It is a 387-acre campus of green fields and low-lying buildings in a prosperous neighborhood, donated to the federal government more than 100 years ago for use as a Pacific Coast home for wounded veterans. But over the last 20 years, as Los Angeles has become inundated with homeless veterans, advocates for the homeless say the campus has become a symbol of a system gone wrong: as veterans sleep on the streets, many of its buildings lie abandoned and one-third of the land has been leased for commercial use…
In the class-action suit, filed on behalf of four mentally distressed homeless veterans, lawyers contend that the department has violated the terms of the agreement in which the property was deeded to the government in 1888. They also contend that the department is required — under a federal statute barring discrimination against the mentally disabled — to provide housing to help mentally ill veterans…
By any measure, the lawsuit — the first of its kind, lawyers said — is a significant escalation in a battle that has simmered here for years, as homeless advocates contended that the Department of Veterans Affairs was bowing to residents of the property’s prosperous Brentwood neighborhood and commercial interests by refusing to rehabilitate abandoned buildings and use them to help veterans.
For the first 100 years of its existence, the campus was used entirely to provide housing and services to veterans; that began changing in the 1960s and ’70s, as some of the buildings were abandoned and the Department of Veterans Affairs leased about one-third of the property for use by, among others, a car rental agency, a laundry for the Marriott hotel chain, a golf course, a dog walk and a baseball stadium for the nearby University of California, Los Angeles. It now has a limited number of geriatric beds for veterans.
RTFA. The lawsuit is overdue. The debt owed America’s veterans is one that politicians often invoke – without doing a damned thing to pay up.
Kick out Bobbo! Are you kidding?
Once you get rid of everyone you don’t like, all you’ll have is a club where you can sit around and praise each others ignorance.
Bonehead: I didn’t suggest kicking out anyone except Boobo! He tries to monopolize the conversation and it gets monotonous. His presumption that HE alone has the right answer to every issue makes a person want to puke. Don’t bother trying to put words in my mouth— maybe you and Boobo ought to start your own blog where your opinions are the only ones heard
#33. If you ignore him, eventually he will get tired of talking to himself and go away.
Don’t you know he sports a little woody every time he gets you riled up?
Children are like that.
#12–chuck==you say: “I’ll pay for my mother’s health care – and I’ll happily pay for veteran’s health care, but I don’t want to pay for yours.” //// You strike me as a fair and reasonable/caring person. Just tell me what mothers without caring/rich kiddies should do?
The fact that you care for your mother tells me all it would take is some education and honest talk to move you to my side of the argument. Sadly, that can’t be done on a blog. But as to your shortsighted worship of your own wallet: see the other 14-23 industrialized societies that get better health care outcomes at half the cost. Shouldn’t those PROVEN cost effective systems be borrowed from for the same benefits?
I think so, as does any other person who cares about the issue and can use evidence, common sense, and actual experience==ie, “think.” Go ahead–challenge yourself: is there a better way to do this? There usually is.
#21–deowll==you say: “The courts are going to see to it that local criminals have a decent place to stay….” /// Have you ever been to a prison? I note your good faith attempt to see my point but man you went off the road on that one. Maybe thats how getting better starts? Heh, heh.
Should the VA system be charged with housing Vets who for whatever reasons ((too often failure to treat the underlying mental conditions also too often only delayed stress syndrome)) cannot house themselves? I think so but only because I think that should be the case for all people of similar needs. We are rich enough to do this…….so why not?
Why not? Why not invest in your OWN humanity? Yes–each of you nay sayers individually. You get back what you give out in a Karmic sense. The golden rule. Less crime. Does nothing move you?
Why the dogma?
And to the rest of you nay sayers. Trying to turn a free and active blog into a shut down circle jerk of right wing bobble headed closed hearted and closed minded jack booted anti-liberty anti-American know nothings will only work when open liberal minded fact driven opinion such as mine is censored from this blog.
From time to time, I actually marvel at the fact this hasn’t happened so far. I do take some issues to far, usually just to find the borderline, but I do believe “most” of what I post. And more than anyone else I have seen post here, I often say: I don’t know. I leave it to the majority will.
When you think about issues and allow facts to take you where they will, that will happen.
give it a try.
……and…..#34–Marshmallow Poopy Head==let’s parse:
#33. If you ignore him, eventually he will get tired of talking to himself and go away. /// But I’m talking to YOU.
Don’t you know he sports a little woody every time he gets you riled up?
Children are like that.
What magic combo of mistyped letters posted that early start? Live and learn, shortcuts and easter eggs everywhere. In life, and on blogs.
……and…..#34–Marshmallow Poopy Head==let’s parse:
#33. If you ignore him, eventually he will get tired of talking to himself and go away. /// But I’m talking to YOU. Silly to deny what you yourself are doing, can observe others do, and then just make nonsense up. This is NOT a Republican blog. You have to make sense here.
Don’t you know he sports a little woody every time he gets you riled up? //// Project much? Ha, ha. Well, I suppose connecting a sexual response with the invitation to think isn’t the worse thing in the world. I don’t know–you’ll have to tell us.
Children are like that. /// Children get woody’s on the notion of upsetting other people? I don’t think so. Freud said everything has a sexual basis but even he allowed for the operation of Ego and Super-Ego. Egads Man!!! The first thing we learn as sentient creatures is to separate ourselves from non-self. You know–as we age, something other than an emotional response.
Good boy.
#33,
Bonehead: I didn’t suggest kicking out anyone except Boobo! He tries to monopolize the conversation and it gets monotonous. His presumption that HE alone has the right answer to every issue makes a person want to puke.
Yup. Another wing nut that only wants the rules applied to others.
If you don’t like his posts, IGNORE THEM !!! Like most right wing nuts though, taking personal responsibility is only for others.
This purity test for being “allowed” to post on this blog is a pretty good model of how the Republican Party has gone coo coo? Yes, a certain kind of mind joins a group, finds 2-3 others of like mind, and then they gang up on others of opposing views and one by one try to get them excluded/censored/not re-elected or even nominated.
Lack of tolerance/no ideas/negative kneejerk against FREEEEEDOM.
Small minds. Despicable Values.
Pukes.
#41 LOL, nope that’s the Left with FoxNews and talk radio.
Mark III said, on June 9th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
“If the veterans were actually in combat, they should have full benefits, food, shelter, and treatment.”
I’m a Vietnam era vet. I didn’t get involved in combat, but I I was ready, willing, and able to be there. Hence the military benefits.
On the other hand, Mark III probably never entered any service and is clueless.
#43, I was in Beirut October 1983 during the bombing. I didn’t go because I was told to. I didn’t go because I wanted the benefits. I went because I wanted to and felt it was the right thing to do. I don’t expect anything from the government.
Why do you feel you should receive them? If you stop a robbery at your neighbor’s house, should he feed and cloth you the rest of your life?
#44–Hey Loser==lets parse:
I was in Beirut October 1983 during the bombing. I didn’t go because I was told to. I didn’t go because I wanted the benefits. I went because I wanted to and felt it was the right thing to do. I don’t expect anything from the government. /// Well thats “good” because indeed you don’t deserve “anything” for exercising your freedom to go where you want and do what you want. What in the freaking self centered idiocy of yourself does this have to do with VETERANS who indeed do go where they are told and do what they are told all at their personal hardship and direct risk of life and sanity?
Why do you feel you should receive them? /// Sorry, that doesn’t even make sense.
If you stop a robbery at your neighbor’s house, should he feed and cloth you the rest of your life? /// Not by law, but depending on circumstances, I can see a moral argument for the same. But once again, you are rotating off your personal nut. What does the personal prevention of a robbery and the homeowners personal responsibility in response got to do with sound social basic services policy?
You equate things that are connected only at the extremes. You are an idiot. I feel my obligations to you are met by responding honestly on point on this blog AND by voting for mental health services to be made to all those, such as so obviously people like YOU, as they may benefit therefrom.
What a silly git.
Bobbo,
LL filters you. As you well know.
Good job at shadow boxing, sport. You crack me up sometimes.
G2–thank you. sometimes is a high level of achievement.
True==Loser and most other liebertardians filter all opposing opinions and common sense. but “sometimes” those on the border will see the options in front of them, eschew dogma, and choose the rational approach.
Bobbo,
Dogma is a belief, held by the believers to be undisputed. Without even considering at face value another viewpoint, you immediately revert to insults and degradations, not constructive criticism. Who is being dogmatic here and not a self-proclaimed fence sitter?
You constantly choose a few people to berate with childish insults and a closed mind. I can understand why they would filter you. For instance, you know this dude filters you, yet you still choose to insult. That is not sitting on a fence. That is sitting on a porch and yelling at the kids to get off your lawn because they are going to tear up your daisies…when the kids aren’t even coming down your street!
Does the insult make you feel better because others see you doing it? Do you require the approval of strangers that much? Or is there some hole in your psyche that can only be filled by insulting people in complete anonymity? That’s why I complimented your shadow boxing earlier.
“Loser and most other liebertardians filter all opposing opinions and common sense.”
Funny! The only two people I’ve heard him say he was filtering was you and Tea Dude. I guess you are being humble by assuming your comments only constitute 50% of all opposing views on this blog.
I am not sure what his standards for filtering are, but it sure doesn’t seem to be opposing views. Unless you and Tea Dude are a lot closing in beliefs than I’ve been lead to believe.
G2–check on the dogma.
I insult because I find humor in it in a variety of ways. Also, its all some people understand. That immediately antecedent point was VERY insulting but I’ll wager not exactly what you are responding to? More the vulgarity or the scatology or the spoonerism or the just plain misspelled words?
YOU tell me–whats wrong with insulting people? You do volunteer that its not beneficial…../////……//////……I just went back to your text for the exact ideas involved and see you were quite specific.
Lets parse:
Bobbo,
Dogma is a belief, held by the believers to be undisputed. /// Correct.
Without even considering at face value another viewpoint, you immediately revert to insults and degradations, not constructive criticism. /// How do you know what I consider? When an issue has been thrashed back and forth 50 times or is otherwise well settled, it is (think of best word) to pretend otherwise or to give any undeserved credence/respect to those who continue to hold/advance such issues. Do you want to accept at face value that we should all follow the word of the Lord on issues such as how old the Earth is? Whether or not lowering taxes is the correct action to every issue? You define who you are by how you answer that question.
Who is being dogmatic here and not a self-proclaimed fence sitter? /// Surely, we are all dogmatic or fence sitting depending on the issue? Now, I do NOT take offense at this INSULTING use of such a broad brush here. I assume you just don’t think a finer stroke is necessary?
You constantly choose a few people to berate with childish insults and a closed mind. /// You mean like Alfie? I don’t even respond to him most of the time. I have given him a few compliments when he stumbled in the correct direction as well. Same for other dogmatic types posting here. My response is “uniform” based on what is said, not who is posting.
I can understand why they would filter you. //// Everybody filters.
For instance, you know this dude filters you, yet you still choose to insult. /// Ok, you are talking about Loser. Loser responded or actually initiated a thought just last week. What you call filtering, I would call not wanting to post further and get shown to be a bigger idiot than has already been established.
That is not sitting on a fence. That is sitting on a porch and yelling at the kids to get off your lawn because they are going to tear up your daisies…when the kids aren’t even coming down your street! //// Ha, ha. Lost in your own metaphor. Endearing….but pure rhetoric of no substance. Within that metaphor, I have already stated the simple truth: not all issues should be handled the same, via dogma or fence sitting. I encourage VIGOROUS diasy destruction–a good argument is the heart and soul of honest confrontation which is but a good opportunity to learn the better position. People who constantly lose an argument but continue to make the exact same argument are not worthy of “respect.” Liebertards do this all too often. Loser does it almost exclusively. This blog, this thread, IS my street–just is it is your street and Loser’s street. I’m gonna have to give you a FAIL on the merits of this metaphor.
Does the insult make you feel better because others see you doing it? /// My own satisfaction is sufficient, but the occasional words of support or posting from a like mind with slightly different phrasing is always appreciated–as is a well crafted argument against what I have posted.
Do you require the approval of strangers that much? /// I don’t much care what strangers or friends approve or disapprove of. THE REASONS WHY from either is the guiding principle. But I am only human. Any rebuke from a friend will be given slightly more attention/concern/pause–but in the end, it is the idea/argument/facts provided that move me, or at least that is my highest operative response.
Or is there some hole in your psyche that can only be filled by insulting people in complete anonymity? //// I love the ideas of “holes” in psyche. Why indeed do any of us act the way we do==but all such comments have those 4 fingers pointing back at you. Pschology works that way. As to anonymity==pros and cons there. But in all ways that are most important and relevant, you know who I am.
That’s why I complimented your shadow boxing earlier.
“Loser and most other liebertardians filter all opposing opinions and common sense.”
Funny! The only two people I’ve heard him say he was filtering was you and Tea Dude. I guess you are being humble by assuming your comments only constitute 50% of all opposing views on this blog. //// No, I was referring to the filtering that has taken place with Loser in his life and education before coming to this blog to post. I guess that would be even more insulting wouldn’t it?
I am not sure what his standards for filtering are, but it sure doesn’t seem to be opposing views. /// Ackkk! Just the opposite. When you can hang a label on yourself with pride, bias is always revealed. When you uniformly post the talking points from these “schools of thought” you have entered the domain of dogma.
Unless you and Tea Dude are a lot closing in beliefs than I’ve been lead to believe. /// You’ll have to rephrase that.
////////////////// So, in general review: whats it to you?
“So, in general review: whats it to you?”
Nothing really. I just think it’s funny in a “pot calling the kettle black” kind of way.