to do it. Pulling this all off while the entire country full of do gooders, thought we were careing for you buch of loosers that don't want to work, wasn't easy. Do these comitees really believe these bean counters give a damn about our lives? Pure waste of time. These people will cover your hands in red Congress, while they collect the green. We used to be a nation of the people & for the people. Im am so sick of the excuses for turning ones back against those who need it the mosts & call it,"teaching the disabled to pull themselves up by their own boots" As if to say, WE will teach you not to beg & walk around with your hand out. Your gonna be so greatfull for us depriving you of monitary compensation, your going to take the job illegals don't want. That is once we reprogram your way of thinkin, to be our way we're thinkin."

fwd: ACTION ALERT FAX your letters to US Representatives NOW Dear All Veterans, Please all give this the widest distribution by email groups and web sites possible! The time is now for each of you to correspond to the members of the US House of Representatives! We gulf war veterans need help now! WE need you to write your letters to tell the Representatives to support Representative Shays and Kucinick efforts to get 30 million in the defense appropriations bill for FY08 for the Congressionally directed Medical Research Program for Gulf War Illness Treatment Research. We need gulf war veterans and other veterans, extended family, and the public to speak out loud and clear NOW! Yesterday I sent out list of the Representatives phone numbers in DC. We need you calling the DC offices now! We need a mass of Faxing of letters to them. This is the alert to send FAX letters now to the US House of Representative members! EMailing can be secondary. We want the FAX LETTER CAMPAIGN NOW. IF you are a gulf war veteran tell them how the loss of cognitive abilities has affected your own lives! Keep the letters short and to the point and lead and end with that we want their support to get 30 million in the defense appropriations bill for FY08 for the Congressionally directed Medical Research Program for Gulf War Illness Treatment Research an effort started by Representative Shays and Kucinich and 7 other representatives. You could also ask them to go to the floor and do one minute speeches in this regards, or to start a resolution to support this effort, and hearings on the issue. But the most important thing is for gulf war veterans to tell them we are still ill and waiting for help that only they can do! The press release on recent research from gulf war veterans presented at Annual American Academy of Neurology meeting last week is below and then the fax numbers for US reps follows. WE need now to remember Gulf War Veterans of Operation Desert Storm Veterans (90-91) that feel they have been forgotten! Denise Nichols, Maj, USAFR(ret) Operation Desert Storm Nurse and Desert Storm Veteran Advocate RN(ret) MSN 303-726-0738 Public release date: 1-May-2007 [ Print Article | E-mail Article | Close Window ] Contact: Angela Babb ababb@... 651-695-2789 American Academy of Neurology Brains scans of symptomatic Gulf War veterans show differences BOSTON -- Veterans of the first Gulf War who returned with multiple health symptom complaints show significant differences in brain structures from their fellow returnees without high numbers of health symptoms, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 28 – May 5, 2007. The study involved 36 veterans of the first Gulf War (1990-1991). Half of the veterans had a high number (more than five) of symptoms, such as joint pain, fatigue, forgetfulness, headaches, skin rash, nausea, and difficulty concentrating. The other half of the veterans had a lower number (five or fewer) of symptoms. Researchers found that two areas of the brain involved in thinking and memory were significantly smaller in the veterans with a high number of symptoms than in the veterans with fewer symptoms. The overall cortex was five percent smaller in those with more symptoms, and the rostral anterior cingulated gyrus was six percent smaller. Those with more symptoms also did not perform as well on tests of learning and memory. On one test, those with more symptoms scored 15 percent lower than those with fewer symptoms; the score was 12 percent lower on another test. The researchers found that the smaller the brain volume was in those areas, the worse the veterans performed on the memory tests. "We don’t know the cause of these differences in the veterans’ brain volumes, but the hypothesis is that they are related to exposure to hazardous substances during the first Gulf War," said study author Roberta White, PhD, of Boston University School of Public Health. "Many troops were exposed to hazardous substances such as pesticides, and other studies have shown that exposures to these substances affect the central nervous system." ### EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 7 A.M. ET, TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2007 Media Contact: Robin Stinnett, (651) 695-2763, rstinnett@... AAN Press Room HCC 203 (April 28 – May 4): (617) 954-3126 The study was supported by a Veterans Affairs Merit Grant. The American Academy of Neurology, an association of over 20,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit www.aan.com. Editor’s Note: Dr. White will present this research during a scientific poster session at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 1, 2007, in Exhibit Hall A of the Hynes Convention Center. She will be available for media questions during a briefing at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, April 30, 2007, in the on-site Press Interview Room, room HCC 204. All listed times are for Eastern Time (ET). If you are a member of the media interested in listening to the press briefing via conference call, please call the AAN Press Room (April 28 – May 4) at (617) 954-3126. People suffering "Gulf War syndrome" have a 5% reduction in brain size, a small study suggests. The anatomical differences between veterans of the first Gulf War in 1991 who report multiple health problems – such as fatigue, skin rash and nausea – and other healthier colleagues, were revealed during brain scans. Those with symptoms of the controversially named Gulf War syndrome (GWS) have 5% less cortical brain matter than healthier counterparts. The researchers say that the finding provides hard biological evidence to support claims that some veterans of the war suffered real neurological damage, perhaps as a result of nerve gas or other toxins. Roberta White of the Boston University School of Public Health in Massachusetts, US, and colleagues studied 18 Gulf War veterans who reported more than five health problems such as joint pain, fatigue, skin rash, headaches and nausea. The researchers conducted brain scans on these subjects – using magnetic resonance imaging technology – as well as 18 control counterparts, who served in the same war but reported only a few of the symptoms. Memory loss The scans revealed that the overall brain cortex of the veterans with GWS was about 5% smaller on average than that of the healthier veterans. The cortex includes the outermost and top layer of the brain, including the grey matter, and controls complex functions such as language. It also includes a specific part of the brain thought to be involved in memory processing and learning, known as the rostral anterior cingulate gyrus, was about 6% smaller in the ill veterans, on average. Subjects were also asked to complete a cognitive test that involved memorising a list of 16 words and recalling those words 20 minutes later. Veterans with GWS performed about 15% worse in the test than the healthier control group. "I think these findings are really important," says White, who presented the results at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Boston this week. She says that when you combine these findings with others, such as the greater incidence of brain tumours and movement disorders such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) among those deployed in the war, "it's pretty clear that something has happened to central nervous system function and structure of Gulf War veterans and that we're just getting to the point where were finally seeing what these effects were." Pointing the finger White's team hopes to review information from the study participants and the government to estimate the level of exposure the subjects might have had to the nerve gas sarin and other toxins. A cocktail of toxins could perhaps have produced GWS, though some experts still debate whether this is a unique illness. Epidemiologist Robert Haley at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, US, says that the brain differences highlighted by the new study do not explain what could have caused GWS. "It doesn't point to one cause, but it is compatible with what we know about sarin exposure," says Haley, who was not involved in the study. He notes that researchers saw similar reductions in brain volume in Tokyo commuters exposed to sarin gas released in the subway system in 1995. Haley, who spearheaded early efforts to understand GWS, notes that previous studies have found other biological differences in the brains of veterans of the 1991 war. Damaged nerves Specifically, a technique called magnetic resonance spectroscopy found lower levels of a molecule called N-acetylaspartate (NAA), which indicates healthy nerve function, in the brains of symptomatic Gulf War veterans. All this, he says, adds further weight to the argument that GWS is a real illness. White acknowledges that her new study does not prove that the reduced brain volume was caused by exposure to chemicals in the war. "This could be a pre-existing vulnerability or an exposure-outcome relationship," she says. But Haley notes that the veterans did not show cognitive abnormalities before entering the war. "They weren't a bunch of people with faulty memory," he explains, since they had to pass certain standard military tests. People suffering "Gulf War syndrome" have a 5% reduction in brain size, a small study suggests. The anatomical differences between veterans of the first Gulf War in 1991 who report multiple health problems – such as fatigue, skin rash and nausea – and other healthier colleagues, were revealed during brain scans. Those with symptoms of the controversially named Gulf War syndrome (GWS) have 5% less cortical brain matter than healthier counterparts. The researchers say that the finding provides hard biological evidence to support claims that some veterans of the war suffered real neurological damage, perhaps as a result of nerve gas or other toxins. Roberta White of the Boston University School of Public Health in Massachusetts, US, and colleagues studied 18 Gulf War veterans who reported more than five health problems such as joint pain, fatigue, skin rash, headaches and nausea. The researchers conducted brain scans on these subjects – using magnetic resonance imaging technology – as well as 18 control counterparts, who served in the same war but reported only a few of the symptoms. Memory loss The scans revealed that the overall brain cortex of the veterans with GWS was about 5% smaller on average than that of the healthier veterans. The cortex includes the outermost and top layer of the brain, including the grey matter, and controls complex functions such as language. It also includes a specific part of the brain thought to be involved in memory processing and learning, known as the rostral anterior cingulate gyrus, was about 6% smaller in the ill veterans, on average. Subjects were also asked to complete a cognitive test that involved memorising a list of 16 words and recalling those words 20 minutes later. Veterans with GWS performed about 15% worse in the test than the healthier control group. "I think these findings are really important," says White, who presented the results at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Boston this week. She says that when you combine these findings with others, such as the greater incidence of brain tumours and movement disorders such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) among those deployed in the war, "it's pretty clear that something has happened to central nervous system function and structure of Gulf War veterans and that we're just getting to the point where were finally seeing what these effects were." Pointing the finger White's team hopes to review information from the study participants and the government to estimate the level of exposure the subjects might have had to the nerve gas sarin and other toxins. A cocktail of toxins could perhaps have produced GWS, though some experts still debate whether this is a unique illness. Epidemiologist Robert Haley at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, US, says that the brain differences highlighted by the new study do not explain what could have caused GWS. "It doesn't point to one cause, but it is compatible with what we know about sarin exposure," says Haley, who was not involved in the study. He notes that researchers saw similar reductions in brain volume in Tokyo commuters exposed to sarin gas released in the subway system in 1995. Haley, who spearheaded early efforts to understand GWS, notes that previous studies have found other biological differences in the brains of veterans of the 1991 war. Damaged nerves Specifically, a technique called magnetic resonance spectroscopy found lower levels of a molecule called N-acetylaspartate (NAA), which indicates healthy nerve function, in the brains of symptomatic Gulf War veterans. All this, he says, adds further weight to the argument that GWS is a real illness. White acknowledges that her new study does not prove that the reduced brain volume was caused by exposure to chemicals in the war. "This could be a pre-existing vulnerability or an exposure-outcome relationship," she says. But Haley notes that the veterans did not show cognitive abnormalities before entering the war. "They weren't a bunch of people with faulty memory," he explains, since they had to pass certain standard military tests. Fax numbers are the second listed number below US House of Representatives 110th Congress Note: Click on Rep's name for e-mail. Many Rep's use standard form at _http://www.house.gov/writerep/_'>http://www.house.gov/writerep/_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) Not all members accept e-mail. Phone numbers are listed first, followed by fax, then local district number. All letters to representatives should be addressed to them at their respective building, Washington, D.C., 20515. This Page Last Updated March 29, 2007 ... Alabama _Rep. Jo Bonner (R-1st)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 315 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-4931; 225-0562 Mobile: (334) 690-2811 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/bonner) _Rep. Terry Everett (R-2nd)_ (http://www.hillsource.gov/everett/contact/email.asp) 2312 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225- 2901: 225-8913 Dothan: (334) 794-9680 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/everett/) _Rep. Michael Rogers (R-3rd)_ (mailto:mike.rogersal03@mail.house.gov) 514 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-3261; 226-8485 Anniston: (256) 236-5655 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/mike-rogers) _Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-4th)_ (mailto:robert@mail.house.gov) 1443 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4876; 225-5587 Jasper: (205) 221-2310 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/aderholt/) _Rep. Robert Cramer (D-5th)_ (mailto:budmail@mail.house.gov) 2368 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4801; 225-4392 Huntsville: (205) 551-0190 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/cramer/) _Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-6th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 442 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-4921; 225-2082 Birmingham: (205) 969-2296 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/bachus/) _Rep. 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John Doolittle (R-4th)_ (mailto:doolittle@mail.house.gov) 2410 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-2511; 225-5444 Granite Bay: (916) 786-5560 _Web Site _ (http://www.house.gov/doolittle/) _Rep. Doris Matsui (D-5th)_ (http://matsui.house.gov/email.asp) 222 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-7163; 225-0566 Sacramento: (916) 498-5600 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/matsui) _Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-6th)_ (http://woolsey.house.gov/emailform.asp) 2263 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5161; 225-5163 Santa Rosa: (707) 542-7182 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/woolsey/) _Rep. George Miller (D-7th)_ (mailto:george.miller@mail.house.gov) 2205 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-2095; 225-5609 Concord: (925) 602-1880 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/georgemiller/) _Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-8th)_ (mailto:sf.nancy@mail.house.gov) 2371 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4965; 225-8259 San Francisco: (415) 556-4862 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/pelosi/) _Rep. 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Fortney Stark (D-13th)_ (mailto:petemail@stark.house.gov) 239 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-5065; 226-3805 Fremont: (510) 247-1388 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/stark/) _Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-14th)_ (mailto:annagram@mail.house.gov) 205 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-8104; 225-8890 Palo Alto: (650) 323-2984 _Web Site_ (http://www-eshoo.house.gov/) _Rep. Mike Honda (D-15th)_ (mailto:mike.honda@mail.house.gov) 1713 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-2631; 225-2699 San Jose: (408) 244-8085 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/honda) _Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-16th)_ (mailto:zoe@lofgren.house.gov) 102 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-3072; 225-3336 San Jose: (408) 271-8700 _Web Site _ (http://www.house.gov/lofgren/) _Rep. Sam Farr (D-17th)_ (mailto:samfarr@mail.house.gov) 1221 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-2861; 225-6791 Salinas: (831) 424-2229 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/farr/) _Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-18th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 503 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-6131; 225-0819 Merced: (209) 383-4455 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/cardoza) _Rep. George Radanovich (D-19th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 438 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-4540; 225-3402 Fresno: (559) 449-2490 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/radanovich/) _Rep. Jim Costa (D-20th)_ (http://www.house.gov/costa/IMA/issue_subscribe.htm'>http://www.house.gov/costa/IMA/issue_subscribe.htm) 1314 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3341; 225-9308 Fresno: (559) 495-1620 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/costa/) _Rep. Devin Nunes (R-21st)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1017 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-2523; 225-3404 Visalia: (559) 733-3861 _Web Site_ (http://www.nunes.house.gov/) _Rep. 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Brad Sherman (D-27th)_ (mailto:brad.sherman@mail.house.gov) 1524 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5911; 225-5879 Woodland Hills: (818) 999-1990 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/sherman/) _Rep. Howard Berman (D-28th)_ (mailto:howard.berman@mail.house.gov) 2330 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4695; 225-3196 Mission Hills: (818) 891-0543 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/berman/) _Rep. Adam Schiff (D-29th)_ (mailto:congressman.schiff@mail.house.gov) 437 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-4176; 225-5828 Pasadena: (626) 304-2727 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/schiff) _Rep. Henry Waxman (D-30th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2204 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-3976; 225-4099 Los Angeles: (323) 651-1040 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/waxman/) _Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-31st)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1119 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-6235; 225-2202 Los Angeles: (213) 483-1425 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/becerra) _Rep. Hilda Solis (D-32nd)_ (mailto:hilda@....gov) 1725 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5464; 225-5467 El Monte: (626) 448-1271 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/solis) _Rep. Diane Watson (D-33rd)_ (mailto:diane.watson@mail.house.gov) 125 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-7084; 225-2422 Los Angeles: (323) 965-1422 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/watson) _Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-34th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2330 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-1766; 226-0350 Los Angeles: (213) 628-9230 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/roybal-allard/) _Rep. Maxine Waters (D-35th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2344 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-2201; 225-7854 Los Angeles: (213) 757-8900 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/waters/) _Rep. Jane Harman (D-36th)_ (mailto:jane.harman@mail.house.gov) 229 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-8220; 225-7290 Redondo Beach: (310) 372-1600 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/harman) _Rep. Juanita McDonald (D-37th)_ (mailto:millender.mcdonald@mail.house.gov) 1514 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-7924; 225-7926 Torrance: (310) 538-1190 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/millender-mcdonald/) _Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-38th)_ (mailto:grace@....gov) 1609 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5256; 225-0027 Montebello: (323) 728-0112 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/napolitano) _Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-39th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1007 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-6676; 226-1012 Lakewood: (562) 425-1336 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/lindasanchez) _Rep. Edward Royce (R-40th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2202 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4111; 226-0335 Fullerton: (714) 992-8081 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/royce/) _Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-41st)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2112 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5861; 225-6498 Redlands: (909) 862-6030 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/jerrylewis/) _Rep. Gary Miller (R-42nd)_ (mailto:publicca41@mail.house.gov) 1037 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3201; 226-6962 Diamond Bar: (909) 612-4677 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/garymiller) _Rep. Joe Baca (D-43rd)_ (mailto:cong.baca@mail.house.gov) 328 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-6161; 225-8671 San Bernardino: (909) 885-2222 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/baca/) _Rep. Ken Calvert (R-44th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2201 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-1986; 225-2004 Riverside: (909) 784-4300 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/calvert/) _Rep. Mary Bono (R-45th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 404 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-5330; 225-2961 Palm Springs: (760) 320-1076 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/bono) _Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-46th)_ (mailto:dana@....gov) 2338 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-2415; 225-0145 Huntington Beach: (714) 960-6483 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/rohrabacher/) _Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-47th)_ (mailto:loretta@mail.house.gov) 1230 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-2965; 225-5859 Garden Grove: (714) 621-0102 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/sanchez/) _Rep. John Campbell (R-48th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2402 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5611; 225-9177 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/campbell) _Rep. Darrell Issa (R-49th)_ (mailto:congressman.issa@mail.house.gov) 1725 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3906; 225-3303 San Clemente: (949) 496-2343 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/issa) _Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-50th)_ (http://www.house.gov/bilbray/contact.shtml'>http://www.house.gov/bilbray/contact.shtml) 227 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-5452; 225-2558 Solana Beach: (858) 350-1150 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/bilbray/) _Rep. Bob Filner (D-51st)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2428 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-8045; 225-9073 Chula Vista: (619) 422-5963 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/filner) _Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-52nd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2265 Rayburn House Office Building El Cajon: (619) 579-3001 (202) 225-5672; 225-0235 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/hunter) _Rep. Susan Davis (D-53rd)_ (mailto:susan.davis@mail.house.gov) 1224 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-2040; 225-2948 San Diego: (619) 291-1430 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/susandavis) ____________________________________ Colorado _Rep. Diana DeGette (D-1st)_ (mailto:degette@mail.house.gov) 1530 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4431; 225-5657 Denver: (303) 844-4988 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/degette/) _Rep. Mark Udall (D-2nd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 115 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-2161; 226-7840 Westminster: (303) 457-4500 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/markudall) _John Salazar (D-3rd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1531 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4761; 226-9669 Grand Junction: (970) 245-7107 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/salazar) _Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-4th)_ (mailto:rep.musgrave@mail.house.gov) 1208 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4676; 225-5870 Loveland: (970) 663-3536 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/musgrave) _Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-5th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2372 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4422; 226-2638 Colorado Springs: (719) 520-0055 _Web Site_ (http://lamborn.house.gov/) _Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-6th)_ (mailto:tom.tancredo@mail.house.gov) 1130 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-7882; 226-4623 Littleton: (720) 283-9772 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/tancredo) _Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-7th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 415 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-2645; 225-5278 Lakewood: (303) 274-7944 _Web Site_ (http://perlmutter.house.gov/) ____________________________________ Connecticut _Rep. John Larson (D-1st)_ (mailto:john.larson@mail.house.gov) 1005 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-2265; 225-1031 Hartford: (860) 278-8888 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/larson) _Rep. Joseph Courtney (D-2nd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 215 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-2076; 225-4977 Norwich: (860) 886-0139 _Web Site_ (http://courtney.house.gov/) _Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-3rd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2262 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-3661; 225-4890 New Haven: (203) 562-3718 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/delauro) _Rep. Christopher Shays (R-4th)_ (mailto:rep.shays@mail.house.gov) 1126 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5541; 225-9629 Bridgeport: (203) 579-5870 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/shays/) _Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-5th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2113 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4476; 225-4488 New Britain: (860) 223-8412 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/nancyjohnson/) ____________________________________ Delaware _Rep. Michael Castle (R-AL)_ (mailto:deleware@mail.house.gov) 1233 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4165; 225-2291 Wilmington: (302) 428-1902 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/castle/) ____________________________________ District of Columbia _Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-AL)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2136 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-8050; 225-3002 Washington: (202) 783-5065 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/norton/) ____________________________________ Florida _Rep. Jeff Miller (R-1st)_ (mailto:jeff.miller@mail.house.gov) 331 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-4136; 225- 3414 Pensacola: (850) 479-1183 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/jeffmiller/) _Rep. F. Allen Boyd (D-2nd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 107 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-5235; 225-5615 Tallahassee: (850) 561-3979 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/boyd) _Rep. Corrine Brown (D-3rd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2444 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-0123; 225-2256 Jacksonville: (904) 354-1652 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/corrinebrown) _Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-4th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 127 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-2501; 225-6559 Jacksonville: (904) 598-0481 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/crenshaw) _Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-5th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1516 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-1002; 226-0329 Dade City: (352) 567-6707 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/brown-waite) _Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-6th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2370 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5744; 225-3973 Ocala: (352) 351-8777 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/stearns/) _Rep. John Mica (R-7th)_ (mailto:john.mica@mail.house.gov) 2445 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4035; 226-0821 Maitland: (407) 657-8080 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/mica/) _Rep. Ric Keller (R-8th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 419 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-2176; 225-0999 Orlando: (407) 872-1962 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/keller) _Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-9th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1630 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5755; 225-4085 Temple Terrace: (813) 985-8541 _Web Site_ (http://bilirakis.house.gov/) _Rep. C.W. Young (R-10th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2407 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5961; 225-9764 St. Petersburg: (813) 893-3191 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/young) _ Rep. Cathy Castor (D-11th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 317 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-3376; 225-5652 Tampa: (813) 871-2817 _Web Site_ (http://castor.house.gov/) _Rep. Adam Putnam (R-12th)_ (mailto:ask.adam@mail.house.gov) 506 Cannon House Offcie Building (202) 225-1252; 226-0585 Bartow: (863) 534-3530 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/putnam) _Rep. Verne Buchanan (R-13th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 116 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-5015; 226-0828 Sarasota: (941) 951-6643 _Web Site_ (http://buchanan.house.gov/) _Rep. Connie Mack (R-14th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 115 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-2536; 226-0439 Ft. Myers: (239) 332-4677 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/mack/) _Rep. David Weldon (R-15th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2347 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-3671; 225-3516 Melbourne: (407) 632-1776 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/weldon) _ Rep. Timothy Mahoney (D-16th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 104 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-5792; 225-3132 Port Charlotte: (941) 627-9100 _Web Site_ (http://mahoney.house.gov/) _Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-17th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1039 Longworth House Offcie Building (202) 225-4506; 226-0777 Miami: (305) 690-5905 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/kenmeek) _Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-18th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2160 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-3931; 225-5620 Miami: (305) 275-1800 _Web Site _ (http://www.house.gov/ros-lehtinen) _Rep. Robert Wexler (D-19th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 213 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-3001; 225-5974 Boca Raton: (561) 988-6302 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/wexler) _Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-20)_ (mailto:congresswomandebbiewassermanschultz@mail.house.gov) 118 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-7931; 226-2052 Pembroke Pines: (954) 437-3936 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/schultz/) _Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-21st)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2244 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4211; 225-8576 Miami: (305) 470-8555 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/diaz-balart/) _Rep. E. Clay Shaw (R-22nd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2408 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-3026; 225-8398 Ft. Lauderdale: (954) 522-1800 _Web Site _ (http://www.house.gov/shaw) _Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-23rd)_ (mailto:alcee.pubhastings@mail.house.gov) 2235 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-1313; 225-1171 Ft. Lauderdale: (954) 733-2800 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/alceehastings/) _Rep. Tom Feeney (R-24th)_ (mailto:tom.feeney@mail.house.gov) 323 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-2706; 226-6299 Orlando: (407) 208-1106 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/feeney) _Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-25th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 313 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-2778; 226-0346 Miami: (305) 225-6866 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/mariodiaz-balart) ____________________________________ Georgia _Rep. Jack Kingston (R-1st)_ (mailto:jack.kingston@mail.house.gov) 2242 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5831; 226-2269 Savannah: (912) 352-0101 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/kingston/) _Rep. Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-2nd)_ (mailto:bishop.email@mail.house.gov) 2429 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-3631; 225-2203 Albany: (912) 439-8067 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/bishop/) _Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-3rd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1118 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5901; 225-2515 Newman: (770) 683-2033 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/westmoreland/%20) _Rep. Hank Johnson (D-4th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1133 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-1605; 226-0691 Lithonia: (770) 987-2291 _Web Site_ (http://hankjohnson.house.gov/) _Rep. John Lewis (D-5th)_ (mailto:john.lewis@mail.house.gov) 343 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-3801; 225-0351 Atlanta: (404) 659-0116 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/johnlewis/) _ Rep. Tom Price (R-6th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 506 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-4501; 225-4656 Marietta: _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/tomprice/) _Rep. John Linder (R-7th)_ (mailto:john.linder@mail.house.gov) 1727 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4272; 225-4696 Duluth: (770) 931-9550 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/linder) _Rep. Jim Marshall (D-8th)_ (mailto:jim.marshall@mail.house.gov) 502 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-6531; 225-3013 Macon: (478) 464-0255 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/marshall) _Rep. Nathan Deal (R-9th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2437 Rrayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5211; 225-8272 Gainsville: (770) 535-2592 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/deal/) _Rep. Charles Norwood (R-10th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2452 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4101; 226-5995 Augusta: (706) 733-7066 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/norwood/) _Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-11th)_ (mailto:gingrey.ga@mail.house.gov) 1118 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-2931; 225-2944 Marietta: (770) 429-1776 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/gingrey) _Rep. John Barrow (D-12th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 226 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-2823; 225-3377 Athens: (706) 613-3232 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/barrow/) _Rep. David Scott (D-13th)_ (mailto:david.scott@mail.house.gov) 417 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-2939; 225-4628 Jonesboro: (770) 210-5073 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/davidscott) ____________________________________ Guam _Del. Madeleine Bordallo (D-AL)_ (mailto:madeleine.bordallo@mail.house.gov) 2428 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-1118; 226-0341 Hagatna: (671) 477-4272 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/bordallo) ____________________________________ Hawaii _Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-1st)_ (mailto:neil.abercrombie@mail.house.gov) 1502 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-2726; 225-4580 Honolulu: (808) 541-2570 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/abercrombie/) _Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-2nd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1229 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4906; 225-4987 Honolulu: 808) 541-1986 _Web Site_ (http://hirono.house.gov/) (http://www.house.gov/case) ____________________________________ Idaho _Rep. William Sali (R-1st)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 508 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-6611; 225-3029 Boise: (208) 336-9831 _Web Site_ (http://sali.house.gov/) _Rep. Mike Simpson (R-2nd)_ (mailto:mike.simpson@mail.house.gov) 1339 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5531; 225-8216 Boise: (208) 334-1953 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/simpson) ____________________________________ Illinois _Rep. Bobby Rush (D-1st)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2416 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4372; 226-0333 Chicago: (773) 224-6500 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/rush/) _Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-2nd)_ (mailto:jjackson@jessejacksonjr.org) 2419 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-0773; 225-0899 Chicago: (708) 798-6000 _Web Site_ (http://www.jessejacksonjr.org/) _Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-3rd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1217 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5701; 225-1012 Chicago: (312) 886-0481 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/lipinski/) _Rep. Luiz Gutierrez (D-4th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2367 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-8203; 225-7810 Chicago: (773) 384-1655 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/gutierrez/) _Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-5th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1319 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4061; 225-5603 Chicago: (773) 267-5926 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/emanuel) _Rep. Peter Roskam (R-6th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 507 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-4561; 225-1166 Bloomingdale:(630) 893-9670 _Web Site_ (http://www.theorator.com/government/roskam.house.gov) _Rep. Danny Davis (D-7th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1222 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5006; 225-5641 Chicago: (773) 533-7520 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/davis) _Rep. Melissa Bean (D-8th)_ (mailto:congresswomanmelissabean@mail.house.gov) 512 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-3711; 225-7830 Palatine: (847) 358-9160 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/bean/) _Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-9th)_ (mailto:jan.schakowsky@mail.house.gov) 515 Cannon House Office Building (202 225-2111; 226-6890 Chicago: (773) 506-7100 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/schakowsky/) _Rep. Mark Kirk (R-10th)_ (mailto:rep.kirk@mail.house.gov) 1531 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4835; 225-0837 Deerfield: (847) 940-0202 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/kirk) _Rep. Jerry Weller (R-11th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1210 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3635; 225-3521 Joliet: (815) 740-2028 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/weller/) _Rep. Jerry Costello (D-12th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2454 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5661; 225-0285 Belleville: (618) 233-8026 _Web Site_ (htp://www.house.gov/costello/) _Rep. Judy Biggert (R-13th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1213 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3515; 225-9420 Clarendon Hills: (630) 655-2052 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/biggert/) _Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-14th)_ (mailto:dhastert@mail.house.gov) 235 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-2976; 225-0697 Batavia: (630) 406-1114 _Web Site_ (http://speaker.house.gov/) _Rep. Timothy Johnson (R-15th)_ (mailto:rep.johnson@mail.house.gov) 1229 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-2371; 226-0791 Champaign: (217) 403-4690 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/timjohnson) _Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-16th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2228 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5676; 225-5284 Rockford: (815) 394-1231 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/manzullo) _Rep. Phil Hare (D-17th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1118 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5905; 225-5396 Moline: (309) 793-5760 _Web Site_ (http://hare.house.gov/) _Rep. Ray Lahood (R-18th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1424 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-6201; 225-9249 Peoria: (309) 671-7027 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/lahood/) _Rep. John Shimkus (R-20th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 513 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-5271; 225-5880 Springfield: (217) 492-5090 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/shimkus/) ____________________________________ Indiana _Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-1st)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2313 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-2461; 225-2493 Merrillville: (219) 795-1844 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/visclosky/) _Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-2nd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1218 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3915; 225-6798 South Bend: (574) 288-2780 _Web Site_ (http://donnelly.house.gov/) _Rep. Mark Souder (R-3rd)_ (mailto:souder@mail.house.gov) 1227 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4436; 225-3479 Ft. Wayne: (219) 424-3041 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/souder/) _Rep. Steve Buyer (R-4th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2230 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5037; 225-2267 Kokomo: (765) 454-7551 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/buyer/) _Rep. Dan Burton (R-5th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2185 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-2276; 225-0016 Indianapolis: (317) 848-0201 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/burton/) _Rep. Mike Pence (R-6th)_ (mailto:mike.pence@mail.house.gov) 1605 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3021; 225-3382 Anderson: (765) 640-2919 _Web Site_ (http://mikepence.house.gov/) _Rep. Julia Carson (D-7th)_ (mailto:rep.carson@mail.house.gov) 1535 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4011; 225-5633 Indianapolis: (317) 283-6516 _Web Site _ (http://www.house.gov/carson/) _ Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-8th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 513 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-4636; 225-3284 Evansville: (812) 465-6484 _Web Site_ (http://ellsworth.house.gov/) _Rep. Baron Hill (D-9th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 223 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-5315; 226-6866 Jeffersonville: (812) 288-3999 _Web Site_ (http://baronhill.house.gov/) ____________________________________ Iowa _Rep. Bruce Braley (D-1st)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1408 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-2911; 225-6666 Waterloo: (319) 287-3233 _Web Site_ (http://braley.house.gov/) _Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-2nd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1513 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-6576; 226-0757 Iowa City: (319) 351-0789 _Web Site_ (http://loebsack.house.gov/) _Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-3rd)_ (mailto:rep.boswell.ia03@mail.house.gov) 1427 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3806; 225-5608 Des Moines: (515) 282-1909 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/boswell) _Rep. Tom Latham (R-4th)_ (mailto:latham.ia05@mail.house.gov) 440 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-5476; 225-3301 Ames: (515) 232-2885 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/latham/) _ Rep. Steve King (R-5th)_ (http://www.house.gov/steveking/email.shtm'>http://www.house.gov/steveking/email.shtm) 1432 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4426; 225-3193 Storm Lake: (712) 732-4197 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/steveking) ____________________________________ Kansas _Rep. Jerry Moran (R-1st)_ (mailto:jerry.moran@mail.house.gov) 1519 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-2715; 225-5124 Hutchinson: (316) 665-6138 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/moranks01/) _Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-2nd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1711 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-6601; 225-7986 Topeka: (785) 234-8111 _Web Site_ (http://boyda.house.gov/) _Rep. Dennis Moore (D-3rd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 431 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-2865; 225-2807 Overland Park: (913) 383-2013 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/moore) _Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-4th)_ (mailto:tiahrt@mail.house.gov) 2441 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-6216; 225-3489 Wichita: (316) 262-8992 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/tiahrt/) ____________________________________ Kentucky _Rep. Edward Whitfield (R-1st)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 301 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-3115; 225-3547 Hopkinsville: (502) 885-8079 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/whitfield) _Rep. Ron Lewis (R-2nd)_ (mailto:ron.lewis@mail.house.gov) 2418 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-3501; 226-2019 Elizabethtown: (502) 765-4360 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/ronlewis) _Rep. John Yarmuth (D-3rd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 319 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-5401; 225-5776 Louisville: (502) 582-5129 _Web Site_ (http://yarmuth.house.gov/) _Rep. Geoff Davis (R-4th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1541 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3465; 225-0003 Ft. Mitchell: (859) 426-0080 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/geoffdavis/) _Rep. Harold Rogers (R-5th)_ (mailto:talk2hal@mail.house.gov) 2406 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4601; 225-0940 Somerset: (606) 679-8346 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/rogers/) _Rep. Ben Chandler (D-6th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1504 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4706; 225-2122 Lexington: (606) 219-1366 _Web Site_ (http://chandler.house.gov/) ____________________________________ Louisiana _Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-1st)_ (mailto:bobby.jindal@mail.house.gov) 1205 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3015; 226-0386 Metairie: (504) 837-1259 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/jindal/) _Rep. William Jefferson (D-2nd)_ (mailto:jeffersonmc@mail.house.gov) 240 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-6636; 225-1988 New Orleans: (504) 589-2274 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/jefferson/) _Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-3rd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2183 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4031; 226-3944 Gonzales: (225) 621-8490 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/melancon/) _Rep. Jim McCrery (R-4th)_ (mailto:jim.mccrery@mail.house.gov) 2104 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-2777; 225-8039 Shreveport: (318) 798-2254 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/mccrery/) _Rep. Rodney Alexander (D-5th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 316 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-8490; 225-5639 Alexandria: (318) 445-0818 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/alexander) _Rep. Richard Baker (R-6th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 341 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-3901; 225-7313 Baton Rouge: (504) 929-7711 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/baker) _Rep. Charles Boustany, Jr. (R-7th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1117 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-2031; 225-5724 Lafayette: (337) 235-6322 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/boustany/) ____________________________________ Maine _Rep. Thomas Allen (D-1st)_ (mailto:rep.tomallen@mail.house.gov) 1717 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-6116; 225-5590 Portland: (207) 774-5019 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/allen) _Rep. Michael Michaud (D-2nd)_ (mailto:rep.mikemichaud@mail.house.gov) 437 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-6306; 225-2943 Bangor: (207) 942-6935 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/michaud) ____________________________________ Maryland _Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-1st)_ (mailto:wgilchrest@mail.house.gov) 2245 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5311; 225-0254 Chestertown: (410) 778-9407 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/gilchrest) _Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-2nd)_ (mailto:dutch.ruppersberger@mail.house.gov) 1630 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3061; 225-3094 Timonium: (410) 628-2701 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/ruppersberger) _Rep. John Sarbanes (D-3rd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 426 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-4016; 225-9219 Towson: (410) 832-8890 _Web Site_ (http://sarbanes.house.gov/) _Rep. Albert Wynn (D-4th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 434 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-8699; 225-8714 Largo: (301) 773-4094 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/wynn/) _Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1705 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4131; 225-4300 Greenbelt: (301) 474-0119 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/hoyer/) _Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-6th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2412 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-2721; 225-2193 Frederick: (301) 694-3030 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/bartlett/) _Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-7th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1632 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-4741; 225-3178 Baltimore: (410) 367-1900 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/cummings/) _Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Jr. (D-8th)_ (mailto:chris.vanhollen@mail.house.gov) 1419 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5341; 225-0375 Rockville: (301) 424-3501 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/vanhollen) (http://www.house.gov/vanhollen) ____________________________________ Massachusetts _Rep. John Olver (D-1st)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1027 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5335; 226-1224 Pittsfield: (413) 442-0946 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/olver/) _Rep. Richard Neal (D-2nd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2133 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5601; 225-8112 Springfield: (413) 785-0325 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/neal/) _Rep. James McGovern (D-3rd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 430 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-6101; 225-5759 Worcester: (508) 831-7356 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/mcgovern/) _Rep. Barney Frank (D-4th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2252 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5931; 225-0182 Newton: (617) 332-3920 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/frank/) _Rep. Marty Meehan (D-5th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2229 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-3411; 226-0771 Lowell: (978) 459-0101 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/meehan/) _Rep. John Tierney (D-6th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 120 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-8020; 225-5915 Peabody: (978) 531-1669 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/tierney/) _Rep. Edward Markey (D-7th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 2108 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-2836 Medford: (781) 396-2900 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/markey) _Rep. Michael Capuano (D-8th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1232 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-5111; 225-9322 Cambridge: (617) 621-6208 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/capuano) _Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-9th)_ (mailto:stephen.lynch@mail.house.gov) 235 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-8273; 225-3984 Boston: (617) 428-2000 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/lynch) _Rep. William Delahunt (D-10th)_ (mailto:william.delahunt@mail.house.gov) 1317 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3111; 225-5658 Quincy: (617) 770-3700 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/delahunt) ____________________________________ Michigan _Rep. Bart Stupak (D-1st)_ (mailto:stupak@mail.house.gov) 2352 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4735; 225-4744 Traverse City: (616) 929-4711 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/stupak/) _Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-2nd)_ (mailto:tellhoek@mail.house.gov) 2234 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-4401; 226-0779 Holland: (616) 395-0030 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/hoekstra) _Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-3rd)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 1714 Longworth House Office Building (202) 225-3831; 225-5144 Grand Rapids: (616) 451-8383 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/ehlers/) _Rep. Dave Camp (R-4th)_ (mailto:davecamp@mail.house.gov) 137 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-3561; 225-9679 Midland: (517) 631-2552 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/camp/) _Rep. Dale Kildee (D-5th)_ (mailto:dkildee@mail.house.gov) 2107 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-3611; 225-6393 Flint: (810) 239-1437 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/kildee) _Rep. Fred Upton (R-6th)_ (mailto://tellupton@mail.house.gov) 2161 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-3761; 225-4986 Kalamazoo: (616) 385-0039 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/upton/) _Rep. Tim Walberg (R-7th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 325 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-6276; 225-6281 Jackson: (517) 780-9075 _Web Site_ (http://walberg.house.gov/) _Rep. Michael Rogers (R-8th)_ (http://www.house.gov/writerep/) 133 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-4872; 225-5820 Lansing: (517) 702-8000 _Web Site_ (http://www.house.gov/mikerogers) _Rep. Joseph Knollenberg (R-9th)_ (mailto:rep.knollenberg@mail.house.gov) 2349 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5802; 226-2356 Farmington Hills: (248)

The Constitutional Guarantee Illusion http://www.2ndbattalion94thartillery.com/Chas/Illusions.htm Media Release May 17, 2007 Every segment of our society has a constitutional guarantee of the right to an attorney of law in a “fair and just” legal system. Whether it is the rapist, pedophile, murderer, serial killer, terrorist, and even the enemy combatant on the battlefield, all have legal rights under our nation's laws. Within this guaranteed and just legal system, it matters not if one is Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, or Protestant or derivatives of all of them. This guarantee applies to all citizens/residents, even the ones that are illegal. There is an underground legal system for those in our nation that has been set aside by our Congress and adopted philosophy of White House after White House. A hidden legal system that can ignore court mandates and/or mandamus actions. It is a stealthy legal system that creates its own laws, rules and weights of evidence, and one man appointed by a President, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, can override the most insightful and valid scientific and statistical findings used to decide legal cases of government-created death and disability in favor of the government. One appointee by a President, the Secretary of Defense can legally approve biological chemical warfare (BCW) testing of this segment of society with no ramifications for his actions. Actions that are then denied as long as "plausible denial" can be achieved. Definitions within this legal system are used with a distinct and defined Government conflict of interest. One can imagine the media outrage if it was found that BCW was being used on prisoners at the Guatomino Bay prison in Cuba. If this was to happen to any of the above, no matter how criminal or insidious the act, some of our media and even some politicians would be appalled, at least on the façade. For the singled out segment of society, there is no outcry by anyone except for the cries of those in the ranks and the cries of widows of the fallen for the unjust treatment. What is that one segment of society with this “guaranteed illusion” that cannot use professional legal counsel until they are told they are allowed after years and even decades of stalling by the Department of Veterans Affairs and its power given by a White House and Congress? What segment of society has this nation set aside for this despicable legal treatment and in many cases inhumane behavior? It is The United States Military Veteran and His/Her Family. The Congress, media, and our nation at large continually remain silent. Charles Kelley Vietnam DMZ 67-68 Veteran Author of "Vietnam's Rain Agents Orange, White, and Blue (Weapons of Mass Destruction)"

Obama Encouraged by VA Suspension of Review of 72,000 PTSD Cases Thursday, November 10, 2005 Printable FormatFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Obama Contact: Robert Gibbs or Tommy Vietor, (202) 228-5511 Illinois Contact: Julian Green, (312) 886-3506 Date: November 10, 2005 Obama Encouraged by VA Suspension of Review of 72,000 PTSD Cases WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today said he is encouraged by the Department of Veterans' Affairs suspension of a proposed review of 72,000 cases where veterans were awarded 100 percent disability for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). "Since the day I heard about this wrong-headed, costly and unnecessary review, I have worked with Senator Durbin and others in Congress to keep it from happening," said Obama. "So I'm encouraged that just before Veterans' Day, the day when we call on all citizens to remember the sacrifices of those who fought to protect our freedom, the VA has decided to suspend it." In December, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Illinois ranked 50th in how much disability pay our veterans received compared to veterans across the country. Upon hearing that news, Obama, Durbin and other members of the Illinois delegation asked the VA Inspector General to investigate the staggering discrepancy. In May of this year, the VA released the Inspector General report they requested, which indicated that one of the major contributing factors to this discrepancy was that the number of veterans in Illinois who were rated 100 percent for PTSD fell far below the national average - a discrepancy so great that it resulted in 33% of the differential in disability payments. After the release of that report, the VA proposed a nationwide review of the 72,000 veterans who have received a 100% PTSD rating to determine if they are unjustly receiving benefits. "For decades, veterans in Illinois have received less disability pay than veterans in nearly all other states. And according to the VA's data, approximately one third of this disparity is the result of differing numbers of veterans who receive full benefits for PTSD. But to cynically use this disparity to cut costs on the backs of veterans who need our help the most is morally wrong. I believe the VA should focus its attention on veterans who may not have received the benefits that they earned through their brave service to our country."

DSNurse@aol.com wrote: From: DSNurse@aol.com Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 01:51:00 EDT Subject: the lies and denials are getting too high---ALL the TRUTH NOW!!! To: undisclosed-recipients:; Despite promises that hospitalizations after anthrax vaccinations would be reported, the Pentagon withheld data on more than 20,000 cases. http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-71613sy0...=dp-widget-news BY BOB EVANS 247-4758 December 4, 2005 First of four parts BY BOB EVANS bevans@dailypress.com 247-4758 The Pentagon never told Congress about more than 20,000 hospitalizations involving troops who'd taken the anthrax vaccine, despite repeated promises that such cases would be publicly disclosed. Instead, a parade of generals and Defense Department officials told Congress and the public that fewer than 100 people were hospitalized or became seriously ill after receiving the shot from 1998 through 2000. They also showed Congress written policies that required public reports to be filed for hospitalizations, serious illnesses and cases where someone missed 24 hours or more of duty. But only a sliver of those cases were reported, while the rest were withheld from Congress and the public, records obtained by the Daily Press show. Critics of the vaccine, veterans' advocates and congressional staffers say the Pentagon's deliberate low-balling of hospitalizations helped persuade Congress and the public that the vaccine was safe. Keeping the actual number of illnesses secret contributed to a shorter list of government-recognized side effects for the drug, giving patients and physicians a false idea of what might constitute a vaccine-related illness or problem. Doctors are expected to know the full list of side effects and alert federal drug safety officials whenever they see a repeat of those symptoms. Repeated evidence of the same adverse side effect after a vaccination is one of the most telling signs of a systematic problem with a drug or vaccine, as opposed to a coincidental relationship, vaccine safety experts say. During the Daily Press' investigation of the vaccine and its effects, the newspaper found three cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease - that the military hadn't reported. The disease destroys muscles and nerves, is always fatal and rarely hits people younger than 45. One of the three cases involves Navy Capt. Denis Army of Virginia Beach. Army died in 2000, after developing symptoms less than a week after his first anthrax vaccination - and a few days before his 45th birthday. His widow filed the first public acknowledgement of his death and its temporal connection to the vaccine this year. That occurred after she talked to a Daily Press reporter and learned that she could file a report with the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS. SAILOR'S DEATH NOT REPORTED BY MILITARY Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristin Shemeley died of ALS in 2001, at 29. Her symptoms began about two months after her third shot, a sworn legal document detailing her illness says. Before Shemeley died, she spent 14 months in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, where she was regularly visited by high-ranking military officers, said her mother, Ginger Shemeley of Quakertown, Pa. She says her daughter repeatedly told those generals and admirals that she was suffering because of the vaccine and even pleaded with one of them to stop giving it to troops. Several of those generals and admirals had promised Congress that such cases would be publicly reported to VAERS. The military never filed a VAERS report on Kristin Shemeley. Ginger Shemeley filed one after her daughter died. Col. John Grabenstein, director of the military's vaccine agency, said no one from the military intentionally misled Congress or the public. He said the 20,765 hospitalizations merely followed vaccinations in time, without documented proof of a cause-and-effect relationship. He said a statistical analysis showed that those who'd been vaccinated weren't more likely to be hospitalized or likely to seek medical treatment than those in the military who hadn't been vaccinated from 1998 through 2000. Some medical experts say this approach doesn't adequately address the problems of many people who report illnesses after anthrax vaccination. That's because the approach is limited to comparing rates of illness involving one symptom or disease - instead of the complex combination of symptoms and illnesses that many veterans report after getting their shots. The data that the Daily Press used to document the underreporting of hospitalizations came from a report that Grabenstein supplied in response to the newspaper's request. It's never been made public until today. More >> Go to page: 1 2 3 4 An Incomplete Picture Despite promises that hospitalizations after anthrax vaccinations would be reported, the Pentagon withheld data on more than 20,000 cases. BY BOB EVANS 247-4758 December 4, 2005 << Previous It covers 1998 through 2000, when the Pentagon did detailed evaluations every three months to compare hospitalizations, clinic visits and medical treatment data for those who'd been vaccinated, compared with troops who hadn't. This quarterly analysis stopped and hasn't been done since, Grabenstein said. The practice of not reporting all hospitalizations continues. Quarterly analysis of the vaccine's effects ended just as the nation's only manufacturing site for the drug regained its license. That was in 2002, after federal inspections found many safety and other problems that prompted a shutdown and renovation that began in early 1998. The company's current manufacturing techniques provide greater potency compared with earlier versions of the drug, said the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm. The manufacturer, BioPort Inc., says there's no difference in the drug made since 2002 that might cause health problems. TOP GENERAL NOT TOLD MONITORING TO END The decision to discontinue the quarterly health monitoring program means that the biggest gap in research about the vaccine remains: There are no systematic long-term studies of the health of those who've taken the drug. Most studies that the Pentagon cites as support for the vaccine's safety involve monitoring that lasted days to a few months. None lasted as long as five years, the minimum length of time recommended by a nationally recognized panel of scientists assembled by the Institute of Medicine in 2002. The institute is a nonprofit organization that provides expert advice to Congress and other government agencies. After the quarterly reviews of the vaccine's effects stopped, more than a million troops were forced to take the vaccine - until a federal judge ruled last year that the drug had never been adequately licensed for protection against anthrax use in warfare. He ordered the military to make vaccination voluntary. The Pentagon is appealing that ruling. Lawyers argued the case Thursday, and a decision is expected by February. VACCINE MONITORING STILL IMPORTANT Grabenstein said he decided to halt the quarterly studies after consulting the chairman of the Institute of Medicine panel and its staff, and with doctors affiliated with the military. He acknowledged that he didn't consult the general who ultimately was responsible for the anthrax program. The chairman of the institute panel, Brian Strom, said he didn't recall what was discussed at the time about the quarterly reports. But he said, "I think they should continue to be using it," in case there's a problem. Another panel member, Linda Cowan, said she's sure the committee expected quarterly reviews to continue and pointed to a number of the panel's recommendations and findings that she said clearly contradicted Grabenstein's interpretation of its report. Strom and Cowan emphasized that they thought the vaccine was still safe. Beth Clay isn't so sure. She directed the staff of Congress' House Government Reform Committee investigation into the anthrax vaccine from 1998 to 2001. She continued working on the subject as a congressional staff member through 2003, after her Republican boss was no longer chairman of the committee. Clay said the military's decision not to report all the hospitalizations gave the public and Congress a rosier picture of the vaccine than it deserved. "We were never given this data," she said. "Had we seen this, the committee would have had significant questions" and would have demanded more information about the program. After reviewing the report obtained by the Daily Press, Clay said it raised several questions about the vaccine's safety. She said Congress was never told about the detailed level of data in the report but was assured regular monitoring of the vaccine and its health effects would continue. Terminating the quarterly reviews would seem to break those promises, she said. "It's just appalling that they didn't keep up with this," she said. LINK BETWEEN VACCINE, HOSPITALIZATIONS? More >> Go to page: 1 2 3 4 An Incomplete Picture Despite promises that hospitalizations after anthrax vaccinations would be reported, the Pentagon withheld data on more than 20,000 cases. BY BOB EVANS 247-4758 December 4, 2005 << Previous Steve Robinson is executive director of the National Gulf War Resource Center, a lobbying and advocacy group for veterans. He said he was stunned when he learned that the reviews had stopped: "They track the flu vaccine and not the anthrax vaccine, which is totally crazy to me." He said discovery of the hospitalization data showed that the Pentagon couldn't be trusted to monitor the vaccine's safety. "You can't let Enron investigate Enron, and you can't let DOD (the Department of Defense) investigate DOD," he said. "We work with the people who have been hurt by this vaccine every day." No one knows how many, or how few, of the 20,765 hospitalizations are directly attributable to the vaccine. Ruling out certain illnesses, such as broken bones or injuries from falls or other accidents, might appear a safe bet. But military doctors have documented cases where broken bones and other injuries from falling were the result of vaccine-induced loss of consciousness affecting the nervous system - sometimes beginning months after vaccination. The difficulty of figuring out what's related and what isn't is why safety officials encourage people to file reports even if they're not sure. WHY PENTAGON DIDN'T FILE HOSPITAL REPORTS Still, medical experts consulted by the Daily Press said it's unlikely that the vast majority of the 20,765 hospitalizations resulted from the vaccine. They said that if all hospitalizations had been filed with VAERS, it would have overloaded the system and caused problems for experts trying to analyze the data. Grabenstein said those were among the reasons that the full number of hospitalizations was not reported. Another reason, he said, was that examinations of the data showed that if there were adverse effects from the vaccine, they were so infrequent, they weren't detectable by statistical analysis. Doing this type of analysis - instead of simply reporting the incidents to VAERS - provided a more definitive look at the health effects of the vaccine, he said. As a result, "we decided not to file" public reports about all hospitalizations, he said. Those considerations weren't relayed to Congress or the public. During the years covered by the hospitalization report obtained by the Daily Press, dozens of sick veterans who'd received the shot went to Capitol Hill, complaining of various health problems. Some got the shot for the 1991 Persian Gulf War, in which the vaccine had its first widespread use. Others were members of the military forced to take the shots under a mandatory program that began in 1998. Their complaints had common themes: Fatigue. Chronic pain in joints and other symptoms of arthritis. Tingling in their feet, arms and hands. Mental lapses. Often, more than one of the symptoms were present, making diagnoses difficult. Sympathetic doctors testified that these complaints were indicative of autoimmune problems, in which the body's natural protective mechanisms go haywire and start attacking healthy cells and tissue. The doctors said that could result if the vaccine overstimulated the vets' immune systems. The vaccine primes the system to develop protection against anthrax. Bewildered and sometimes-angry members of Congress asked how many vets were affected. Pentagon doctors and generals used the cases reported to VAERS - fewer than 100 hospitalizations or other "serious events" from 1998 to 2000 - or said the number was so small, it couldn't be detected. VACCINE REPORTS ARE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE The two sets of numbers for how many hospitalizations followed the shot come from a comparison of two sets of data kept by three federal agencies. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintain the only database open to public inspection, VAERS. VAERS is the nation's first line of defense in identifying possible problems with vaccines after they've been licensed, said Susan Ellenberg, who led the FDA's efforts to monitor vaccine safety from 1993 to 2004. During congressional testimony before the House Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations in July 1999, Ellenberg explained how and why the system worked. VAERS was established to help identify and head off problems once a vaccine is licensed and more people are taking it, she said. The few hundred people typically involved in vaccine or drug testing and licensing trials can't mimic the diversity of age, race, gender and other biologic variables encountered once the vaccine gets widespread public use, she explained. Reports to VAERS by civilian doctors and hospitals are mostly voluntary, based on suspicion of a connection between an illness or injury and a vaccination, Ellenberg told Congress. Doctors and others are encouraged to file a report, known as a VAERS-1, even when they aren't sure there's a cause and effect, she said. That's because VAERS requires as many reports of problems as possible, so experts can identify possible patterns and investigate further, she said. More >> Go to page: 1 2 3 4 An Incomplete Picture Despite promises that hospitalizations after anthrax vaccinations would be reported, the Pentagon withheld data on more than 20,000 cases. BY BOB EVANS 247-4758 December 4, 2005 << Previous GENERALS' TESTIMONY PROMISED REPORTS During the same congressional hearing, Lt. Gen. G. Robert Claypool - then the deputy assistant secretary of defense for health operations policy - assured Congress that military doctors, hospitals and medical officials were filing VAERS-1 forms, too. And, he said, they were expected to report even more cases than civilians - including all hospitalizations. "The duty to report adverse medication events has been codified for many years," Claypool testified. "The joint regulation requires submission of a form VAERS-1 for all adverse events resulting in more than 24 hours of lost duty time or any period of hospitalization. These requirements represent a higher standard than in comparable civilian community health care settings." There was no mention that the word "all" didn't mean all hospitalizations. Two months later, Lt. Gen. Ronald R. Blanck, then the Army's surgeon general and the top Pentagon official responsible for the anthrax vaccine program from 1998 to 2000, gave similar assurances to Congress. He said, "We have a reporting system that when either of those two criteria are met, that is, either a patient is hospitalized following an anthrax immunization or misses duty because of it for greater than 24 hours, we have an active reporting system. That must be reported to us. We, in turn, report it to the Food and Drug Administration, and they have a group that reviews those reactions." Clay and other congressional aides say these assurances came in private, too. "We had lengthy conversations that they were supposed to report," she said. But the numbers reported were very low. And the Pentagon stuck with them for years to persuade the public that the shot was safe. In December 2003, Pentagon officials conducted a news conference to rebut a judge's ruling that the shots had been given illegally and that troops had been used as "guinea pigs." Grabenstein was asked whether he had "any data on the numbers of people who have had bad adverse reactions to the vaccine and would have required hospitalization." He said that only 69 hospitalizations had been reported to VAERS for the anthrax vaccine from 1998 through 2000. A panel of civilian experts had analyzed each, he said, and decided that 11 were results of the shot. The 69 cases were "a complete, exhaustive list of what was reported," Grabenstein said. Grabenstein told the Daily Press that his statement wasn't misleading. He said no one should expect all hospitalizations after vaccination to be reported to VAERS - despite the Pentagon's written policies - because the number included cases unrelated to the vaccine, sometimes years after vaccination. He said, "The simple answer is it's so obvious, it's never appeared in the memo." NO EXCEPTIONS NOTED IN POLICY MEMOS The memo, "Policy for Reporting Adverse Events Associated With the Anthrax Vaccine," serves as the standing order for all military personnel. It reads: "For the purposes of reporting anthrax vaccine adverse events, a Form VAERS-1 must be completed and submitted using service reporting procedures for those events resulting in a hospital admission or time lost from duty for greater than 24 hours or for those events suspected to have resulted from contamination of a vaccine lot." The memo lists additional circumstances requiring a report, but nothing that would permit excluding hospitalizations after vaccination. It refers to the Pentagon's formal regulations, which don't include the exclusions that Grabenstein cited. The data on all hospitalizations after anthrax vaccination comes from the Pentagon's Defense Medical Surveillance System, or DMSS. This computerized tracking system pulls medical records for every shot, clinic visit, hospitalization or other instance of medical treatment for active-duty military personnel. Experts in health care and statistics say it's one of the most important medical databases in the world. That's because of its precision, its millions of patients, and the diversity of drugs and vaccines used by the armed forces. By design, it's more complete and accurate than VAERS. Unlike VAERS, its data isn't open to the public. EXPERTS: NO EXCUSE FOR SECRET DATA The Institute of Medicine report that Grabenstein cited as supporting the vaccine's safety and his decision to end the quarterly monitoring program also says the DMSS database should be open to researchers outside the government, with precautions to protect the privacy of individuals' health records. This hasn't been done. Grabenstein said the military had not been able to figure out how to protect individuals' health records and make it work. Strom of the institute panel and other experts say it should not be that difficult. "There's no excuse," he said. "We use these kinds of data sets in Medicaid and Medicare data all the time. There are technological solutions." Cowan, another member of the panel, said the institute's recommendation was based, in part, on the military saying it couldn't afford all the analysis that the data was good for: "That way, you get the most of what the American people have invested in." Strom said keeping the data from the public only bolstered the perception that the military was hiding the truth about the vaccine. Walter Schumm is a professor of family studies and an expert on statistical methods at Kansas State University. He said he and other researchers would love to get the DMSS data. He's a retired Army colonel who's spent more than a decade using statistical analysis to examine the vaccine's safety - after friends and others in uniform began complaining about health problems after the shots. Schumm has used other data made public on the anthrax vaccine to publish several scientific papers that poke holes in the safety assertions made by Pentagon doctors and researchers. Good science involves people with different approaches to the same problem having a chance to test their theories, Schumm and others say. Their findings might cement the safety assertions, he said, but no one knows for sure until the military loosens its hold on the facts and data. He said, "If you let independent people have the data, you risk losing control. In combat, letting things get out of control gets people killed, so loss of control is a very sensitive issue. I'm just sure they're trying to protect their program." http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-71613sy0...=dp-widget-news http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/859835.html Secret IDF anthrax experiment participants develop illnesses By Haaretz Staff Israeli investigative program "Uvda" (fact) reported Tuesday that dozens of soldiers belonging to elite Israel Defense Forces units have been suffering from various illnesses over the last few years after participating in a secret IDF experiment meant to aid in the development of an anthrax vaccine. The experiment was sponsored by the Defense Ministry, and included 800 test subjects since 1999, the report said. Channel 2's Uvda maintains that the soldiers participating in the experiment were prohibited from disclosing information regarding the experiment, event to their families. They were not allowed to talk about the experiment even after they began developing illnesses, some of them incurable. The report reveals that some of the soldiers developed unexplained skin tumors, severe lung infections, serious migraine headaches, bronchitis and even epilepsy symptoms. Despite the likely connection between the symptoms and the secret experiment, Channel 2 reports, the Defense Ministry and the IDF have not taken responsibility over the medical care of those soldiers undergoing treatment in civilian medical facilities. One of the soldiers who took part in the experiment told channel 2 "They said that one group would receive the American vaccine, and the other group would receive the experimental Israel vaccine. The specifically explained to us that the vaccine is not dangerous and that we were not being injected with the actual virus, not even the dead virus. Instead, they said they would inject us with the altered DNA of the virus. They said it was very advanced." The Defense Ministry issued a response to the claims saying "the research was conducted in preparation for the protection of the population of Israel from a strategic threat. It was conducted under the approval of the Helsinki committee [for human experimentation] and was carried out with the help of soldiers who volunteered, who were kept under very strict medical observation. They were told in detail about the research and given the option to quit at any time." News | Anthrax vaccine sickens Israeli troops Wed, 16 May 2007 05:50:01 Tens of Israeli soldiers have suffered side-effects after partaking in a secret experiment by the Israeli military, an Israeli paper reported. The experiment they participated in was to test an Israeli-made vaccine against anthrax. Some 800 soldiers have volunteered for the experiment since 1999, Ha'aretz reported, quoting an Israeli investigative television program which was to broadcast an item on the trial. Some developed unexplained skin tumors, lung infections, migraines, bronchitis and epilepsy, Ha'aretz said. The soldiers signed a secrecy contract and were prohibited from disclosing information about the experiment to their families even after they began developing the side-effects, according to the daily. One soldier who took part in the experiment was quoted as saying he was told the tested vaccine was not dangerous and consisted not of the actual living or dead bacterium, but its altered DNA. According to the report, the Israeli military and defense ministry have not taken responsibility for the medical care of the participants, who are undergoing treatment in civilian medical facilities. Both the military and Defense Ministry confirmed the experiment, but said in a written reaction faxed to Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) that it received authorization by the Israeli Helsinki committee in charge of approving medical research on human subjects. "The research was conducted in order to improve protection for the Israeli population from strategic threats," said the statement. Anthrax is a highly-lethal bacterium earmarked for biological warfare. AK/HAR --------------------------------- See what's free at AOL.com. Thomas W. Trefts Disabled USAF Gulf War Era Veteran A-10 Jet Engine Mechanic, Flight Line Refueling 10th Component Repair Squadron : RAF Alconbury, 1989-1991 B.S. Business Administration : Ashland College ( University ), Ohio 1984 Assoc. In Applied Jet Engine Technology, Community College of the Air Force 1991 Director of The Unified Veterans Coalition http://xsorbit27.com/users5/unifiedveteran...ition/index.php

U.S. health care system is 'dysfunctional mess,' prominent federal ethicist says Tuesday, May 15, 2007 CHICAGO - The U.S. health care system is "a dysfunctional mess" and politicians who insist otherwise look ignorant, according to a medical journal essay by a prominent ethicist at the National Institutes of Health. "If a politician declares that the United States has the best health care system in the world today, he or she looks clueless rather than patriotic or authoritative," Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel wrote in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. Emanuel, who supports sweeping health care reform, said the U.S. spends $6,000 (euro4,431) per person per year on health care, an amount that is more than 16 percent of the nation's gross domestic product and more than any other country. He also said Americans' average life expectancy of 78 ranks 45th in the world, behind Bosnia and Jordan. And the U.S. infant death rate is 6.37 per 1,000 live births, higher than that of most developed nations. President George W. Bush frequently has said Americans have the world's best health care system, but Emanuel stopped short of calling Bush clueless in his essay and during an interview with The Associated Press. "I work for the federal government. You can't possibly get me to make that statement," Emanuel said in the interview. Emanuel's proposal involves phasing out the federal health care plans Medicaid and Medicare and employer-sponsored health insurance. Under his plan, all Americans would get a basic package of insurance, would choose their insurance carrier and could buy upgraded coverage. The program would be funded by a value-added tax of about 10 percent on businesses. Democrats and Republicans alike have made the "world's best" claim. Democrat John Kerry did so when he ran for president in 2004, as did Republican Rudy Giuliani on the presidential campaign trail this year. David Hogberg, senior policy analyst at the National Center for Public Policy Research, said a strong case can be made that the U.S. health care system is the best. "It depends on what measures you use," Hogberg said. Life expectancy is influenced by many factors other than health care, he said, and nations measure infant death rates inconsistently. Other measures show the United States performing well, he said. --- On the Net: JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org

>I think that I should get my tort claim going before the upcoming class action suits bankrupt the national treasury. Hello Sledge, I wouldn't get in to big of hurry. Wait & see what kind of praise & promotions Bush grants them, for all the effort that was given in skinning billions away from a bunch of dumb disabled vets. "Why, it was like stealing candy from a baby." Is there an actual crime commited that will result in the prosicution & conviction of all those involved? Will they retain their jobs? Will they retain the retirement, 401k & other benifits? Will they be allowed to go back to their jobs at the IRS or any other federal occupation? Will there be an inhouse firing of everyone down the line that are found to be involved? Bush doesn't dance to congress's tune. Neither does Nicholson. My guess is they will keep everything but the bonus, get a raise & a promotion. Than sit back & settle up with vets the rest of their career over loosing the bonus. But it's just a guess. Allan

It may not be very common, but vets have received assaults, intimidation and harassment from VA employees. And the opposite as well. Why would VA care providers be exempt from retaliation, from their superiors? This outfits bean counters, had many incidences in the news for collecting nearly a $1000 from KIA for damaged or destroyed flak jackets. They were intimidating in their notices too. I think in order to squeeze enough money to pay, "management" a nice bonus out of what Nicholson claims is an, "abundance" of funding for our care. I think management earned it, and then some. Since he's out the door soon, the bonuses was an obvious, "WELL DONE". He even said so. Did anyone else see the, "vets can drop dead as far as I'm concerned", tude that was demonstrated? Does anyone remember, "vets are willing to sacrifice all they can during this war" to help their country? so.....while some of us take their lives believing they were abandoned, others die staring at a closed sign at four in the afternoon in front of the "ER" or overdosing on to many antidepressants. I would much rather see all claims officers get double time for overtime, if they can produce a claim that doesn't get remanded or appealed due to errors or false statements.

Sorry......I meant I copied the codes from the USC, not CFR. Search Title 38 of the US Code http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/search/uscode38.html

1968army, the laws I posted below came from title 38 cfr. I've worked for the government & have family that have gave & dedicated their lives working for the government. What pisses me off, is the ones that cheat their way through the day, & pass it off as government work. If they were weeded out of the business by their colleagues, instead of having it swept under the rug, the VA wouldn't have such a bad rep or have to sweat what the media says. Concerning YOUR claim & what I posted below? 6103. Forfeiture for fraud (a) Whoever knowingly makes or causes to be made or conspires, combines, aids, or assists in, agrees to, arranges for, or in any way procures the making or presentation of a false or fraudulent "statement" or paper, concerning any claim for benefits, under any of the laws administered by the Secretary shall forfeit all rights, claims, and benefits under all laws administered by the Secretary (except laws pertaining to insurance benefits). § 5905. Penalty for certain acts Whoever (2) wrongfully withholds from any claimant or beneficiary any part of a benefit or claim allowed and due to the claimant or beneficiary, shall be fined as provided in title 18, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both§ I read, that this says Veterans, claims adjusters, NSO's, or health care staff, "WHOEVER" presents a false statement or paper concerning any claim for benefits, under any of the laws administered by the Secretary shall forfeit all rights, claims, and benefits under all laws administered by the Secretary Service-connection of such injury or disease may be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. Thay can't alter your evidence, statements, doctors statements etc with intent to deprive you & your family of ANY benefit, without being in violation of law & loosing their benefits. Vike, The VA charges interest on debts owed them and pays absolutely, "0" interest to the Veteran, owed them for decades. With that kind of setup, of coarse theres no monetary difference. Good for the dept of Veterans affairs, but bad for Veterans. Has it ever dawned on you, just how many veterans "DIE" waiting? Good for the dept of Veterans affairs, but bad for the veterans & their families.

>claims that are incomplete as far as evidence to where VA has to go on hunting expeditions to find stuff on the their behalf. Hello Vike, It has to be very discouraging to work as hard as you do, at trying to make sure a claim is processed fairly. I would think you would also be getting allot of claims from brain injured troops. Don't expect these vets to excel in organizational skills or have a clue what evidence is needed to succeed or where to get it. You are talking about 19-25 yr olds, that are punch drunk from multiple brain trauma's & environmental exposures, right? How widespread the "fraud" is on the part of "veterans", I really have know knowledge. I do know, that vets who need it the most, may suffer out of "rumors" of wide spread fraudulent claims being filed. I also know, that if a large number of TBI vets are not granted duty to assist in putting the claim together properly from the begining, that many of our military families with children, may suffer.

§ 1133. Presumptions relating to certain diseases (a) For the purposes of section 1131 of this title, and subject to the provisions of subsections (b) and © of this section, any veteran who served for six months or more and contracts a tropical disease or a resultant disorder or disease originating because of therapy administered in connection with a tropical disease, or as a preventative thereof, shall be deemed to have incurred such disability in the active military, naval, or air service when it is shown to exist within one year after separation from active service, or at a time when standard and accepted treatises indicate that the incubation period thereof commenced during active service. (b) Service-connection shall not be granted pursuant to subsection (a), in any case where the disease or disorder is shown by clear and unmistakable evidence to have had its inception before or after active military, naval, or air service.© Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the granting of service-connection for any disease or disorder otherwise shown by sound judgment to have been incurred in or aggravated by active military, naval, or air service.(P.L. 85–857, Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1123, § 333; renumbered § 1133 and amended P.L. 102–83, § 5(a), ©(1), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 406.) § 1154. Consideration to be accorded time, place, and circumstances of service (a) The Secretary shall include in the regulations pertaining to service-connection of disabilities (1) additional provisions in effect requiring that in each case where a veteran is seeking service-connection for any disability due consideration shall be given to the places, types, and circumstances of such veteran’s service as shown by such veteran’s service record, the official history of each organization in which such veteran served, such veteran’s medical records, and all pertinent medical and lay evidence, and (2) the provisions required by section 5 of the Veterans’ Dioxin and Radiation Exposure Compensation Standards Act (Public Law 98–542; 98 Stat. 2727). (b) In the case of any veteran who engaged in combat with the enemy in active service with a military, naval, or air organization of the United States during a period of war, campaign, or expedition, the Secretary shall accept as sufficient proof of service-connection of any disease or injury alleged to have been incurred in or aggravated by such service satisfactory lay or other evidence of service incurrence or aggravation of such injury or disease, if consistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of such service, notwithstanding the fact that there is no official record of such incurrence or aggravation in such service, and, to that end, shall resolve every reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran. Service- connection of such injury or disease may be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. The reasons for granting or denying service-connection in each case shall be recorded in full. (P.L. 85–857, Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1124, § 354; P.L. 94–433, § 404(20), Sept. 30, 1976, 90 Stat. 1379; P.L. 98–542, § 4, Oct. 24, 1984, 98 Stat. 2727; P.L. 102–54, § 14(b)(1), June 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 282; renumbered § 1154 and amended P.L. 102– 83, § 4(b)(1), (2)(E), 5(a), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 404–406.) § 5905. Penalty for certain acts Whoever (1) directly or indirectly solicits, contracts for, charges, or receives, or attempts to solicit, contract for, charge, or receive, any fee or compensation except as provided in sections 5904 or 1984 of this title, or [u](2) wrongfully withholds from any claimant or beneficiary any part of a benefit or claim allowed and due to the claimant or beneficiary, shall be fined as provided in title 18, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.(P.L. 85–857, Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1239, § 3405; P.L. 99–576, § 701(81), Oct. 28, 1986, 100 Stat. 3298; P.L. 100–687, § 104(b), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4109; renumbered § 5905 and amended P.L. 102–40, § 402(b)(1), (d)(1), May 7, 1991, 105 Stat. 238, 239; P.L. 102–83, § 5©(1), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 406.) § 6103. Forfeiture for fraud (a) Whoever knowingly makes or causes to be made or conspires, combines, aids, or assists in, agrees to, arranges for, or in any way procures the making or presentation of a false or fraudulent affidavit, declaration, certificate, statement, voucher, or paper, concerning any claim for benefits under any of the laws administered by the Secretary (except laws pertaining to insurance benefits) shall forfeit all rights, claims, and benefits under all laws administered by the Secretary (except laws pertaining to insurance benefits).

Spinal stenosis http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000441.htm Definition Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the lumbar (back) or cervical (neck) spinal canal, which causes compression of the nerve roots. Causes, incidence, and risk factors Return to top Spinal stenosis mainly affects middle-aged or elderly people. It may be caused by osteoarthritis or Paget's disease or by an injury that causes pressure on the nerve roots or the spinal cord itself. Symptoms Return to top Pain in the buttocks, thighs or calves that is worse with walking or exercise Numbness in the buttocks, thighs or calves, that is worse with standing, walking or exercise Back pain that radiates to the legs Weakness of the legs Neck pain Leg pain Difficulty or imbalance when walking Signs and tests Return to top An examination of reflexes of lower legs reveals asymmetry. Neurologic examination confirms leg weakness and decreased sensation in the legs. X-ray of the spine shows degenerative changes and narrowed spinal canal. Spinal MRI or spinal CT scan shows spinal stenosis. EMG may show active and chronic neurological changes. Treatment Return to top Generally, conservative management is encouraged. This involves the use of anti-inflammatory medications, other pain relievers, and possibly steroid injections. If the pain is persistent and does not respond to these measures, surgery is considered to relieve the pressure on the nerves. Surgery is performed on the neck or lower back, depending on the site of the nerve compression. Expectations (prognosis) Return to top If the nerve roots can be successfully relieved of pressure, the symptoms will not worsen and may improve. Complications Return to top Injury can occur to the legs or feet due to lack of sensation; infections may progress because pain related to them may not be felt. Changes caused by nerve compression may be permanent, even if the pressure is relieved. Calling your health care provider Return to top Call your health care provider if symptoms suggestive of spinal stenosis develop. Update Date: 5/31/2006