A Thief in the Night: Veterans' Land Grab

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Did you ever have an encounter with a thief? If not, how many times have you read or heard about their sudden attacks in newspapers or TV and thought or gasped, “I hope that never happens to me”?

Well, it is happening. As I write this, we have politicians all over the country stealing from us. Many of you are now more than aware of this new Cap and Trade bill brought to us by “our” representative in the 30th district of California, Mr. Henry Waxman. Well, you may also want to know that Mr. Waxman has been quite busy these days not only promoting the biggest tax in history, but also by helping to give away land he does not own.

Whose land?

The land of our revered Veterans.

This land is slowly being doled out to special interest groups that benefit Mr. Waxman and his friends who are known as the “Westside Political Machine.” Sadly, he is not the only one doing this; politicians all over the country are “giving” land they do not own to special interest groups. Eighty-five acres of Veterans’ lands were just annexed in Chicago. Where did it go to? Who got it?

In order to get the big picture of what’s happening all over this country, let’s start with a little history on the Veteran land here in Waxman’s Los Angeles district.

Veteran land is land deeded to Veterans to take care of their physical and emotional wounds. One of these lands, the West Los Angeles Veterans’ Home (WLA VA), the largest parcel on land for Veterans in the USA, was donated by Arcadia de Baker and John P. Jones in 1888 to the government for the sole purpose of providing permanent care to our Veterans ONLY.

At that time, the hospitals on the land were providing care to returning Civil War Veterans, and to emphasize the intensity of their suffering they were called asylums. What Arcadia de Baker realized was that the peaceful and isolated land was perfect for healing the physical and emotional wounds of people who served their country.

What Arcadia de Baker did not know, though, that in time this isolated land would end up in the middle of one of the most affluent areas of the country. The WLA VA is the largest Veterans Healthcare Center in the Untied States. It also just happens to be located in an area considered the Fifth Ave of California, a place with multi-million dollar mansions and fancy condos surrounding it. Being a piece of prime real estate, many are vying for it.

In Henry Waxman’s Brentwood district, homeless Veterans sleep outside the gates of their own land while TV productions rent empty hospitals that neither the VA nor Waxman will open for our Veterans claiming the buildings are damaged. Yet, these same damaged buildings are rented to “Grey’s Anatomy,” among others, and net seven-million per year. Now, would anyone rent damaged buildings for seven million a year?

Recently, the WLA VAMC gave Veterans Park Conservancy (VPC) (a non-veteran group consisting of wealthy residents of Brentwood) $1 million to help build a wrought iron fence to beautify the entryway into their community, while Veteran health-care services and facilities continue to go under-funded. Was the beautification of an already very wealthy community a priority?

The WLA VAMC also gave VPC permission to engrave in stone on Veterans property, “Beauty, Honor, County,” thereby seriously insulting and denigrating the Military creed of “Duty, Honor, Country.”

The VA also “rents” this land for special fundraising parties. I was recently at one such $1000-per-ticket celebrity-saturated fundraiser with a Vietnam-era Veteran, Robert Rosebrock.

Mr. Rosebrock, founder of “Veterans’ Revolution,” was not allowed to enter the Veterans’ land and was harassed by a hired security guard who kept a camera on him the whole time.

For 72 consecutive Sundays, Mr. Rosebrock and Veterans from all wars gather in front of the WLA VH to protest the land grab perpetrated by the VA and federal politicians in conjunction with affluent Brentwood neighborhood community organizations, businesses and Mr. Waxman’s Westside political machine.

In this shameful orchestration, the VA rented about 16 acres of Veterans’ land (worth more than a billion dollars) for a dollar per year to the Brentwood Homeowners Association. Yes, you heard me right, a buck a year. Why, you ask? So the people of Brentwood, some of the wealthiest in the country, can have a park. A park on Veterans’ land when there are empty hospitals our Veterans need!

Another game being played by the LA bureaucrats is the building of “apartments” at the cost of about $325,000 per unit in the unused hospitals that they now rent for TV productions at the Sepulveda VA. These very expensive so-called “apartments” are meant to house recovering addicts, etc. They say some Veterans can live there (this is really generous of them, isn’t it?), but the truth is these apartments will end up being fancy condos sold for millions in a few years.

In accordance with the Flag Code of the United States, the Veterans decided to turn the flag upside down as a sign of distress. In return, the federal police almost arrested them for “disturbing” conduct! Domestic terrorists like Bill Ayers can stomp the flag, anarchists can burn flags on the steps of the Congress, paint flags, rip flags, put flags in dung and call it art — but Veterans who fought for what the flag represents cannot, in accordance with the law, hang the flag upside down as a call of distress? Last week Mr. Robert Rosebrock was cited for having the American flag in distress attached to the Veterans gate, yet, the VA allowed the Iranian flag to be displayed on the Veterans gates!

Something is very wrong with this picture in America. Right now in history we have a group of renegade politicians who have buried our Constitution under the structure of false laws that we must abide by, “laws” that allow them to steal in the dead of night. And make no mistake about it: if they can steal our Veterans’ land without blinking an eye, they will soon be able to steal yours.

These “thieves” work on people’s minds, making them believe they are spotless individuals who do no wrong. Their abuse is silent and “lawful.” It is always for “our good.”

Our Founders fought a long battle to give us freedom and we cannot let anyone steal it from us. The first stand is with our Veterans to stop this land grab. Call your representatives, write your senators, demonstrate with your fellow Veterans, and do not allow this to go on any longer. In many ways, their land is your land — for without these good people freedom would be just a word.

For links, more facts, updated information and to contact representatives, visit www.veteranslandgrab.us



THE VETERANS REVOLUTION NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT! The sleazy VA bureaucrats have spied on us and lied to us, stalked, harassed, intimidated, threatened, challenged, insulted and persecuted us, yet we’ve done nothing wrong.

WHAT: THE VETERANS REVOLUTION TO “SAVE OUR VETERANS LAND” – You are respectfully requested to join this noble gathering of Fellow Veterans and Friends of Veterans standing shoulder-to-shoulder protecting the sacred land of the Los Angeles National Veterans Home.

WHY: TO DEFEND, PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE NATIONAL VETERANS HOME, which was deeded 121 years ago as a safe and permanent haven for America’s Military Veterans to heal from war. This is the largest VA Healthcare Center in the nation and we must preserve and protect this sacred national trust for today’s Veterans and future generations of Veterans. Stop the public park and billion-dollar land giveaway!

WHO: FELLOW VETERANS and FRIENDS OF VETERANS Includes 60, 70 and 80-year old World War II, Korean and Vietnam War Veterans and Members of The California American Legion, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Disabled American Veterans, The American G.I. Forum of California, AM VETS, the National Veterans Coalition, Veterans Untied For Truth, the Gathering of Eagles, and community and business supporters.

WHERE: AT THE FRONT GATE of the National Veterans Home, at the Northeast Corner of Wilshire and San Vicente Boulevards adjacent to Brentwood. (The West LA VA address is 11301 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90073)

WHEN: SUNDAY / 1:00 – 4:00 PM

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