Government is fighting Shoshana Johnson on benefits

[Cocoa]

http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2006/02/09/news/lake_county/7d46c9ca99f4e4aa86257110001915d6.txt

The decorated Army veteran is working on a book deal and touring the country speaking about her experiences as a POW.

<snip>

Johnson's capture and rescue were widely publicized but sometimes overshadowed by the rescue of 507th member Pfc. Jessica Lynch.

The grim reality is that soldiers are fighting for their disability benefits and the public doesn't realize how bad the situation is, Johnson said.

Since her rescue, Johnson said she has struggled to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder and the government has tried to deny her benefits, contending her ankle problems are due to arthritis, she said.

[Dunvegan]

1. Oh, the ironies just keeeep on coming...(sigh)

[Bozita]

2. If she were to change her name to Shoshana Halliburton, ...

... benefits would no longer be in question.

[Ecumenist]

4. LOL!! Halliburton..ROFLMAO!!! nt

[Ecumenist]

3. Of Course, she's the wrong colour....

She was shot in her Ankles, if I remember correctly. Why in the world would anyone think that she needed help? After all, this doesn't count in supporting he troops.:sarcasm:

[CanOfWhoopAss]

14. I guess they'll be swift boating her soon. She wasn't really

shot in the ankles. The ground near her was shot and dirt sprayed on her ankles.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. Do you all realize that in the next war, the Shoshana Johnson's

will probably not make it out of captivity alive? We have broken the cardinal Geneva rules in Iraq, so what will happen next is anybody's guess.

[Tigress DEM]

16. In THIS WAR there are FEMALE soldiers RAPED by our own that died.

Rather than face being raped again and with 83 calls to the "RAPE Hotline" number ignored - messages left on an answering machine to ROT - female soldiers determined to be stronger and just stopped drinking fluids at a certain time so they wouldn't have to go to the latrines at night.

When the C/O ignored their complaints, when the rapes continued and 83 calls for help stateside were ignored. The women tried to not put themselves in danger. These latrines were far away from their barracks and in an unlit area, but they didn't fear the "enemy" they were murdered by "friendly rape".

Their actual death cause was "dehydration" but the reason they refused fluids in the 120 degree heat of the desert was fear of rape by their own US combat teams.

It is the same C/O that allowed and possibly ordered the strange sexual torture in ABU Grahib. And this time the female general that lost a star over that is investigating the problem with the rape of our own by our own. How is THAT PSTD going to play out?

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. kick

[pitohui]

6. christ on a crutch

arthritis? after she is shot in both freakin ankles? and she's what, all of 22, she'll be in pain for her entire life

i hope she gets lots of attention for this cause, it is a disgrace the way the vets are being treated

it is * himself spitting on the vets

arthritis, my ass

[SillyGoose]

7. Remember how they tried to stiff her on her disability payments?

A few days ago, military brass informed her that she would receive a 30 percent disability benefit for her injuries. Lynch, who is White, was discharged in August and will receive an 80 percent disability benefit.

The difference amounts to $600 or $700 a month in payments, and that is causing Johnson and her family to speak out. The are so troubled by what they see as a "double standard," that they have enlisted Rev. Jesse Jackson to help make their case to the news media.

"Here's a case of two women, same , same war; everything about their service commitment and their risk is equal. . . . Yet there's an enormous contrast between how the military has handled these two cases," Jackson told The Washington Post.

http://www.blacknla.com/news/Shoshana.html

Its really a stain on this nation that this woman and others like her who served their country when asked have to fight with them for disability payments for injuries sustained in combat. Junior and republican enablers in Congress apparently think tax breaks for the wealthy are more important than disabled veterans. They have no shame whatsoever.

:grr:

[DBoon]

8. Was she the cook?

Who was hosted on Emeril?

[Starbucks Anarchist]

9. Yes, she was the cook.

[Karenina]

10. ...

[Disturbed]

11. The RW only support troops with lip service.

Troops are cannon fodder for the Oil and other Resources Wars.

[Karenina]

18. That is

unless they can be used for propaganda purposes...

[Solly Mack]

12. Precisely

[IndyOp]

13. Arthritis (...and, okay, a few bullets) - but arthritis, really - I don't

see what's wrong?

:sarcasm:

Maybe we should give her a gun and let her make a few VA administraters dance!!

[bostonbabs]

15. Question???

If Shoshana had been a Halliburton employee, what would her PAY AND MEDICAL benefits have been???