Dear Fellow Veterans and Friends of Veterans:
Here is news you won’t read in the Brentwood News.
Here is the link to the Canada Free Press's publication of a letter sent Friday night to Gen. Eric Shinseki, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs: http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/31226
And following, below, is another letter sent to the Secretary on Saturday night.
Thanks again to the Canada Free Press for publishing this message about the Veterans Homeless Emergency Plan and the misappropriation of Veterans’ land and the abuse of homeless and disabled Veterans.
It should not surprise any American Patriot that the Brentwood News, the so-called news-magazine for the neighboring community adjacent to the National Veterans Home, has not once written about the Veterans Sunday Rally, even though yesterday was our 143rd consecutive Rally at the corner of Wilshire and San Vicente boulevards, the entryway into Brentwood.
Nor has it ever once published anything about our mission to “Save Our Veterans Land,” and to “Bring Our Homeless Veterans Home,” even though virtually every car that passes us entering into Brentwood on San Vicente, honks, waves, give us the thumbs-up, V-for-Victory, fist-pumps, high-fives and hand salutes in support.
Nor has the Brentwood News ever published the fact that the ACLU is representing us in a lawsuit (filed nine months ago) against top VA bureaucrats regarding “viewpoint discrimination,” i.e., censorship, and violating our First Amendment Right to freedom of expression.
The publisher of the News, Jeff Hall, who is not a Veteran, wrote an article a few years ago calling for an “Act of Congress” to convert the Veterans Home into a public park like the Presidio in San Francisco, even though there was an “Act of Congress” in 1887 lawfully establishing that this land was “to be permanently maintained as a National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.”
Not once did Mr. Hall mention the word Veteran in his article, but referred to the land as being VA, and made a reference that this was once called an “Old Soldiers Home,” and essentially was no longer of any valid use. Instead, he wanted to change a Congressional law and a Legal Deed for his own self-gratification for a public community park to look good in the eyes of his elitist Brentwood friends who seemingly detest Veterans in or near their wealthy enclave.
The front page of Mr. Hall's November publication was about the public being invited to the “Nutcracker” ballet that is being featured at the Veterans' Wadsworth Theater on Veterans land. (Note: Some tickets go for $75 and upward, and proceeds don’t go to Veterans.)
I have had several interactions with Mr. Hall over the years. Unless you bow down and kowtow to his personal beliefs and whims, he considers you to be uncooperative, and this is then followed by his self-righteous insults.
He once said “There's more to this community than the vets.” Really? Without the “vets,” there would be no American way of life that he takes for granted, nor a “freedom of the press” for him to profit from.
Nonetheless, Mr. Hall recently refused to publish information that I submitted to him about the Veterans “Grand Plan” for rebuilding Veterans land, and a “Homeless Emergency Plan” that calls for a Tent City, parking for Veterans living in their cars, vans, campers and RV's, etc., because he claimed that the deadline had already passed for the December issue.
True to his self-serving “reporting,” Mr. Hall plagiarized our Tent City plan and passed it off as his own in the current edition of the Brentwood News, even though he declared the deadline had already passed for introducing our vision. He even published a front page photo and caption/story about a local resident who had befriended a homeless Veteran and gave him some help.
Yet he has never written about the numerous Veterans who help their fellow homeless Veterans, nor has he ever honored the Deed of 1888, but instead supports the local homeowner group's plan to subvert the Deed and convert Veterans sacred land into a “Central Park West” for the benefit of the Brentwood community.
While homeless Veterans are restricted from parking overnight in vans and campers in Brentwood, and also denied parking privileges on Veterans’ property, (read the following letter and attachment) Mr. Hall, a non-Veteran, had a privileged parking pass on Veterans’ property, even though his office was two blocks away and it offered monthly parking for its tenants.
Now,after nearly three years of Sunday protests against the VA's malfeasance, a forthcoming trial, and other remarkable progress of taking back The Home, Mr. Hall is jumping on the bandwagon by plagiarizing the hard work and planning of 60-, 70- and 80-year old Veterans, passing it off as him being the sole innovator for a Tent City on Veterans’ property.
And we wonder why Los Angeles has the largest homeless Veteran population in the nation, and why we have to go outside the country we pledged our lives to defend to have access to “freedom of the press” that Veterans also defended.
Lastly, Veterans took an open-ended pledge to defend our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Yes, Veterans have found the domestic enemy, and it is Jeff Hall and his fellow self-serving Brentwoodians.
God Bless America and the Veterans’ Revolution.
Here is the letter sent Saturday night to Gen. Shinseki:
Dec. 18, 2010
Gen. Eric K. Shinseki (USA Ret.)
Secretary, Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Washington, D.C.
Dear Mr. Secretary:
It's colder and rainier in Southern California tonight than it was last night, so I've attached the “Homeless Emergency Plan” with necessary adjustments for your review.
The Plan essentially stays the same, except there's more history as to why we have 20,000 homeless Veterans and the added danger of those who live in vans, campers and RV's.
You may want to check into this added information as to why Veterans are discriminated against and denied the right to park their vans, campers and RVs next to the West L.A. VA where it was relatively safe and close for VA healthcare services.
But in 2006, Sue Young, the $125,000 executive director of Veterans Park Conservancy, which is not a Veterans organization, used her wealth and power to block Veterans from sleeping overnight in their vehicles along San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood because she considers them to be “visual blight” and a distraction from her majestic wrought iron fence.
Moreover, these Veterans who were banned from parking on San Vicente Boulevard, were also banned from parking on their own property at the West L.A. VA. Subsequently, they have to travel afar where overnight parking is allowed. Mostly throughout L.A., sleeping in one's vehicle overnight is prohibited.
You were here in July and had to see the massiveness of the 388 acres at the largest VA in the nation, and saw where acres upon acres of paved parking lots have been leased out for non-Veteran use.
Didn't that strike you as “odd” when there are 20,000 homeless Veterans in Los Angeles County who could use those parcels for either parking or tented shelter?
The above notwithstanding, you will recall that we forewarned you about Ms. Young on the very day you were confirmed as the new Secretary of the DVA when we sent you congratulations and an honest update of what your predecessors allowed to happen to this sacred trust on their watch. We didn't want a repeat performance.
Here's the deal General: Sue Young has controlled every Secretary of the VA for the past quarter-century, you included, plus every politician that she can use to her benefit. She gets what she “wants” at the expense of Veterans’ “needs.”
Nonetheless, Veterans had such high hopes in you, Sir, and we believed that the “Sue Young dynasty” would come to an end under a West Point, four-star General, particularly one who was privileged to personally hear Gen. MacArthur deliver his famed “Duty, Honor, Country” speech in 1962. Even more inspiring, you were selected as a distinguished graduate of West Point's United States Military Academy for being an exemplar of “DHC.”
Did you know Sue Young laughed at that noble creed you so proudly upheld, and even plagiarized it, desecrated it, and then engraved in stone on Veterans sacred land, “Beauty, Honor, Country,” because it was the mission of her homeowner group to “beautify” the entryway into their community at Veterans expense?
We sent you plenty information about this. But either you did not get it, or it didn't affect you. I still bristle at the thought of such a sacrilegious undertaking. Something tells me your fellow West Pointers are not at all happy about that insulting fiasco and would like retribution.
Still, under your watch, Ms. Young outfoxed you again and built a rose garden as a shrine in her honor while telling you it's to honor Veterans.
Correspondingly, at the recent dedication for her personal shrine, she ordered an 89-year old disabled World War II Veteran to leave her presence as she celebrated her “invitation only” gourmet-catered dedication party even though she boasted that it was to “honor veterans.”
She also ordered a 73-year old disabled Vietnam War Veteran to leave.
Let me be clear, Sir. These noble Veterans did not go inside her gated fiefdom. No, she came “outside” and dictated them to leave. We have the video of this dastardly act.
While she abuses and disrespects America's everyday Veteran, Ms. Young has also manipulated Congressman Henry Waxman and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky in order to put her selfish interests above those who risked their lives to defend our Nation's freedom and safety.
Tonight, 20,000 homeless Veterans are risking their lives again, this time for self-survival in the dangerous, cold and rainy back-alleys of Los Angeles while Ms. Young and her fat-cat ilk live safely and comfortably in multi-million dollar mansions.
Respectfully Sir, how can you sleep at night knowing this fact?
Well, I cannot sleep knowing these truths and knowing that Veterans once again have another Secretary of the VA who kowtows to Ms. Young's whims and wants.
President Obama announced earlier this year that you were going to spend $3.2 billion in 2010, and more each year, to end Veteran homelessness.
All we're looking for is just some loose change in that heap of money, even a couple million dollars will do wonders because we will use it on tents, toilets, accessory setup and continuous operations, and not keep it for ourselves like all the special-interest, “non-profit corporations” you deal with.
Sir, we respectfully ask that you send at least $2 million to engage our Emergency Homeless Plan and allow us to show you how Veterans take care of Veterans, instead of the current system that allows non-Veterans to take advantage of Veterans.
Once again, we respectfully request that you fully rescind Ms. Young's privileged, rent-free public park agreement so we can set up a Veteran Stand Down on this sacred land and begin to “Bring Our Homeless Veterans Home.”
Please review the adjusted “Homeless Emergency Plan” that calls for immediate action with tents and healthcare services, and opening the paved parking lots that are now leased to the Getty Museum, Enterprise car rental and other non-Veteran users, for Veterans who are sleeping in their cars, campers, RV's, etc.
We ask that you then step forward and announce your Department's full support of this Homeless Emergency Plan and direct the West Los Angeles VA to fully cooperate, posthaste.
FYI, tomorrow will be our 143rd consecutive Sunday Rally opposing the abuse, misappropriation and confiscation of our sacred land.
Shouldn't this tell you that 60-, 70- and 80-year old Veterans dedicating their Sunday afternoons for this cause, week-after-week for nearly three years, deserve to be heard? Yet, you've never once returned an email or made any overture that you were in agreement with our noble cause.
In fact, the opposite happened as the DVA under your watch has become quite adversarial against our noble cause.
Perhaps I didn't mention it, but it really is very cold and rainy here tonight, and 20,000 of our fellow Veterans are waging a very tough battle to survive in Los Angeles County?
You may want to think about that Sir. Seriously think about it.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Rosebrock
Director, Old Veterans Guard
Mr. Rosebrock may be contacted at rrosebrock1@aol.com
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