Propeller.com Stories submitted by bubba2

Gov't wants widow's suit over VA death thrown out

bubba2 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:30:41 EDT

The U.S. government has asked a federal judge to throw out one of two lawsuits filed by Kentucky women who claim that surgical care at a southern Illinois Veterans Affairs hospital killed their husbands. The lawsuits accuse the government of negligence, saying it inadequately checked Dr. Veizaga-Mendez's background before hiring him.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: VA military medical care military malpractice Doctor Veizaga Mendez lawsuits wrongful death

VA's Disjointed Accounting System Likely Misses Out on Billions

bubba2 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:24:04 EDT

If a veteran has private health insurance that can pay for care not connected to a service disability, the VA can bill the insurer. A little-noticed GAO report recently found that the VA likely missed out on billions of dollars from insurers because of a disorganized, disjointed accounting system.

Channel: Money Tags: VA veterans military medical care private health insurance billing errors documentation errors uncollected fees

Torn apart by war, kept apart by the Patriot Act

bubba2 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:01:47 EDT

Losi Grodya works 2 jobs, has a driver's license, is working on a college degree and is ready to take her citizenship exam. Her daughters, approved by U.S. officials to join her from the Republic of Congo as refugees, have seen their cases caught up in a provision in the Patriot Act that bars people from the U.S. if suspected of aiding terrorists.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Patriot Act citizenship refugees terrorist suspects rape kidnapping bureaucracy

IRAQ: Fallujah Braces for Another Assault

bubba2 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:52:49 EDT

U.S. and Iraqi forces are preparing another siege of Fallujah under the pretext of combating 'terror', residents and officials say. The city that suffered 2 devastating U.S. attacks in 2004 has watched security degrade over recent months. In the face of U.S. military claims of improved security, violence has been rising by the day this month.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Iraq Fallujah violence assassinations no security local tribal militias

Out of bounds! McCain exaggerates impact of Obama's tax plan

bubba2 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:27:55 EDT

What happened: McCain frequently says that Barack Obama would raise tax rates on 23 million small-business people who file tax returns as individuals. Why that's wrong: "It's a false and preposterously inflated figure," concluded factcheck.org, the nonpartisan watchdog group at the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Channel: Politics Tags: John McCain Barack Obama Obama tax plan misinformation McCain credibility

President Bush lobbyist Stephen Payne in 'bribes' scandal quits

bubba2 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:29:39 EDT

Stephen Payne, a government adviser and lobbyist, caught offering access to top White House figures in exchange for a $250,000 donation towards President Bush's private library, has resigned following the launch of a congressional inquiry into the scandal.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: President Bush Stephen Payne Bush library donations scandal influence peddling Congressional investigation

Soldier still endures the battle within

bubba2 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:43:57 EDT

She looks young and petite, waiflike in T-shirt and shorts. The girl was the lieutenant colonel who trucked duffel bags of cash around Baghdad, who fed donkeys to Saddam's lions, who brought home a Bronze Star, who also brought home a strange illness and a whole lot of emotional ambiguity.

Channel: Women Tags: VA veterans Iraq military medical care multiple sclerosis PTSD

VA's Anti-smoking drug study to be investigated

bubba2 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:37:27 EDT

Officials with the VA are preparing to determine who was at fault for failing to quickly notify participants in a smoking-cessation study about the potentially dangerous side effects of a drug they were prescribed and whether the study will be ended. There are more than 6,000 veterans with PTSD taking Chantix.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: VA military medical care veterans PTSD Chantix side effects psychosis suicide FDA Pfizer

Battle scars: Three South Florida veterans fight for their lives

bubba2 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:31:46 EDT

Their scars may not be visible. But each came home wounded. For 3 Iraq war veterans, the anger, insomnia, and anxiety that dogged them when they returned to South Florida were just the start of the problems. There is a six-month backlog of those waiting to get into the Miami VA program's 16-bed residential treatment facility.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: VA veterans military medical care PTSD Iraq Afghanistan

Sixth veteran suicide this year after seeking help at Spokane VA

bubba2 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:25:59 EDT

A distraught 26-year-old Navy veteran who had a history of mental illness hanged himself within 3 hours of seeking help at Spokane Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The July 7 death of Lucas Senescall was the sixth suicide this year of a veteran who had contact with the Spokane VA, a marked increase in such deaths.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: VA veterans military medical care suicide PTSD mental illness

Mom looking for answers in Iraq rollover death

bubba2 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:19:17 EDT

Dalarie Ford, a wife and mother, had never been one to rock the boat. She voted, but not passionately. Never had she felt wronged. But now she senses injustice. She's on a mission to find out precisely what happened in Iraq's Anbar province on May 10, the day her son died.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Iraq Armored Security Vehicle rollover deaths misinformation

S. Carolina's DeMint remains defiant after AIDS bill defeat

bubba2 — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:48:26 EDT

A defiant Sen. Jim DeMint said that his failure to reduce the cost of Bush's $48 billion global AIDS program won't deter him from continuing to compel lawmakers to take tough votes on government spending. The Senate defeated his amendments to cut its cost to $35 billion and to prohibit funds for alleged coercive abortion and forced sterilization in

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Jim DeMint Senate gobal AIDS program President Bush government spending war Iraq

Veterans Cheated of Benefits: VA, Courts Ignore Promises Made to Veterans

bubba2 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:22:01 EDT

Rep. Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, will hold a press conference on Wednesday, July 23 to announce the introduction of the Agent Orange Equity Act. The bill restores equity to all Vietnam veterans that were exposed to Agent Orange.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Vietnam Agent Orange veterans VA military medical care support the troops Congress

13 electrocutions, few answers

bubba2 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:03:42 EDT

Halliburton KBR improperly installed electrical wiring or failed to fix known electrical hazards at U.S. bases in Iraq that resulted in the deaths of 11 service members and 2 civilians, family members and former employees of the contracting giant testified at a Congressional hearing.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Iraq Halliburton KBR private contractors electrocutions substandard wiring electrical hazards no oversight

How much oil is off South Carolina shores?

bubba2 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:45:16 EDT

Despite a push by some in the South Carolina business community to drill for oil off shore, geologists say such efforts will bring no quick relief at the pump. Those same scientists say the waters off the Palmetto State have little oil to offer.

Channel: Science Tags: South Carolina oil prices oil drilling geologists Congress ban on offshore drilling

Is Bush going out with 'a whimper'?

bubba2 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:40:56 EDT

The White House wants the American public to think it's on the rebound, scoring important triumphs in Iraq and North Korea and on domestic spying while taking tough stands on oil drilling and relief for homeowners. The White House, the experts and the polls say, however, is wrong. President Bush hasn't begun a comeback.

Channel: Politics Tags: President Bush White House approval rating Iraq Iran oil companies Medicare

Maryland troopers spied on peace groups

bubba2 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:47:41 EDT

Undercover Maryland state troopers infiltrated 3 groups advocating peace and protesting the death penalty - attending meetings and sending reports on their activities to intelligence and military agencies, according to documents released Thursday. Group members were added to a database of terrorist suspects.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Maryland undercover infiltrators peace groups anti war anti death penalty terrorist suspects Baltimore Intelligence Unit Homeland Security

Rove tried to fire Fitzgerald in 2005 while Rove was still under investigation

bubba2 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:29:47 EDT

In a supplement to his responses to the House Judiciary Committee, Patrick Fitzgerald confirms that Karl Rove was trying to have him fired while he was still investigating Rove for his role in leaking Valerie Plame's identity - and the timing lines up perfectly with the Administration's efforts to fire a bunch of US Attorneys.

Channel: Politics Tags: Karl Rove Patrick Fitzgerald Valerie Plame investigation US Attorney firings Congressional investigation

Iglesias: Rove Won't Testify 'To Keep Himself From Being Indicted'

bubba2 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:22:50 EDT

On Friday, former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias told MSNBC's Mike Barnicle he believed Rove "has information that I believe would show illegal activity, interfering with ongoing federal criminal investigations. So Rove is not testifying I think basically to keep himself from being indicted."

Channel: Politics Tags: David Iglesias Karl Rove refusal to testify contempt of Congress federal investigation US Attorney firings Justice Department

Hannity falsely suggested no oil in areas already available to oil companies for drilling

bubba2 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:12:44 EDT

Sean Hannity falsely suggested that federal areas legally available for leasing by oil companies contain no oil. In fact, federal agencies have estimated that MORE oil exists on the tens of millions of acres of federal areas currently legally available for drilling than there is in the areas currently off limits to drilling.

Channel: Politics Tags: Sean Hannity media bias FOX News oil companies oil leases oil drilling price of oil price of gasoline

Living with PTSD: A wife's perspective

bubba2 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:02:38 EDT

Carol and Chuck Chapman thought they'd start their lives all over again once he retired from the Marine Corps after 30 years of service. They moved to Mesa County and bought a spread on Reeder Mesa for their quarter horses. There were lots of good times. But when he retired, his post-traumatic stress disorder came to life.

Channel: Health & Fitness Tags: veterans PTSD VA military medical care

20 States protest, may sue VA over voter registration ban

bubba2 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:58:13 EDT

Connecticut officials say the state might sue the VA if it continues to block efforts to educate and register voters in federal veterans' facilities. Connecticut is among 20 states protesting the VA's new policy. The Connecticut Attorney General says the VA response is "disingenuous double talk and bureaucratic gobbledygook."

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: VA veterans right to vote voter registration ban James Peake support the troops lawsuits

House panel calls for Iraq electrical wiring probe

bubba2 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:48:58 EDT

The House Oversight and Reform Committee is widening its investigation into shoddy electrical work at military bases in Iraq that led to the death of at least 12 soldiers. New information shows that there were over 280 electrical fires at facilities managed by logistics giant KBR within a 5 month period from August 2006 through January 2007.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Iraq shoddy electrical wiring military facilities Haliburton KBR private contractors electrocutions fires Congressional investigation

PAKISTAN: Schoolgirls lured to become suicide bombers

bubba2 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:08:11 EDT

"I was able to save my daughter from becoming a suicide bomber. She had been lured by her teacher at the religious school," said Jamilur Rehman, a Pakistani schoolteacher, whose 13-year-old daughter was taken away by a Taliban group to be trained as a suicide bomber in North Waziristan, a lawless border area.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Pakistan suicide bombers school girls Taliban religious schools

Millions Tune In to CBS' Greatest American Dog

bubba2 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:01:06 EDT

The July 10 premiere of the new reality TV series won its time slot in viewers and key demographics, attracting 9.5 million viewers. An encore presentation on July 12 received 2.6 million viewers. Starting with 12 dog-and-owner teams, the judges eliminate one team per episode.

Channel: Pets Tags: Greatest American Dog CBS reality TV dogs obedience tricks

Ashcroft: Waterboarding is legal, refuses to say use on U.S. troops Is Unacceptable

bubba2 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:10:33 EDT

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing today, former Attorney General John Ashcroft falsely claimed that waterboarding has consistently been defined as 'not torture' and refused to agree that the use of enhanced interrogation techniques - including waterboarding - on captured U.S. soldiers is 'unacceptable' or 'criminal'.

Channel: Politics Tags: John Ashcroft Congressional hearings torture waterboarding enhanced enterrogation detainees US troops

Michael Savage on autism: "A fraud, a racket"

bubba2 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:02:02 EDT

On his radio show, Michael Savage claimed that autism is "[a] fraud, a racket ... I'll tell you what autism is. In 99% of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron'."

Channel: Health & Fitness Tags: Michael Savage autism fraud racket brats crying screaming morons

Mobile service helps veterans sort out benefit issues

bubba2 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:54:39 EDT

Law students from the University of Detroit - Mercy School of Law - have been traveling across the United States in a Winebego since January, helping thousands of low income veterans who face federal benefits issues.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: veterans VA military medical care military disability benefits law students volunteer attorneys

VA refuses request to change voter registration policy

bubba2 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:48:15 EDT

VA Secretary James Peake formally responded to a request by 3 prominent Democratic senators to reverse his policy disallowing voter registration drives on Department of Veterans Affairs property. He refused, citing the Hatch Act as the excuse.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: VA veterans support the troops right to vote voter registration James peake

Jail inmates hear from armed forces recruiter

bubba2 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:42:49 EDT

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office paired with the Newport-based Army recruiter on July 12, in an effort to convey information to jail inmates about the possibility of serving in the armed forces. The recruiter was able to contact more than 30 inmates, out of which 3 were found to be eligible for military service.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: armed services military recruitment prison inmates jails

House hearing to examine military policy on gays

bubba2 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:27:45 EDT

The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing next week on the impact of the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bans military service by people who are openly gay. This will be the first formal hearing on the issue since Congress enacted the law 15 years ago.

Channel: Gay & Lesbian Tags: Congressional hearing dont ask dont tell gays in military Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Pentagon

European leaders lobbied Bush on tanker contract

bubba2 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:55:51 EDT

The leaders of France, Germany and Britain personally lobbied President Bush over a controversial $35 billion contract for U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tankers that was originally awarded to a team that included a European aerospace firm but is now being re-competed.

Channel: Politics Tags: Air Force Northrop Grumman refueling tankers private contractors Boeing Pentagon President Bush France Germany England

IRAQ: Call for more help for Iraqi refugees

bubba2 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:07:45 EDT

There is an obvious violation of the rights of the Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries - mainly Jordan, Syria and Lebanon - as their needs have not been met properly. The Iraqi government doesn't support those refugees either directly by giving them money and/or help in receiving food rations, or indirectly by helping their host countries.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Iraq refugees human rights no government support poverty crime depression

IRAQ: Refugees fear returning to their homes in Diyala Province

bubba2 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:59:12 EDT

Refugees in Iraq's Diyala Province are still facing threats and danger when returning to their homes. Gunmen are still active in some areas, especially in the suburbs where Sunni extremists are preventing Shia families from returning to their homes. As of May 30, the number of internal refugees is 2,169,920. Over 82% are women and children.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Iraq Diyala Province internal refugees violence Shia Sunni death threats beheadings

Afghanistan: Food prices fuelling sex work in the north

bubba2 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:50:46 EDT

High food prices, drought, unemployment and lack of socio-economic opportunities are pushing women and young girls in northern Afghanistan into sex work. "I am a widow and I have to feed my 5 children. I am illiterate and no one will give me a job. I hate to be a prostitute but if I stop doing this job my children will starve to death."

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Afghanistan prostitution poverty drought unemployment high food prices

NY Times Poll: 'McCain Is Yoked To The Legacy' Of Bush

bubba2 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:22:22 EDT

According to a new New York Times poll, John McCain is yoked to the legacy of President Bush - 78 percent agreed that McCain would continue Bush's Iraq policies; 61 percent agreed that McCain would continue Bush's economic policies; 65 percent agreed that McCain would not bring change to Washington.

Channel: Politics Tags: John McCain President Bush Bush III Iraq economy New York Times poll

NBC's Mitchell fails to challenge false assertion that Katrina didn't result in oil spills

bubba2 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:54:28 EDT

On MSNBC Live, Andrea Mitchell again failed to challenge the false assertion that Hurricane Katrina did not result in any oil spills, despite a report prepared for the U.S. Minerals Management Service that found 5,552 barrels of oil and petroleum products were spilled from Outer Continental Shelf structures as a result of damage caused by Katrina.

Channel: Politics Tags: MSNBC Andrea Mitchell hurricane Katrina media bias oil spills offshore drilling

AP continues pattern of ignoring McCain's immigration reversal

bubba2 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:48:10 EDT

In July, the Associated Press has produced 4 articles describing John McCain's position on immigration reform without mentioning that McCain's current position that the borders be secured 'first' is a reversal from his previous position. None of the articles mention that McCain said he would not vote for the immigration reform bill he co-sponsored.

Channel: Politics Tags: John McCain Associated Press immigration flip flop media bias

IRAQ: Unrest Surfaces in Fallujah Again

bubba2 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:51:22 EDT

Security has collapsed again in Fallujah, despite U.S. military claims. Local militias supported by U.S. forces claim to have cleansed the city. But the sudden resignation of the city's chief of police is one sign of growing unrest. "Assassinations never stopped in Fallujah, but the media seems unwilling to cover the actual situation," sa

Channel: Politics Tags: Iraq Fallujah violence assassinations no security local tribal militias suicide bombers

Obama leads fundraising with fewer big donors in Florida

bubba2 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:45:49 EDT

Barack Obama has outraised John McCain in Florida by $339,000, and he's done it with half as many big-money 'bundlers' kicking in at least $50,000. Obama's edge comes from his unprecedented success at tapping a slew of small donors as well as the erosion of the vaunted political machine that fueled the campaigns of President Bush and Jeb Bush.

Channel: Politics Tags: Florida Barack Obama John McCain campaign fundraising big money donors small donors