Reaction To The Dr. Phil

[allan]

<H2 class=date-header>Friday, December 19, 2008</H2><H3 class=post-title><A href="http://vnvets.blogspot.com/2008/12/reaction-to-dr-phil-show-on-veterans.html">Reaction to the Dr. Phil Show on Veterans </H3>

The Doctor Phil show just ended. Like many Americans, we wept at many of the segments, and felt anger at the entire situation.

But we were not surprised one bit about the problems identified as resident in the Department of Veterans Affairs. After all, we have been experiencing this for many years now. The problems identified are not new. What was new was the format in which those problems were presented.

It was not a news show. We did not get a 2 minute sound bite, we got nearly an hour [less commercial time], and real Veterans discussing their issues. And the experts, Chairman Bob Filner of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, and Fox News expert Colonel David Hunt were there to cement the credence of what the public was hearing, and the degree of severity of what was being presented.

We have been calling for criminal charges against DVA leadership for several years. It was satisfying to finally hear such personages as Colonel Hunt, and Chairman Filner, and later, Dr. Phil, actually call the DVA's actions criminal. And listening to Colonel Hunt call for a "perp walk" to wake the nation up to what the DVA has been doing for decades elicited a leap out of the chair and a "YEAH!" loud enough to set the dogs barking.

Most of all, we were pleased that Dr. Phil promised to keep the issue of DVA incompetence at the forefront. That sounds like an opportunity, and we may be able to get our issue onto a second version of the show.

We need to get the public informed of our plight. We need the public to support our proposed legislation. And most of all, we need to make sure we do not become politically triaged out of the benefits system.

So, in addition to your campaign to get support from your "Congresscritters" while they are home on recess [they go back for the January 6th swearing in of the 111th Congress], we should get started emailing Dr. Phil to follow up by telling our story. He was outraged at what he saw and heard today, even to the point of chastising himself for not doing this show earlier. Perhaps we can keep the momentum up by getting him to do another show.

Here is the link to contact the Dr. Phil Show.

http://www.drphil.com/plugger/respond/?plugID=9164

Turn to, folks!

VNVets

http://vnvets.blogspot.com/2008/12/reactio...n-veterans.html

Edited December 20, 2008 by allan

[Pete53]

I sent Dr Phil a short letter telling him how hard it was for me to get my benefits from the VA.

[bufloguy]

Does any one know where to find this episode online? I would love to see it!

[Testvet]

VAWatchdog.org has all of the segments posted today it is broken up into 6 segements about 6-8 minutes each

[bufloguy]

Found it, thanks!

[Josephine]

I wrote to Dr. Phil to tell him my story and how it took

me 40 years to prove a claim.

Betty

[SeattleShay]

Betty and Pete,

I am so glad that you wrote Dr Phil. They truly are interested in the those of us who have been waitin 30-40 years on our claims (I showed them many who have waited longer).

I truly believe that the only way that we will see any action is to show the VA for what they "really" are.

No one else has come forward to help us, so maybe he can. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Santa is really a bald headed guy from Texas.......... ;)