I Don’t Hate America!

Rep. Tim Walz sent out a mailing today applauding the expansion of the list of diseases that the harmful chemical Agent Orange has had on many of our Vietnam Veterans.  With a family member awaiting a heart due to this serious threat, I am glad to see this step forward by VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.  As a cardiac nurse, I feel adding ischemic heart disease is a major win for Vets given the time frame this specific illness affects the population and the current age of the Vietnam Veteran cohort.

From the VA:

“VA presumes that all military personnel who served in Vietnam were exposed to Agent Orange, and federal law presumes that certain illnesses are a result of that exposure.”

Their current list of diseases include:

acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy, porphyria cutanea tarda, chloracne, prostate cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, respiratory cancers (lung, bronchus, larynx and trachea), Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, soft-tissue sarcoma, acute; non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Type II diabetes mellitus

From the Walz mailing:

I am writing to inform you that Veterans’ Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has made the important decision to add Parkinson’s disease, ischemic heart disease and hairy cell leukemia to the list of presumptive illnesses related to Agent Orange exposure for Vietnam veterans. I applaud Secretary Shinseki for making this decision, which will have a positive impact on thousands of America’s veterans.

VA presumes that all military personnel who served in Vietnam were exposed to Agent Orange, and federal law presumes that certain illnesses are a result of that exposure. This “presumptive policy” simplifies the process of receiving compensation for these diseases since VA foregoes the normal requirements of proving that an illness began or was worsened during military service.

The decision announced this week expanded the list of presumed illnesses to include ischemic heart disease, hairy cell leukemia and Parkinson’s disease. This policy change means that all service members who served in Vietnam and are suffering from these illnesses will no longer have the additional burden of proving their illness is connected to their service to our country.

I am happy the VA made this decision today, and I want to thank Secretary Shinseki for moving us in the right direction. When our warriors return home, they should always be given the benefit of the doubt, and we have an obligation to ensure that they receive the care and benefits they earned. This decision helps us fulfill the moral responsibility we owe to the men and women who have served this country.

I would also like to thank the U.S. Military Veterans with Parkinson’s (USMVP) for their untiring efforts. Their advocacy and research helped VA make this important decision and their efforts will have lasting impacts on the lives of Vietnam veterans. I appreciate the close partnership and assistance they continue to give us as they advocate for our nation’s veterans.

For more information about Agent Orange and VA compensation eligibility, please see http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/benefits/herbicide/aono1.htm. To file a compensation claim for a current disability related to Agent Orange, veterans can call 1-800-827-1000 for an application form or visit VA’s Web site at: http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov.

For more information about my activities representing southern Minnesota in Congress, please visit http://walz.house.gov and sign up for my e-newsletter.

Sincerely,

Tim Walz
Member of Congress

Over at Bluestem you can see video of Rep. John Hall, D-New York, speaking at a gig in Mankato this past weekend. Hall gave great insight into his work with Rep. Tim Walz on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Unfortunately however, the video lacks any footage of Hall, a founding member of the 1970s band Orleans, performing any music.

Thanks be it to me, at least, you will all not have leave to the blogosphere empty handed today without your fix of members of Congress performing on stage.

Going way back to 1988, here’s Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, rockin’ out on stage. (Yes, WordPress is being stupid with embedding, so linking it is)

This was certainly nominated at the MTV Awards back then, right?

Peterson went on to stardom as the front-man for the Second Amendments.Just to clear up any residual confusion that may be present, John Hall was NOT a member of Hall & Oates, which is the most successful duo in the history of recorded music.

That duo was comprised of Daryl Hall and John Oates.

Speaking of H&O, almost two months ago I suggested that the duo’s tune “Adult Education” may be applied to Congressional candidate Randy Demmer.

Yesterday, I thought sufficient evidence was present to declare one of Demmer’s opponents for the GOP nomination to take on Tim Walz next year, Dick Day, out of touch.

Perhaps this Hall & Oates hit can be used by Day’s campaign as a theme song.

From The Hill:

Minnesota

Iraq veteran and former Watertown Mayor Steve Sarvi will file for the Democratic primary to take on Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) this week, Sarvi told The Hill on Wednesday.

“I’ve always had a process with this thing of taking it sort of step by step and seeing how it goes,” Sarvi said. “So the next step for us is to raise money and see what the reception’s like.”

Democrats are bullish about Sarvi, who said he would file either Wednesday or Thursday. They say his military background will help him cut into a major base of Kline’s support.

Kline is a retired Marine colonel who served as an aide to Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. He has carved out a reputation built on veterans’ issues.

Despite being a Democratic target, he has survived reelection bids with relative ease the last two cycles, winning both by 56-40 margins.

I finally had the opportunity to meet Sarvi a couple of weeks ago at a SD 35 DFL picnic. We will continue to follow this race closely here at IDHA.

Recently members of the 1st brigade/34th Infantry (Red Bulls) Division of the Army National Guard began returning to Minnesota from their record setting 22 months of employment.  Today, the US House passed a concurring resolution honoring their service.

The resolution, H. Con. Res. 185 introduced by Rep. Tim Walz and cosponsored by every other member of the Minnesota House delegation, “commends the 1st Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division of the Minnesota National Guard upon its completion of the longest continuous deployment of any United States military unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom,” “recognizes the achievements of the members of the 1st Brigade Combat Team and their exemplary service to the United States” and “directs the Clerk of the House to transmit a copy of this resolution to the Adjutant General of the Minnesota National Guard for appropriate display.”

“This record of the longest continual deployment of any US military operation during Operation Iraqi Freedom is something to be incredibly proud of,” Walz said. “Being there is one thing; contributing positively the way they did is quite another.”

Some of the contributions Walz was refering to include the discovery of 462 IEDs, the capture of over 400 suspected insurgent, the assistance in starting two Iraqi newspapers and the completion of 137 reconstruction projects.

“These men and women did not set this record and when they left these shores they had no idea this record was going to be theirs,” Rep. John Kline, R-Minnesota and member of the House Armed Services Committee, said. “But when the word came they didn’t flinch.  They set forward, did their duty and they set a record; one which I certainly hope no other unit will be asked to surpass.”

“We recognize not just the soldiers but their families and employers who patiently supported, loved and cared for them and waited until they returned to the Midwest,” Walz added, a former member of the Red Bulls himself, added.

Walz also noted that the responsibility of Congress to the soldiers goes well beyond honoring them with a resolution: “Now Congress must do its part to recognize their service and provide them with the benefits and health care they need,” he said.

The House passed the resolution by voice vote with a recorded vote to come later today.