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BETTER LATE THAN NEVER? JOHN KERRY GOES FOR PHONE CARDS
Share / Recommend - Comment - Print - Thursday, Dec 23 2004, 7:36PM
I got an email today allegedly from John Kerry -- but clearly from what's left of his "Friends of John Kerry" staff -- that makes the case that Americans need to support the needs of soldiers with phone cards and other donations. Here is his letter.
While Paul Wolfowitz is pushing anthrax vaccinations which rightly or wrongly have aggravated the mistrust between soldiers and those in control of the Pentagon helm, progressives addressing this war's shocks on soldiers and their families is the right thing to do -- and good politics.
I have just returned from a trip and was surprised to find several hundred letters with checks to the Walter Reed Society, the USO, and other support organizations that are trying to address the needs of returning soldiers, particularly those who are casualties of America's operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The support has been overwhelming in emails and the mail I have received.
One Chinese-American network generated nearly a year's worth of phone card minutes (for a single person if talking 24 hours a day) and donated those to Walter Reed for soldier use.
I have now heard from Walter Reed Medical Center that they now have had had such a surge in phone cards sent to soldiers that they estimate that they have enough phone minutes for all of their convalescing soldiers through June 2005. This does not preclude the need for phone cards for other troops in other hospitals, but it does speak to some of the success of this effort at one of the better known military hospitals.
I am pleased to say that many people chose to financially contribute in ways that allow support organizations to acquire books, special support pillows, and provide other support to soldiers and their families. I will be listing soon the amounts donated by TWN readers that I have managed, but in my discussions with the organizations I have been dealing with, I can tell that many sent donations directly -- which is terrific.
Because Walter Reed has had its phone needs met by donations, I am going to look at other options for people who have acquired phone cards and want to mail them in. John Kerry recommends the USO -- but that organization seemingly wants cash to purchase the minutes rather than phone cards.
For those of you who have written about this, I will find a different set of military hospitals to send these cards to and will report back.
But I want to make a larger point here -- beyond the considerable and moving level of charity by Republican and Democratic Americans for those fighting and carrying the real burden of this war.
Donald Rumsfeld & Co. made these soldiers greater victims than they already were. Out of a $450 billion defense budget, it seems outrageous to me that someone in the Pentagon hierarchy didn't work to get the long distance block removed for those who are casualties of this conflict and recovering.
Rumsfeld's continuing distance from the real world circumstances of people he has sent to die for this country is an embarrassment and tragedy for everyone.
Rumsfeld is now scrambling to get armor on the Humvees, promising to sign his own name on condolence letters (rather than the auto-signature), and seems to be holding steady in his job despite increasing evidence that he and Bush were both complicit in encouraging prison-interrogation techniques that amount to torture.
But he is still not doing right by these soldiers (whom I believe are in the wrong war, at the wrong time, in the wrong place) -- and progressives should be rubbing his nose in this, as well as George Bush's.
Kerry's letter is a small step in the right direction.
-- Steve Clemons
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The phone cards I sent have a one year expiration but that is after the first use. An AT&T card I keep has no expiration. Does anyone know whether some cards expire some time after they are rung up at the cash register? It would be a shame if some cards expired because one hospital has too many of them.
I don't know if these hospitals have a broadband connection that could be utilized for this purpose, but if they do, it would seem to me that money spent on phone cards would go a lot farther if it were spent on a $24.99 a month Vonage account which includes unlimited minutes as long as calls are placed to destinations in the U.S. I don't know how realistic a solution like this is, but I do know that the rates charged by most companies that offer calling cards are among the highest in the telcom industry.
Josh >"...it would seem to me that money spent on phone cards would go a lot farther if it were spent on a $24.99 a month Vonage account which includes unlimited minutes as long as calls are placed to destinations in the U.S..."
outstanding idea that could be the organizing principle for a group of folks/organizations to create a service using VoIP for use by those in need; sort of like a Internet based version of the ham radio MARS network
plenty of open source professional quality software available to make this happen
"The only barrier to a successfully sustainable planet is ignorance." - R. Buckminster Fuller
Iraq will not be won by our military. Our military secured their objectives in 2003. Ever since, our military have been backstopping the political failures of the Bush administration. Are elections the political solution? What is the political solution that will lead to US withdrawal and a stable and progressive Iraq? These are the questions that need our focus. What is the political solution for Iraq? What is the politcial solution for Iraq? Repeat this mantra. Do not lose focus. What is the politcial solution for Iraq?
Sure this helps the troops, but its also a big gift to AT&T. Pardon me for being a skeptic, but who's John Kerry trying to help most.
Do troops over there have their conversations listened in on by censors. If so, I wonder if their phone time could be cut back due to a lack of personnel.
There could be more to this story than just the meme of "support the troops".
How about shining some light on the darker recesses of Republican neglect of the soldiers who risk their lives for Bush's war? Read this diary on DKos ( http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/12/24/04313/155 ):
1.) At least 250,000 veterans are forced to wait for their disability claims to be resolved by the Veterans Administration (VA). Sometimes up to two years. Despite the fact that thousands of veterans returning from Iraq will file disability claims, the FY 2005 budget reduces to number of staff responsible for processing those claims.
2.) In an effort to "restructure" to VA, the Bush Administration announced the closing of seven hospitals. (NY, PA, KY, OH, MS, CA, TX) That's a total of approx. 5,800 beds nationwide.
3.) A 2002 study showed that 150,000 veterans wait more than six months for an appointment for primary care.
[snip]
For every dollar in disability these wounded warriors will collect, they will have to forgo a dollar of their Social Security benefits.
How is that for one last kick in the ass?
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It goes on to detail that legislation to guarantee mandatory funding of veterans' benefits can't even make it past the Republicans for a vote on the floor. See Senate Bill 50, The Veterans Health Care Guarantee Act, and HR 2318, The Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act.
Sending a check or some phone cards is very nice, I know, but it's charity--a one-time gift that does nothing to support the long-term needs of veterans. They've sacrificed more than we can understand. What are we prepared to sacrifice? Tax cuts? SUVs and the lavish oil lifestyle that's been paid for in soldiers' blood? How about asking Bush that question? That little pissant hasn't sacrificed anything in his entire worthless life. He's done nothing but gain from others' sacrifices.
Charity necessary for the grunts while the Bush-connected war profiteers... Oh well, never mind.
As usual, the Dems don't have anything to say that will catch anyone's attention.
We have some soldiers recovering in Fort Knox hospitals, and as far as I know, the Lexington, KY VA is still active.
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