HCV 101

Posted on February 14, 2012 by asknod

I was asked about why HCV is such a difficult bug to kill by my 8 year old grandson. His answer to bugs is a large rock. I tried explaining it several different ways but none resonate with children. Explaining immune systems falls on deaf ears. He showed me his caterpillar  named  Cat who has woven himself a new winter home. Metamorphosis will bring out a wondrous new animal come spring.

While studying the pupa, it finally came to me how to explain the mystery of HCV. Doctors should write a pamphlet for their patients on this. HCV is a cunning little virus that is like a caterpillar. It invades your body and surreptitiously makes itself a home. Soon, your body recognizes it has a new inhabitant and mobilizes the immune system to rid itself of the beast. The HCV is very clever. Once identified, it metamorphoses like the  larval-stage caterpillar into a new version. Your body doesn’t immediately recognize this new pupa so there is a delay between identification and the body’s gearing up to do battle with the newer version. This process repeats itself over and over for decades with the gradual destruction of the liver.

Because the body is on high alert and doing battle with this beast day in and day out, your immune system occasionally goes NASDAQ and chooses to attack anything it perceives as an invader. This is known as an auto- immune disorder. It explains why HCV sufferers have so many of these ailments.  Auto immune Hepatitis (AIH) is a classic example of this. The largest concentration of these bugs is in the liver so it is the logical choice to attack from the body’s viewpoint.

Interferon has been described as an immune enhancer. That’s like calling Napalm a cigarette lighter. IFN Therapy is like a Hyperdrive Motivator on an X-wing fighter. It takes a normal process and supercharges it. It’s far more intense than a normal course of chemotherapy because it takes every iota of energy from the body to assault the virus. This leaves little in reserve for the normal, regular pursuits of life. Some of our members have described this as akin to “being drug through a knothole backwards”. From my one and only experience, I can only agree. It’s also like having a industrial strength vacuum cleaner suck all your energy out, too.

It should come as no great surprise that IFN therapy has some interesting and serious side effects that one would not expect. Loss or deterioration of vision is one frequently mentioned. Others complain of “Brain fog” or the feeling of cobwebs in the noggin. A better description would be knowing your birthdate, but having a hard time remembering what part of your brain you filed it in. It always comes to you eventually which proves it isn’t Alzheimer’s. That’s small consolation to many of us.

While there is no direct correlation between IFN therapy and the inception of autoimmune disorders, I find it incongruous that I had no overt symptoms of Cryoglobulinemia or AIH before my one dose of bug juice. Of course it can be said that while there is no correlation between jetguns and HCV, it’s entirely plausible.

In 1994, the VAMC in Portland,  in conjunction with the University of Oregon, instituted a research protocol to observe if there was any link between HCV and Porphyria Cutanea Tarda. Within two years they had enough to extrapolate that 32% of infected individuals were also PCT-afflicted. Most would publish their results proudly and ask for more government funds to beat this to death. Not the VA. They quietly put this to bed and moved on. One would think VA examiners would point to this and use it for rating purposes. Not. You will never get a nexus from them on this. Oddly, there is much evidence in private circles documenting the link between Cryoglobulinemia and HCV as well.  Even citing to this literature when filing for Cryo won’t get you SC. You’ll still need the magic letter.

In light of the above, you can understand VA’s recalcitrance to do any long term studies of population cohorts to look for any conceivable linkage between HCV and the use of jetguns. Absent the knowledge of a round earth, it remains comfortably flat in their estimation. It’s rumored that studies are proposed for this in 2076, which coincides with about when the last of the jetgun-innoculated Veterans will pass from “natural” causes. At that point, VA will don sack cloth, rub ashes on their forehead and wail that “if only they’d known this, Veterans could have been remunerated  appropriately”.  Hindsight is always 20-20. Contrived hindsight is 20-15.

P.S. I received this from WGM on the subject of brain fog. The man is a powerhouse of information on this disease and it’s etiology:

http://hepatitiscawareness.com/hepc/science/hepatitis-c-virus-causes-brain-inflammation-leading-neuron-injury

Posted in All about Veterans, General Messages, HCV Health, Nexus Information | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

CANCER AND CAMP LEJEUNE

Posted on February 14, 2012 by asknod

There will be a broadcast concerning the pollution of the water supply at Camp Lejeune between 1957 and 1987 soon. Here are the details. Mark your calendars.

From Dick Wearne and Aaron Cheerman….Camp Lejeune – aboard the base between 1957 and 1987.Program will air Feb. 24th on MSNBC 10 PM ET and tells the story of the water contamination.

http://info.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/08/10351686-msnbc-presents-semper-fi-always-faithful-friday-february-2410-pm-et

P.S. We have a Lawyer friend who is filing for another Vet. He may take on more of these. I haven’t confirmed his desires or intents yet. He is located in Michigan.
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COMING HOME WITH DIGNITY

Posted on February 13, 2012 by asknod

I received an email this evening I wish to share. It’s from a Marine so you’ll see the obvious bias. All I receive from Tom is Marine stuff. When we were upcountry and a fellow airman was shot down, he invariably would be surrounded by the Pathet Lao. Surrender was a delayed death sentence. Most chose to fight bravely to the end. There was nothing more mournful than to hear one of these in progress and the inevitable final message sent to  38th ARRS-  “Raven reports negative objective”. Unfortunately the communists didn’t see fit to even repatriate the remains.

When 2nd Lt. James Cathey’s body arrived at the Reno Airport , Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac. During the arrival of another Marine’s casket last year at Denver International Airport , Major Steve Beck described the scene as powerful: ‘See the people in the windows? They sat right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what’s going through their minds, knowing that they’re on the plane that brought him home,’ he said. ‘They will remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They’re going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should.’

The email directed me to start wearing the color blue every Friday to show my support for our military and, by extension, all Veterans. I intend to start doing so. Thank you for this, Tom. It disturbs memories I’d rather not, but that need disturbing more frequently.

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COVA–LAYNO V. BROWN– DON’T TRY TO LAYNO BOOGIE-WOOGIE ON THE COVA

Posted on February 13, 2012 by asknod

As a PS at the beginning(Prescript?), I wish to point out that Mary Lou Keener, future bride of Herschel Gober (soon to be acting  VASEC) was the lead attorney on this.  Nepotism is alive and well in America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Veterans_Affairs

I love this decision for a lot of reasons. It teaches a lot. Trying to be anally specific can backfire. I sure don’t need to tell myself that. This resembles Mr. Mario Caluza’s predicament in a lot of respects.

https://asknod.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/cova-caluza-v-brown-total-recall/

The CAVC had to make a stand eventually and call a halt to the practice of briefing all your second and third cousins on your new VA -sponsored financial plan. In some quarters, this is called collusion. Mr. Layno had this down to a science after the Dave Del Dotto Cash Flow seminar. He even remembered the very first day he suffered from this asthma thingie-March 8th, 1949. Funny how that was also his last day in the armed forces, huh?  You don’t think that might raise a few eyebrows down at the VARO?  Wait. It gets better.

Benitio C. Layno, loyal Veteran from 1946-49, discharged honorably. No complications, No sequelae. In 1990ish, Mr. Layno suddenly noticed his asthma, which he contended first occurred in service, and filed for same. He had one little problem… or did he?  His records were consumed in the little smoke alarm battery/sprinkler snafu at the NPRS in St. Louis in 1973. VA gave him “fire-related ” certification which meant they had to actually go find evidence wherever he’d been stationed. They did a rather desultory search and came up with little. Back then this would have been considered negative evidence and weighed heavily against him.  In today’s world he’d still lose but they’d call it absence of evidence, and therefore “pure speculation”. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Mr. Layno,  we shall address him by his Christian name  Benito, enlisted a host of friends and a doctor, as I mentioned above, who all told a suspiciously similar story. The only ones he overlooked were a movie star, a millionaire and his wife, the Professor and Mary Anne. Their notarized statements all confirmed that not only had Benny arrived home from service, but that he had a diagnosis of asthma. How they definitively knew he had asthma varied. Mayhap he carried around all the medical records in a briefcase and freely showed them to these witnesses when queried. Some of them said they were frequently invited to go with him to asthma appointments at his doctor’s clinic. It’s to be presumed that they liked to avail themselves of the wide variety of superlative reading material available to them exclusively in the waiting room.

The Benmeister even knew about nexus letters a full year before Mario Caluza did:

He also proffered a written statement from his private physician, Amador Corpuz, M.D., that he had been treated for “recurrent bronchial asthma” from January 15, 1950, to March 30, 1955. An additional written statement from the appellant’s doctor indicated that the appellant’s treatment records from October 1, 1953, to December 7, 1986, were available, but that earlier records “must have been misplaced, lost or destroyed due to the length of time that have [sic] elapsed since 1950.” The appellant presented copies of treatment records for the period October 1953 to December 7, 1986, in support of his claim. Layno v. Brown 1994

Benny was busy man. He also brought forth his two BFFs for the Buddy Letter(s):

The appellant also presented the joint sworn affidavit of Euletrio Laeno and Silvestre
Madalipay, stating they had personal knowledge of the appellant’s bronchial asthma “since early March 1949,” its onset, and treatment by Dr. Corpuz “from January 15, 1950 up to March 30, 1955.” The affiants stated they had this personal knowledge because they had the opportunity to observe the appellant on a regular basis. The affiants did not testify as to their particular observations regarding the appellant’s symptoms or conditions, only that they had personal knowledge of the appellant’s
bronchial asthma. The affiants also stated that they had personal knowledge of the appellant’s treatment by Dr. Corpuz because they had been invited to accompany the appellant when he went for treatment. The affiants did not state whether they had actually accompanied the appellant to his appointments with Dr. Corpuz. Layno supra

Fearing his relatives’ evidence might be viewed as too contrived, Benito sought out his  neighbors and the vegetable vendor from his neighborhood. .  .

The Board also reviewed the live testimony of Silvestre Madalipay, Cecilia Magbual, and Alejandra Gampong on behalf of the appellant at an RO hearing in September 1991. Mr. Madalipay testified that he knew the appellant and had the opportunity to observe him. Mr. Madalipay stated that the appellant had difficulty breathing “after his arrival at our place,” and that this was not consistent with the appellant’s preservice condition. Ms. Magbual testified that she also knew the appellant, and had the opportunity to observe him “after he arrived from Okinawa.” She noted that
his condition was “very bad.” Finally, Ms. Gampong testified that she too knew the appellant, and stated that upon his return from service, the appellant “started complaining about his asthma.” Layno supra.

Everything might have gone swimmingly if the testimonials had all dealt with only observable symptoms.  If you remember the Espiritu v. Derwinski decision, Jovita Espiritu ran into this problem, too. VA really gives the hairy eyeball to these things when everyone but the village idiot queues up to testify with sworn affidavits.

https://asknod.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/cova-espiritu-v-derwinski-no-lay-doctors/

Mrs. Espiritu and several of her neighbors tried to diagnose her dearly departed husband’s diseases themselves without benefit of any medical training.  There were other issues like too many death certificates whereas here, the whole peanut gallery was donning surgical gear and stethoscopes. Caluza tried to improve on this, but that is another story.

Notwithstanding a prior history of COVA jurisprudence in this same vein, Benito has now became the poster child for the observable symptoms precedent. Look at how many choices history could have cited to:

Specifically, this Court has held that lay testimony is not competent to prove a matter requiring medical expertise. Fluker v. Brown, 5 Vet.App. 296, 299 (1993); Moray v. Brown, 5 Vet.App. 211, 214 (1993); Cox v. Brown, 5 Vet.App. 93, 95 (1993); Grottveit, 5 Vet.App. at 92-93; Clarkson v. Brown, 4 Vet.App. 565, 567 (1993). Thus, “lay assertions of medical causation cannot constitute evidence to render a claim well grounded . . . .” Grottveit, 5 Vet.App. at 93. Layno supra

Why is that? Why was it Mario, Jovita and Benito were maligned (and lost to boot) with the sobriquet of  “suborned testimony” and not Fluker or Cox above. Okay, I’ll grant you these two wouldn’t pass muster on the laugh test with the censors, but what of Moray, Clarkson or Grottveit?  In other words, why is it that some Johnny-come-lately to the  “My friends are all doctors” argument gets top billing in spite of his loss? Does Layno roll off the tongue better?

There’s more at work here and I detect the subtle aroma of racism. Either that or they’re all reading from the same play book. While the decision doesn’t specifically identify the location, I’m going to venture out on a limb and theorize Benito’s Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) was Manila. We know for a fact that Mrs. Espiritu and Mario Caluza filed there. Perhaps the Manila, Philippines VARO has a higher number of “questionable” claims than others.  I think it’s only fair to reveal that the VA has been doing this since the War of Northern Aggression in 1865. They have the same Cliff Notes book on Excuses and Ploys for VA Claims©.

The fact remains that poor Benito struck out. Not only that, the Court went further; they vacated the denial and remanded it back to the BVA. The reason? Why, because the neighbors flunked the Espiritu audition and that the claim was not well-grounded from the get go.

Layno’s teaching moment, as we see in innumerable denials currently, is that you (and your friends) may only testify as to what can be observed by the five sensory organs of sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. Anything more will be thrown out with the baby’s bath water. Exceptions are if your best friend and hunting partner happens to have an M.D. after his name. Then you are in high cotton and can ignore the above.

Meet Benito and his band of doctor buddies:

Layno_92-353

Posted in All about Veterans, Important CAVC/COVA Ruling, Nexus Information, Tips and Tricks, Veterans Law | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

School Buses

Posted on February 13, 2012 by asknod

This has nothing to do with why this site is here, but I couldn’t resist.

Japanese School buses:

But wait, there’s more…

 

In the same vein, From India…

And we call where when we have a computer problem? What’s wrong with this picture?

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WOMENS’ PREROGATIVE

Posted on February 12, 2012 by asknod

I was in my back yard trying to launch a kite.

I threw the kite up in the air, the wind would catch it for a few seconds,
then it would come crashing back down to earth.
I tried this a few more times with no success.

All the while, my wife Anne is watching from the kitchen window,
Muttering to herself how men need to be told how to do everything.

She opens the window and yelled to me, You need a piece of tail.

I turned with a confused look on my face and said,
Make up your mind. Last night, you told me to go fly a kite.

Posted in All about Veterans, Humor | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

2012 CFC–360 C BY NOODLEDUDE©

Posted on February 12, 2012 by asknod

The Appeals Universe is a dangerous place to be for the novice. There are  Black Holes that can make appeals stretch out into light years. Just imagine being trapped in the Remand zone from the AMC!  That’s right, Joe Veteran.  And you sure don’t want to go there without your brand new, patented, CFC –36® Claims Flow Chart ° by Noodledude for the low, low price of just $39.95.  You’ll always know where you are with VA and where you’re heading with one of these. Comes in five exciting colors  with its very own faux leather carrying case. Get our new, improved, Windows 7 compatible  CFC–360®°° C color version with onboard GPS for accuracy to within a year for just $99.95 more!

That’s right. Take the guesswork out of your claim. Amaze your Vet friends. The new CFC–360 ® device is guaranteed accurate to within just one year! Enter your friends’ data, too. It has a universal claims USB input port. See who’s ahead!  Just think of the exciting new uses you can put this device to. Why, you can file innumerable claims and the CFC-360 can keep track of all of them simultaneously. No more bulky file cabinets and clutter on your desk! Fits comfortably right in your wallet. Instantly scans SOCs and SSOCs. Indicates exactly what to do! Take the worry out of VA claims. LED-like Form 9 indicators and 60-day suspense timer asterisks are available as an upgrade on color versions.

And if you call in the next ten minutes, we’ll double that offer and only charge you shipping and handling for the extra unit!   You heard me right. A free CFC–36!  We can’t offer these insane deals all day, so you’ll have to act now. Call 800-867-5309 in the next ten minutes and take advantage of this valuable offer. That’s 800-867-5309 for a good time.

°–Sorry. No group discounts available for VSOs and VA.

°°–Sorry. No group discounts available for VSOs and VA

BY  NOODLEDUDE®  Patent pending, Copywrite©

Offer does not impute any support of  a Political Party or Animal Rescue foundation. Does not include dealer prep. destination fees, energy surcharges, or state and local income taxes. All major credit,debit and library cards accepted.

Original posted long ago. (Claim chart also magnifies larger by clicking on it on this one)  https://asknod.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/claims-flow-chart-2011/

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COVA–SCHAFRATH v. DERWINSKI–ALLEY OOP

Posted on February 12, 2012 by asknod

vetcourtappealspromoI’m sure few of you know who Alley Oop was.  He was a fixture on Sunday morning in the funny papers. I suppose they’re called cartoons now. The parallel I draw here is not about cave men per se. It’s about a Veteran named Roger Shafrath who chose to fight for his rights without any legal help. Alley Oop was a loner in that respect. He depended on no one. So to, Roger.

VA Regulations deprive us of any meaningful representation at the most critical juncture of our claim.We are stuck with this idiocy at the RO level until we lose as most know. Only when denied can we can avail ourselves of real assistance. I do not consider the VSO system the panacea that some do. Were it uniform and staffed by legal types with a modicum of intelligence, I’m sure I’d have a higher regard for it. The disturbing fact that funds are appropriated by Congress and disbursed to these organizations makes me question their non-partisan posture. They sit cheek and jowl in the same buildings with VA personnel and I am hard pressed to see the delineation.

Roger J. Schafrath was the quintessential do-it-yourselfer Navy guy. Were he to encounter a body of water that needed traversing, I wager to say he wouldn’t get his feet wet in the process. Here, he was one of the first to go toe-to-toe with the VASEC in a panel decision before the COVA. The fact that this ended in a reversal in his favor is astounding. Higher tribunals are loathe to reverse. In most cases they vacate and remand with nuanced instructions on how they would like to see it done, thank you very much.

Mr. Schafrath managed to get in on the end of the Vietnamese Boundary Dispute Conflict. By that time the Navy wasn’t actively kicking ass and taking names in the Mekong Delta anymore. They were out on the Bounding Main doing their John Paul Jones imitation. Nevertheless, every Veteran’s contribution to America is equal in my eyes. Peacetime service is just that-right up until the moment it isn’t. One usually doesn’t volunteer based on that presumption.

Most of these big name cases started brewing in a narrow window of time that brought them to fame before the COVA. Roger’s began when he injured himself playing football up in Alaska in 1977. He ended up with a medical discharge and a 20 % disability split between his wrist and elbow. In 1984, Rog had surgery to fix carpal tunnel issues  but the screws and paraphernalia associated with it became discombobulated. VA upped his wrist to 40% in 86. Everything was copacetic for several years until the VA decided it couldn’t leave well enough alone.

True to form, in an effort to husband their resources, the VA reexamined him in 88 and decided the elbow was good to go. Bye- bye to the 10%. Roger filed a NOD and said the pain was excruciating and VA had not looked at the big picture.  He was right. They hadn’t. Pressing on full bore with a SOC, they announced in their best Ben Casey lingo that his elbow was fine. He filed another NOD in January 1989 saying everything most definitely wasn’t fine and that a doctor at the Orlando OPC (Out Patient Clinic) had opined as much.

Apparently at this point, Roger actually had a VSO rep. and together they strove to get the Orlando medrecs into the BVA adjudication. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! It was to no avail. The BVA proceeded to a decision on what could at best be described as an incomplete record due to their intransigence. This was the way things were done then. The BVA was the end of the line for Vets prior to the Veterasn Justice Reform Act of 88. With the new VJRA came the COVA and judicial review of all these BVA  Texas-style necktie parties. Roger was splendidly positioned to become a household name in VA jurisprudence and he had no clue yet.

The new COVA received his NOA and sharpened their pencils. This was going to be relatively simple and straight to the point. The VA needed to be instructed on what they could and could not do in the New World Order. The obvious error was the reduction of his elbow rating from 10 to 0% based on one exam. That was a major Bozo No-No and had been for several score years.  What was of more import was the recalcitrance to retrieve his medical records which were in their possession. §3.159 entitles us to the duty to assist.  Alas, Bell v. Derwinski wouldn’t be decided for another 7 months. Bell stands for the proposition that VA is in “constructive possession” of the medrecs. They can’t pretend they aren’t or that it  isn’t prejudicial not to retrieve them.

Basing their decision about the records heavily on Godwin and Ivey, they excoriated Mr. Derwinski for his indifference to a Veteran-friendly forum in which to present our claims. What’s more, they strongly invoked a holding that if the VA is asked to fetch medrecs which may be probative and fail to do so, they must come to you hat in hand and explain as much. At this point, to make it fair, you as a claimant should be allowed to retrieve them yourself and your claim put on hold or remanded to accommodate you.  This is more important than you think.

In 1993, the Court had one of their misogynous moments and declared in Caffrey v. Brown that failure in the duty to assist was not CUE. Their reasoning was based on large quantities of adult beverages and the misguided theory that an incomplete record is not an incorrect record. What they didn’t address was the inherent bias and lack of due process that ensues when you proceed to an adjudication on a knowingly incorrect record. It can be said that finding new and material evidence after the decision will allow you to refile or “reopen” a claim. What isn’t parsed is the loss of the earlier date for your claim. Precluding a Vet from rectifying this via CUE is particularly appropriate in this narrow scenario. What isn’t permissible is to blatantly refuse or ignore requests for inclusion of evidence known to exist.

Where the Schafrath decision meets the Warhol requirements for 15 minutes of fame is the error of Mr. Derwinski. To wit, the failure to approach Roger and at least lie: “We looked for these Orlando medrecs and we can’t find them. What do you want us to do? Would you like to take a stab at it? Tell us how you want to proceed.” That was what was supposed to happen in the nonadversarial world of the VA.

This was an alien concept to the newly truncated BVA. They were being stripped of their autonomy, one new COVA decision at a time and they didn’t appreciate it. In fact, VA justice suffered horribly during this era and for several more years until the COVA was firmly ensconced and proved their mettle. The mere fact that the COVA had to enunciate these CFR precepts to the VASEC is proof positive of their recalcitrance to adopt this new system or toe the line with their own regulations..

Mr. Schafrath did this all by himself without any leagle beagles. He is proof of what one determined Veteran can do in the face of injustice. What hasn’t been decided in my mind is the legality of not coming back to the Veteran and asking for guidance on obtaining evidence that would tend to support a claim. An ex parte judicial process allows for this-nay, demands it. For the VA to ignore this is error on its face. A strong case must be presented that addresses this shortcoming. It happens frequently and the General Counsel, when caught attempting it, always pleads the fifth and says “Joint Motion for Remand, your Honor. Mea culpas are in order. Allow us to correct this flaw.” They know full well they erred. The Court knows it , too , and turns a blind eye.

Where this has resonance is how it modifies the Caffrey CUE holding.  This isn’t settled jurisprudence yet in my book. If willful misconduct (or inaction) by the BVA was the predicate necessary to obtain an incomplete record,  where does judicial misfeasance begin? Further, once this record becomes incorrect due to said misfeasance, how can it not be void ab initio?

Misfeasance is defined as a judicial act that is performed legally but improperly. Malfeasance, on the other hand, is the commission (or omission?) of an act that is unequivocally illegal or completely wrongful. Perhaps the time has come to revisit Caffrey. A Veteran-friendly judicial environment demands it.

Allow me to introduce Roger-Mr. DIY:

Schafrath_89-114

Posted in Important CAVC/COVA Ruling, Tips and Tricks, Veterans Law | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

APA– VETERANS’ GAIN?

Posted on February 11, 2012 by asknod

Here’s an interesting article sent to me by RW, a noted VA attorney and deep thinker.

What Veterans Would Gain From Administrative Procedure Act Adjudications, Tommy, Issue 2, 2002, Arzt, Robin J.

It’s a 2002 article that has more resonance now than when it was written. Who could ever have imagined a backlog of these proportions less than a decade later?

Posted in All about Veterans, Introduction-Read these first, Tips and Tricks, Veterans Law | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

VAROs–WHO DID MY CLAIM?

Posted on February 11, 2012 by asknod

Above, under the Battle for Saigon medal,  is a new category. For those of you who had  or are currently having a claim done by the VA, you can peruse the VARO’s employee lists for the specific VARO and find out a lot about the person/persons doing your claim.  This is more than idle conjecture.  It allows you to see the person’s bona fides, his qualifications, duration of employment and GS rating. Obviously, someone employed there 20 years with a GS rating of 9 is a complete dolt and shouldn’t be allowed to scrub the toilets unsupervised. VA has always been intrusive into our medical history and employment. They have, on occasion, even resorted to the use of the CBI (criminal background investigation) to ascertain any staycations at Institutions for Remedial Moral Reeducation (prisons).

It only seems like turnabout fair play for us to employ some of the same techniques in pursuit of finding out “who’s on first”. A warm thank you to GS for sending this little morsel in.

Above is the world’s largest tie-dyed T shirt. The guy who ordered it never came back to pick it up, so they donated it to some guys in Pomona. They turned it into this, like, totally awesome skateboard park, dude. Sorry. I’m just kidding. It’s called a Danxia Landform and there are several examples of it in China. This one is in  Zhangye Province in Gansu- home of the world famous Gansu carving knives…from the Spiegal Catalogue– Chicago 60609.

Posted in All about Veterans, General Messages, vARO Decisions | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments