Yosemite and Sequoia, DU and Homeless Vets outreach

Posted by landerson in Issues, Lane's Blog on 07 7th, 2010 | no responses

I’m at Mono Lake just now, having come down from three days at Tuolomne Meadows. I’m on my way to the Veterans For Peace convention in Portland, Maine to present a workshop on ending homelessness among veterans. I’m stopping in national parks along the way and contacting veterans halls with handouts about ending homelessness among vets and depleted uranium adjudication.

I visited the groves of ancient trees at Sequoia and was impressed by my own insignificance….and humanity’s. The trees may likely stand until we are gone…or we may finally kill them with our pollution. I learned from a ranger that cell phones are the cause of the die off among the bees. Their radiations disrupt the bee’s navigation system. My cell phone is off for good! This could disrupt the food system so severely that global starvation could follow.

Y0semite Valley was a joke, traffic jams during the entire afternoon and fifteen minute lines to use the outhouse. After gettting a ticket for sleeping in my truck (all the campgrounds were full), I drove to Toulomne Meadows and spent three days there. It was lovely and I was able even with bad knees to hike up the river and to soda springs in the meadow. I also hiked to the timber line from Tioga Pass.

Next stop is Reno and I hope to find some veterans for peace there. I will be at the Motel 6 at 866 N Wells phone 775 786 9852 . I will leave the following documents at the veterans buildings and clinics:

Best wishes, Lane

Dear veteran, organization or concerned citizen!

As a counselor for the Santa Barbara Vet Center , a VA outreach program, I became aware of the PTSD and “survivor guilt’ in that community and of things that are useful therapy for those veterans who suffer from PTSD. A key need is to take care of your fellow combat veterans. In today’s military recruits are trained to bring everyone along and leave noone behind. For these reasons many of the returning veterans will find a career helping veterans to be both helpful and fulfilling. I think I can propose such a career path. The Obama administration will make 3.2 billion dollars available to end homelessness in veterans with 150 million available in the next fiscal year at their Homeless Grants and Per Diem page http://www1.va.gov/HOMELESS/ GPD.asp it seems that there is still 12 million for this fiscal year! Veterans have priority and it could be combined with a non profit management curriculum on the GI bill and used as tutorial/practicum. Help at all levels can be gotten from Community Partners in the LA area or with organizations listed in the directory in the correspondence below this: Community Partners provides fiscal sponsorship to qualified projects, as an alternative to incorporation as an independent nonprofit organization, mainly in the Los Angeles area. I would encourage you to channel veteran leaders who might be interested in fiscal sponsorship to carefully review the information on their website (http://www.communitypartners. org/fiscal-sponsorship.html). If after review an individual leader feels that s/he is ready and willing to make a commitment to fiscal sponsorship as a means for realizing their project for housing veterans, I would encourage them to submit a full proposal to Community Partners Incubator Services (see: http://www.communitypartners. org/incubator-services/how-to- apply/) . Veteran leaders may be interested in seeking out fiscal sponsors in other cities. You can find a directory of other fiscal sponsors in other parts of the country at tides center http://www.tidescenter.org/ become-a-project/additional- resources/fiscal-sponsors/ index.html

The way it works, or could work is that the vet gets most of the funding and per diem through the VA Homeless Grants and Per Diem program: http://www1.va.gov/HOMELESS/ GPD.asp and the rest via community partners or foundations…see http://foundationcenter.org/ collections/ You can also get legal advice to start non profit if you want one: http://www.publiccounsel.org/ overview/cdp.html Many vets and organizations have already opened facilities for the homeless veterans and are receiving grants and per diem already…making it an example of good works that pay. Veterans will have priority with the VA and most other foundations. People in general are eager to see vets work in this realm!

Respectfully submitted,

Andersonlane47@yahoo.com andersonlane47@gmail.com

Rowland Lane Anderson, Adjutant, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 37

Lifetime Member of Veterans For Peace, Veterans of Foreign Wars and VVA

For VA clinics, veteran organizations and Vet Centers:

Veterans Exposed to Depleted Uranium

We are offering to help represent veterans who have been exposed to depleted uranium munitions, dust or radiation and are suffering from cancer or other side effects. We have expertise in medical, legal and administrative law.

We as a chapter of the VFP have started a program and done research to develop a brief for presentation to the VA rating board to obtain service connection disability for the affected veteran. Gulf war I and II vets are encouraged to get in touch with us for information on this project and to register at the Depleted Uranium Registry:

http://www.afip.org/consultation/environmental/du/

Update Oct. 2009: Download the Dept. of Veterans Affairs’ “Evaluation Protocol for Gulf War and Iraqi Freedom Veterans with Potential Exposure to Depleted Uranium (DU)” handbook (pdf format).

PLEASE CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS:

Veterans For Peace DU Quest TEL 805 9843322

info@vfpsb.org

or lalapapa@ix.netcom.com , lalapapa4@gmail.com

FURTHER INFORMATION:

http://www.veteransforpeaceny.org/vfpduvets.htm

http://www.afip.org/consultation/environmental/du/

Veterans For Peace Santa Barbara DU Quest: http://www.vfpsb.org/projects/depleted-uranium-quest/

R. Lane Anderson, Adjutant, Disabled American Veterans Ch 37

Lifetime Member of Veterans of Foreign Wars and Vietnam Vets of America

andersonlane47@yahoo.com andersonlane47@gmail.com

to confirm: DAV Ch. 37 Commander (805) 568-0020 ejprice@yahoo.com

For DU workshop in Portland and peace vets along the way::

Veterans Exposed to Depleted Uranium

http://www.afip.org/consultation/environmental/du/

A. I. Holtz, MD, FAAP has had seven years experience on the VA rating board in the Los Angeles office. He is a Harvard trained physician and has worked for all the branches of the military.

PLEASE CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS:

Dr. Albert Holtz, MD, FAAP
POB 7107
OXNARD, CA 93031
TEL 805 9843322, email lalapapa@ix.netcom.com , lalapapa4@gmail.com
info@vfpsb.org