The
following is from the newsletter of United States Senator Mel
Martinez (R-Fl). Apparently Senator Martinez is very proud of
this bit of legislation. We Americans might share the Senator's
pride in a job well done if we are willing to ignore the
following facts: 1) Senator Martinez has voted to continue
funding the war in Iraq. 2) He offered no resolution to end the
war in Iraq, and 3) It is directly because of the war in Iraq
that we have soldiers and civilians injured or killed daily
prompting the need of such legislation.
By
passing this legislation -far from any constructive
concern over the care of our soldiers- Senator Martinez joins
the ranks of those who are willing to continue the war in Iraq
indefinitely and leave the door open for future hostilities with
Iran.
My response,
sent to the Senator from Florida, follows this article.
MARTINEZ:
SOLDIER PATIENT TRACKING SYSTEM PROPOSAL ADVANCES
October 2, 2007 -
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL)
this week announced the Senate has passed an amendment requiring the
Department of Defense to study implementing a Soldier Patient
Tracking System. Such a system would allow patients and their
families to locate and understand exactly where a patient is in the
medical holdover (MHO) treatment process. The amendment, authored by
Senator Martinez, is included in the Senate’s version of the fiscal
year 2008 Defense Authorization act that passed this week, 92 to 3.
“It’s vital that none of our
service men and women feel lost in the shuffle while
receiving treatment for an injury,”
Martinez said.
“A patient tracking system will help ensure
that our military men and women receive the absolute best
care and support. In addition, such a system would help to
identify injury and treatment trends among soldiers and
veterans thus giving doctors more information and a better
platform from which to determine future care.”
Once signed into law, the
Department of Defense will be directed to study the
feasibility of a system to locate any patient in the
MHO process until they are evaluated and treated.
The Department will also be required to report to
Congress their findings on how to make the system
more responsive and effective for military personnel
and families. The measure mirrors companion
legislation introduced in the U.S. House of
Representatives by U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan
(R-Sarasota).
This legislation
builds on provisions of the wounded warrior
legislation, passed by the Senate on July
25, 2007 – a bill to enhance the medical
treatment, rehabilitation and disability
rating process for service members with
combat related injuries or illnesses.
To: Senator Mel
Martinez (R-Fl.)
RE: FY 2008
Defense Authorization Act
Soldier
Patient Tracking System
Dear sir,
Hiding a
grand misjudgment behind a smaller good
deed will not gain my favor. The
necessary ways and means of caring for
our soldiers could have easily been
accomplished in many other bills.
This Iraq
war must end now. Fewer soldiers would
need the care you spoke of by bringing
our troops home. The neighboring
countries of Iraq are no fools. They
will not let things go too far against
their own interests. Continuing our
presence in Iraq to avoid it becoming a
training base for terrorists does not
ring true either. Need I remind you that
the most important part of the training
of those black-hearted terrorists of
9-11-01 was conducted in flight schools
here in Florida? The blood bath we fear
occurring within Iraq occasioned by our
military withdrawing will occur in its
own time as long as there are hearts
full of hate. How much time would be
required to remove those hate-filled
hearts with our military or our acts of
diplomacy?
We are
there because of the sins of a father
and are paying ever more for the sins of
his son. It is time to end the madness,
the lies and the killing. End this war,
sir, and then speak to me of other
things. Until then I will proudly
display my bumper sticker
"End The War...Re-Elect Nobody".
Sincerely,
Martin F.
Hennigan
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