Vet denied disability for joining antiwar group

Is there any end in sight to the shitty treatment the Bush regime gives to courageous veterans who fought for their country?

This story is about an Army veteran of the '91 Gulf War and the Afghanistan conflict who was awarded a Bronze Star for his Afghanistan service. After he retired from the military in 2003 and the current Iraq War picked up, he started battling insomnia and depression. He was occasionally suicidal. Later he was diagnosed with mild post-traumatic stress disorder.

But his condition was worse than mild and getting worse still. So he appealed his disability claim to change his rating from mild to moderate.

Now, however, Veterans Affairs has denied his disability claim. Why? Because he got involved with VoteVets.org, an organization of veterans that opposes the handling of the Iraq conflict.

In its letter to the retired Army man, the VA minimized all the symptoms he was experiencing before jawing about his VoteVets involvement.

The VA's ruling stinks strongly of politics. But the Bush regime has long been known for this type of political harassment. I already firmly believed the government would use politics to deny someone benefits they need. This item just proves it even more.

(Source: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/12/22535/3904/879/535098)