Trump regime guts vets' PTSD treatment

If you're a chickenhawk like Donald Trump, you're to shut your mouth about this topic, because you don't know a fucking thing about it.

Under Trump, the Department of Veterans Affairs is gutting group therapy programs for combat vets who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Trump's VA is closing these programs or ordering them to move to bad locations where participants receive no privacy.

The VA is also retaliating against employees who criticize these changes by demoting them.

The department is also trying to replace these treatments with medications that participants find ineffective.

Robert Wilkie - the Jesse Helms and Trent Lott protege who Trump appointed to head the VA - lied and said the group therapy sessions were ineffective. Its participants say that's nonsense. Wilkie had also helped cover up the Bush regime's lies that led to the Iraq War - and he has praised the Confederate cause as "honorable" and has said abolitionists were "enemies of liberty."

This comes at the same time that the VA is privatizing some of its mental health services. Knowing the atrocious record of America's private healthcare industry, that's like turning over our school system to Brossart.

The Trump thugocracy certainly is not patriotic, as it does not care about veterans.

Have no fear, the January ish is here!

The January issue of The Last Word is pub-a-dub-dub, and it talks about all sorts of nifty things!

This edition talks about discarding a broken radio, the 1980s computer game Eastern Front, the POP command in Atari BASIC, my desire to become a pirate, a person breaking an antique beer bottle, and other cool topics!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/396459293/The-Last-Word-1-2019

If that doesn't work, point it here...

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw1901.pdf

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas

Yesterday, I went to an important Christmas Day family gathering. Predictably, a bunkeroo wafted.

We detected the unmistakable audio of a loud-and-proud bunker blast. It was universally agreed that this air biscuit had a canine source.

People waved their hands to dissipate the inevitable aroma.

Government shuts down. Again.

In case you haven't heard, the federal government has shut down. Again.

Now let's spend the duration of this shutdown arguing about which party is to blame - even though only one party has controlled the government for the past 2 years.

A person bunkerooed in front of Charlie Luken

Today, I goed to Kroger and something funny happened. (Imagine that!)

As I was standing in the checkout lane, I detected the unmistakable bouquet of a silent-but-deadly bunker blast. It was as hilarious as you might imagine.

At the same time, I noticed Charlie Luken was buying groceries just a couple lanes away! That means a person released an air biscuit in the presence of a former Cincinnati mayor and congresscritter!

Mr. Luken pretended not to notice the hovering wafto.

Bevin trails badly in new poll

A quick note before I get on with my day.

A new poll by Mason-Dixon - a pollster that usually leans Republican - says Republican so-called Gov. Matt Bevin is badly trailing Kentucky's Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear in a head-to-head match-up for next year's gubernatorial race. Bevin is behind by a stunning 48% to 40%. Beshear is one of at least 2 Democrats vying for the governorship.

Only 40% for an incumbent governor? Oof!

Trump is called "speed freak" who invited teen beauty queens to suite

Stand-up comic Noel Casler once worked with Donald Trump on his idiotic "reality" show The Apprentice and on some of Trump's beauty pageants. Now Casler says Trump was a "speed freak" who crushed up Adderall and snorted it because he was illiterate and unable to read cue cards.

Remember those debates with Hillary Clinton where Trump kept making a snorting sound the whole time?

Casler also says Trump invited teenage beauty pageant contestants to his penthouse suite. Casler says Trump stuck his fingers in contestants' mouths to inspect their teeth before inviting them.

You built that, Repubs.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/donald-trump/former-apprentice-staffer-claims-trump-was-speed-freak-invited-teen-beauty-queens-to-his-suite)

Far Right arguing with Kiplinger's now?

I'm sick of hearing the Far Right whine about disabled workers receiving government benefits that these workers paid for. If the right-wingers think it's so easy being disabled, why don't they try it themselves?

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a benefit for workers who are disabled or suffer a chronic medical condition. It's an earned benefit - not welfare. In all cases, these workers paid into the system to receive this benefit. I'm not criticizing welfare, because welfare does serve a need for Americans who qualify. But SSDI is not welfare.

Despite this, Republicans in Congress have introduced bill after bill to slash SSDI or kick people off the rolls. One bill would cut SSDI payments down to poverty levels. Its supporters argue that this is because SSDI is intended to be just a subsistence program - not income replacement insurance. But if that's the case, why do workers pay into it? Why don't they instead just get SSI, which pays far less?

Now a new article about SSDI for part-time workers should kablammo the Far Right's mating call plumb-bob into the troposphere. And it's in Kiplinger's Personal Finance, of all places. The piece says, "SSDI is an income replacement insurance for former workers with disabilities, provided through the Social Security Administration."

Well, how ya like that, right-wingers? Gonna argue with Kiplinger's about SSDI?

I repeat, Kiplinger's says it's "income replacement insurance." That's a direct quote.

Then again, by attempting to slash SSDI payments to the poverty level, the GOP has accidentally admitted that SSI doesn't pay enough - for SSI pays even less than the poverty level. Instead of reducing SSDI to a poverty sum, they should raise SSI to that level. Like SSDI, SSI is an earned benefit.

It's also fair to say that the government defines the poverty level as much lower than it should be. While the official poverty line may be almost enough for an individual who lives in a medium-sized, slow-growing city, what about families who live in one of America's huge, booming cities, where housing costs are soaring faster than anywhere? Instead of tax cuts for the 1% and big corporations, why not stronger benefits for the 99%?

Independence! Florence! Big Bone! It's a great place to start!

Back in June, I had an automotive Roads Scholaring that surrounded a trip to Big Bone Lick State Park. The event yielded 26 Scholaring photos.

Know what you're gonna do? Peep 'em...

http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/kenboo18a.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/kenboo18b.html

Vincennes! Columbus! Madison! It's a great place to start!

Back in May, I went Roads Scholaring in Indiana, paying special attention to Vincennes and other cities and towns. I also examined the new stretch of I-69. And guess how many photos this outing yielded? That's right, 69!

So point your pooper here...

http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/in18a.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/in18b.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/in18c.html

Have no fear, the December ish is here!

This is a December to dismember, as yet another issue of The Last Word is published, thus making your face fly off in public!

This ish talks about all sorts of cool things, among them...

• A kid throwing a tantrum at Kroger.

• My new money-making e-book.

• A person chewing gum at an Abraham Lincoln historic site.

• Shipping companies losing beer shipments.

• A feather fetishist who shoplifted.

• Mister Rogers displaying his middle finger.

• Bad reviews for a My Little Pony toy.

• Cassette singles!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/394628924/The-Last-Word-12-2018

Lest you can't read it on Scribd, you can find the latest ish here...

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw1812.pdf

Kentucky GOPer wants do-over because he lost

The grapes, they are sour.

In last month's election, Kentucky State Rep. DJ Johnson, a Republican, was defeated by one vote by Democratic former State Rep. Jim Glenn.

County officials conducted a recount and confirmed the margin was one vote. Kentucky's Board of Elections later certified the results. Now - like the sore loser he is - Johnson is contesting the results by taking it to the Kentucky House, which is still controlled by Republicans despite their rather unmistakable net loss. Plus, Johnson apparently expects the Democrats to pay for it.

Of course, there's no basis for contesting it, because it's been shown multiple times now that Johnson lost. But don't expect that to stop the Kentucky GOP. Some years back, Republican Dana Seum Stephenson was elected to the Kentucky Senate, but a court disqualified her because she didn't meet the residency requirement. Then the Republican-led Kentucky Senate defied the judge's ruling and seated her anyway. Later, however, the Kentucky Supreme Court finally forced her to resign.

You lost, DJ, you big crybaby. Last month confirmed that America has a permanent mandate to reject Republican extremism, and the GOP can count on us to enforce this mandate.

Cope.