Category Archives: Veterans for Common Sense News

April 25, 2008 – Yountville, CA — A state audit has found that the nation’s oldest veterans home is suffering from chronic staff shortages and poor maintenance of medical equipment. The 124-year-old veterans home in Yountville houses about 1,100 veterans. … Continue reading →

April 16, 2008 – Harvard scholar Linda Bilmes speaks about the book on the Iraq war’s costs that she wrote with Joseph Stiglitz. The two former Truthdiggers of the Week have been working hard to uncover even more hidden expenses … Continue reading →

April 24, 2008 – Earlier this month, at a conference in San Francisco, several renowned computer scientists warned that electronic voting machines remain vulnerable to computer hackers due to serious security flaws in the operating software, calling into question the … Continue reading →

April 23, 2008 – We’re feeling a twinge of pride upon hearing that Sen. Patty Murray — along with Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii — asked for the resignation of Veterans Affairs mental health director Ira Katz, who she says covered … Continue reading →

April 25, 2008 – Once again, the Department of Veterans Affairs is out of sync with the needs of returning soldiers. The disconnect is especially daunting for those who have attempted suicide because of post-traumatic stress syndrome or other mental-health … Continue reading →

April 25, 2008 – No matter how divided the nation’s opinion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is, nearly all Americans believe we should honor our veterans. Sadly, when soldiers return home from the battlefield in the Middle East, … Continue reading →

April 24, 2008 – Patty Murray and other senators are right to call for the chief mental health official of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to resign — because he tried to cover up the rising number of suicides … Continue reading →

April 23, 2008,  Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) grilled Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield on recent e-mails showing that the head of VA mental health, Dr. Ira Katz, purposely underestimated statistics on … Continue reading →

April 22, 2008 – Washington, DC — U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Russ Feingold, D-Wis., introduced legislation Tuesday requiring the Veterans Administration to track veteran suicides. Currently, the VA records suicides and suicide attempts in VA facilities, but does … Continue reading →

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) deputy chief, Gordon Mansfield, was questioned Wednesday by members of congress in Washington about allegations that the VA tried to cover up the true risk of suicide among veterans. “I am very angry and … Continue reading →