Support our troops

Vets out $4 billion; Feinstein preserved Hollyweirds’ scenic view instead

Writing in the Wall Street Journal this morning, Kimberley Strassel exposes Senator Diane Feinstein’s support for her troops, the ones we see in the movies that heavily contributed to her reelection:

The senator’s $4 billion handout (yes, you read that right) to wealthy West L.A. (yes, you read that right, too) is the ultimate example of how powerful members use earmarks to put their own parochial interests above national ones — in this case the needs of veterans. It’s a case study in how Congress uses the appropriations process to substitute its petty wants for the considered judgments of agency professionals. And it’s just the latest proof that, no matter how much outrage the American public might display over these deals — and no matter how often Congress promises to clean up its act — the elected have no intention of reforming the process.

…when the Department of Veteran’s Affairs set up a process in 2002 to study its infrastructure and rationalize its facilities, it designated the West L.A. center as one of 18 sites that might be downsized, any extra land being used to produce more revenue for veterans’ needs. Under law, 108 acres of the L.A. site can’t be touched, but the remaining 200-plus acres sit in the middle of a highly desirable real estate area and could yield significant financial gain. The VA has yet to make any decisions, but according to government estimates, even a modest reuse of the property — say leasing out excess acreage — could result in an extraordinary $4 billion for better care for veterans everywhere.

The area has in fact revved up a powerful lobby machine to ensure America’s veterans don’t get anything extra at the expense of their backyard. Ms. Feinstein, California Congressman Henry Waxman and other luminaries have united to publicly bash the VA’s plans, and instead demand the “preservation” of the ground for local use. An overwrought Los Angeles Times weighed in, bemoaning that so few L.A. children live within “walking distance of a public place to play,” and demanding this “treasured resource” not be ruined by “thoughtless” development. Word is that some Hollywood luminaries who live in Mr. Stallone’s neck of the woods have also complained that any changes would impede views from their 15,000-square-foot manses.

Ms. Feinstein, who in the last election received some of her largest donations from the rich area, has been only too happy to come to its defense. She honed in on the military construction and veterans affairs bill — a sensitive spending vehicle that few Republicans would dare vote against, and that President Bush would be loath to veto. She then slipped in an earmark provision that would bar the VA from disposing or leasing any of the ground. Thus a potential $4 billion worth of help and aid for our nation’s veterans goes bye-bye in the name of preserving a view for those Hollywood actors who play veterans in the movies.

Michelle Malkin: Eagles Return

In the National Review Online this morning, Michelle Malkin asks, “Who will be there to counter the Jane Fonda retreads? Will you?”

ANSWER will lead what it bills as a “massive” Sept. 15 demonstration to “End the War Now!” — no matter what Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker report. They will hold a “die-in” and once again use the names and legacies of fallen soldiers without their permission to push for a precipitous pullout. They’ll remain in Washington the following week to hold a Code Pink-led protest in the House and an Iraq Veterans Against the War-led harassment campaign against military recruiters in D.C. and nationwide.

For every anti-Bush activist agitating for immediate withdrawal and throwing rocks at ROTC offices, an Eagle will be there in Washington to oppose the planting of the white flag. The organizations leading the way include the Gathering of Eagles, Eagles Landing, Move America Forward, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Free Republic, Vets for Freedom, and the Victory Caucus. (Visit gatheringofeagles.org and moveamericaforward.org for details.)

As retired Army Col. Harry Riley explains, “Unlike the ‘60s and ‘70s, the antiwar lemmings will not have the streets or the political stage to themselves. This time, Eagle Americans — we who support our troops, understand the stakes in the War on Terror and the true nature of our enemy, who aren’t blinded by an insane hatred of our way of life and our form of government — will also be in Washington, D.C., to show Congress that we will not tolerate another betrayal of our own forces or our allies… While the anti-democracy forces are well-funded by pro-left, anti-Americans, we Eagles have steadily been building our own coalition to stop ANSWER in its tracks, and keep Congress focused on winning the war, not their political ambitions.”

I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

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Eagles do not flock

Eagles up!