Sunday, October 11, 2009

Retired Veterans Fight ON, One More Time !


Today- Veteran’s Land Theft
The country has thousands of patriotic veterans. And you can regularly see many “Welcome Home” banners carefully and lovingly placed on many freeways over crossings notifying drivers that another veteran has arrived home from foreign war service. With the many International news covering the Iraq and Afghanistan war zones, our numbers of local veterans will grow larger. Many, if not all, of those veterans will be using the Veterans Hospital in Sawtell West Los Angeles for their health needs. That complex is the largest veteran’s center west of the Rocky Mountains.

Many of those veterans and their families don’t know about the huge battle between local land developers and the Veteran’s Administration over the hospital lands. Veterans Park Conservancy (VPC), (not a Veterans organization) is a special-interest Brentwood homeowners group, has manipulated a no-bid, rent-free agreement with the VA to build a public park on 16 acres of veteran’s center land. This parcel of veteran’s land at the corner of Wilshire and San Vicente Boulevards and is arguably the most valuable parcel on the West Coast. It is estimated to be worth nearly a billion dollars. It’s estimated land value is by thousands of dollars per square INCH. Still, not one penny will go to veterans or their healthcare services at the largest VA healthcare center in our nation. It is outrageous that neighboring Brentwood residents who live in multi-million dollar homes are not content with their good fortune that they would covet and scheme to confiscate veteran’s hospital land for a park and entertainment center, while more than 20,000 veterans are homeless, even though this is their rightful Sawtell “Home”. As holding 81+ consecutive Sunday Rallies (I-4 PM) as proof of their steady loyalty to their mission of protecting, preserving and defending the Los Angeles National Veterans Home against establishment of a park and other abuse and misuse that the VA has shamelessly facilitated. Every Sunday, ‘The Veterans Revolution’ is a team of fellow retired veterans in ages of 70s and 80s staunchly protest that refuse to fade away from this patriotic weekly Sunday picket duty. “Save Our Veterans Land!” “No Public Park!” and “Shame on the VA” are the ringing chants of The Veteran’s Revolution at one of the busiest street intersections in West Los Angeles.

History- “Angeles National Veteran’s Home”
This largest VA healthcare Sawtell center in the nation started on March 2, 1887, the Forty-Ninth Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, assembled and approved an Act of Congress: ”That the Board of Managers of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers are hereby authorized, empowered, and directed to locate, establish, construct, and permanently maintain a branch of said National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers to be by such Board located at such place in the States west of the Rocky Mountains as to said Board shall appear most desirable and advantageous.” The Congressional Act of 1887 stipulates: “That all honorably discharged soldiers and sailors who served in the regular and volunteer forces of the United States, and who are disabled by disease, wounds, or otherwise, and who have no adequate means of support, and by reason of such disability are incapable of earning their living, shall be entitled to be admitted to said home for disabled volunteer soldiers, subject to like regulations as they are now admitted to existing branches of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.” On March 3, 1888, in compliance with the Congressional Act of 1887, John P. Jones and Arcadia B. de Baker, deeded and entrusted 300 acres of some of the most desirable and advantageous land in Los Angeles to the United States Government with the restated promise that the land was “to be permanently maintained as a National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.” John P. Jones and Arcadia B. de Baker to jointly donate hundreds of acres to the U.S. government to be permanently maintained as a National Home for Disabled Soldiers and to further ensure that there never would be a “homeless” veteran.
For over a century, every person honored the Congressional Act of 1887 by faithfully protecting and preserving the many land acres in West Los Angeles that were deeded as a permanent National Home for America's Military veterans to convalesce and rehabilitate. For decades, America's citizenry and their elected public servants respected this national trust as a peaceful sanctuary of privacy and quiet rest for veterans to heal from war at Angeles National Veteran’s Home. That has changed for the worse, today. Unfortunately, humanitarian priorities and moral responsibilities have changed over recent years as this hallowed Angeles National Veterans Home’s land has been pillaged, plundered and prostituted away to the highest commercial bidder and even given away “rent free” to special interest groups, and always with the blessing of devious politicians and dubious VA bureaucrats and at the painful expense of America's military veterans. Today however, those who have benefited and prospered from these heroic warrior’s war sacrifices want to use this hallowed land for Veterans Park Conservancy’s own selfish Brentwood amusement and entertainment. And Veterans Park Conservancy accomplishes it audaciously and irreverently toward warrior lands rightful use.

JOIN- “The Veteran’s Revolution”

Now, a relentless coalition of fellow veterans have organized into “The Veteran’s Revolution” to take keep this historic land only for veterans and to enforce the Congressional Act and Deed to insure the legacy of this 121 year-old Angeles National Veteran’s Home national treasure. Armed with nothing more than their enthusiastic loyalty, American flags and a 15-foot banner that says "Save Our Veteran’s Land," with a document titled the "Declaration of Enforcement" to uphold the promise of the Deed of 1888, they have faithfully gathered every Sunday for the past 81+ weeks in front of the veteran’s home in West Los Angeles to defend their sacred land that was a gift donated by two American Patriots, Senator Jones and Lady de Baker. The Veteran Revolution’s “Old Guard" proudly serves to protect, preserve and defend “Our National Veteran’s Home,” not only for the sole purpose of today's veterans to heal from war, but for future generations of America's Military veterans as well. Leading The Veterans Revolution are dedicated World War II and Korean War Veterans who are aged in 70s and 80s, while the younger sentries are aged in 50s and 60s and served during the Vietnam War. These loyal Ventura patriots who once served in separate branches of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard while defending our national homeland, now stand shoulder-to-shoulder defending their National Veteran’s Home land. Others attending here are family of loved ones who served in the military. Members of this Ventura county “Old Guard,” who drive from 40- 50 miles every Sunday to participate, selflessly dedicate every Sunday for the noble cause to "Save Our Veteran’s Land". Plato forewarned more than 2500 years ago which “Only the dead have seen the end of war”. Consequently, this Angeles National Veteran’s Home must always be protected and preserved to care for future veterans to heal. The “Old Guard” is adamant that there will never be a Brentwood wanted park on this sacred land and it will not be abused and misused by the VA and their Brentwood cronies, certainly not on their watch. The Sunday rally gatherings takes place at the Northeast corner of Wilshire and San Vicente Boulevards in front of the Los Angeles National Veterans Home, which is adjacent to the (affluent) community of Brentwood. Concerned residents and veterans may join them on any Sunday to help in their patriotic informational pricket and their personal cause to protect Angeles National Veteran’s Home! (Sundays 1-4 PM meet at corner of Wilshire and San Vicente Boulevards in West Los Angeles.)