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This is today’s bewilderment:

After Barack Obama won the election, he left the Senate, leaving Illinois with only one Senator. Rod Blagojevich, the Governor of Illinois, was supposed to select a replacement, who would serve the rest of Obama’s term in the Senate.

This is also happening in New York, where Governor Paterson will appoint a Senator to replace Hillary Clinton, who will be Secretary of State.

Unfortunately, Governor Blagojevich did not want to appoint anyone. He preferred to sell Obama’s seat to Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., for up to a million dollars. Blagojevich was arrested, because he discussed it on a telephone, while the FBI was listening to his conversations.

The FBI began Operation Board Games in December 2003, to investigate Governor Blagojevich, who was suspected of corruption. Part of this investigation was conducted by listening to, and recording, Blagojevich’s telephone conversations.

Blagojevich was finally arrested on December 8^th, and charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of soliciting bribes — but he will likely be charged with additional crimes. He returns to court March 31.

Idiotic Criminals

The day after his release, which happened to be his birthday, Blagojevich went back to work, as if nothing happened.

I have no compassion for criminals, whether it is Blagojevich, or John Gotti, who were recorded, while they spoke about engaging in criminal activities. They are just idiots who were arrested because they talked too much.

What? Me Guilty?

Today, nine days after his birthday, Blagojevich proclaimed his innocence of these charges saying:

“I have done nothing wrong and I’m not going to quit this job”

I like rooting for the underdog, but I read the complaint, and it is impossible to refute the evidence. Blagojevich disagrees. Undaunted, he tried to rouse the crowd at his Press Conference, like he was leading a cheer, proclaiming:

“I will fight! I will fight!”

What is he fighting for? The right to accept bribes?

For example, I never knew that $3,048,686,000 of the $4,658,686,000 which the Iraq Freedom Fund received this year, was used for “classified” programs, and Americans are not allowed to know how it was spent.

I never dreamed that brain–dead politicians would attempt to cut funding for programs that treat soldiers with traumatic brain injuries.

I never had the faintest idea that the President of the NFL Players Association, played football while he was semi–conscious.

I did not plan to write about news events yesterday. I learned about Senator Joseph Lieberman’s request to invade Iran, while I was writing, and it added it extemporaneously. It really frosted my apricots, but nothing prepared me for what I learned today.

Let’s Not Start a War

There were no Bear Grylls reruns on television this morning, so I settled for Today, and I was flabbergasted when the special segment turned out to “Today in Iran.” The same place Lieberman wanted to invade yesterday.

Matt Lauer was broadcasting live from Tehran. Lauer was unarmed, out on the street, surrounded by Iranians. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves too.

Why did Senator Lieberman want to invade this place?

I’ll Take Exile

They don’t hate Americans, and it looked like a nice place to visit, until I did some research. Iran is governed by Sharia laws, and punishment is brutal.
Three examples:

1. Convicted thieves have one hand chopped off.
2. A man and woman were sentenced to ten years in prison, five years in exile, 80 lashes, and execution. for running the prostitution ring, and being found in possession of alcohol, drugs, and illicit CDs.
3. Two teenagers, who were arrested for homosexuality, claimed they did not realize that homosexuality was against the law. They (hard to believe) said that homosexuality was common among young men. These young men each received 228 lashings, and 14 months in prison, before they were executed.

Amnesty International is appalled about this, but nobody was bothering Matt Lauer, and that was good enough for me. Iran’s laws are barbaric, but I don’t live there, and it is none of my business. Just remember that laws were made to be broken, and somewhere in Iran, are thieves who have lost both of their hands.

I just want to know if we are lucky that Bush won, and kept Lieberman out of The White House.

The first bill, the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act of 2007 was introduced by Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO), who is Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, on March 15, 2007.

This bill’s stated purpose was to amend Title 10 to “improve the management of medical care, personnel actions, and quality of life issues for members of the Armed Forces who are receiving medical care in an outpatient status, and for other purposes.”

This bill is good news for soldiers with a TBI. It includes the following new proposals:

• Military outpatients are guaranteed to see their case manager once a week, and each case manager should only have 17 clients.
• Patients will receive a “Service Member Advocate” to meet with them and their families, who will assist in resolving financial and other transitional problems.
• Patients are guaranteed the right to see an independent physician to serve as their advocate.
• Patients will have access to a toll-free telephone number to report problems.
• Patients can have the congressperson notified of their condition.

But the most important part for a patient with a TBI is Section 205 which states:

Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives an interim report describing the changes undertaken within the Department of Defense to ensure that traumatic brain injury victims receive a proper medical designation concomitant with their injury as opposed to the current medical designation which assigns a generic “organic psychiatric disorder” classification.

On March 28, 2007, this bill passed the House, by a vote of 426 - 0.

Where Did My Brain Go? will keep you informed of its progress to President Bush’s desk.

The TBI funding disaster began on May 26, 2005. The House voted down an amendment to HR 2528, by a vote of 214-213, for $30 million in health care benefits to wounded veterans, including prosthesis research.

One item on the final version was increased. “Grants for Construction of State Extended Care Facilities” was raised from $25,000,000 to $85,000,000.

Other items fell by the wayside. Notably an additional $10 million for the Veterans’ Readjustment Counseling Service. How could anyone vote against that?

“Vocational Rehabilitation” is a big help for anyone with a TBI. The final version of this bill said:

Loans up to $948.54 were available to “service connected disabled persons enrolled in a vocational rehabilitation program.”

What does that buy? One credit at The University of Phoenix, an online college, costs $295.

Where did the rest of the money go? My favorites:

1. “Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction, Army”
   

   $1,400,827,000 For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the destruction of the United States stockpile of lethal chemical agents and munitions.

2. “Iraq Freedom Fund”
   

   For an additional amount for “Iraq Freedom Fund” $4,658,686,000, to remain available for transfer until September 30, 2007, only to support operations in Iraq or Afghanistan and classified activities: Provided, That the Secretary of Defense may transfer the funds provided herein to appropriations for military personnel; operation and maintenance; Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid; procurement; research, development, test and evaluation; and working capital funds: Provided further, That of the amounts provided under this heading, $3,048,686,000 shall only be for classified programs, described in further detail in the classified annex accompanying this Act:

Three billion dollars and we are not allowed to know where it was spent! Now you know why Bush & Cheney like this war so much!

In October 2005, the Veteran’s Administration reported that 119,247 of the 433,398 military personnel who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan had requested medical treatment. Out of the 119,247, 30.9%, about 36,847, said they had “mental problems.”

I was unable to find specific numbers for TBI. In 2004, the Veteran’s Administration received funds to establish three Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Units and conducted a study to choose optimal locations for them. I was unable to find information that more units were created.

President Bush signed the Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2006 on November 30, 2005.

The next installment of this disability debacle will discuss the pittance that remained to treat traumatic brain injuries.