Of 141,000 veterans nationwide who spent at least one night in a shelter in 2011, nearly 10 percent were women, according to the latest figures available from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, up from 7.5 percent in 2009. In part it is a reflection of the changing nature of the American military, where women now constitute 14 percent of active-duty forces and 18 percent of the Army National Guard and the Reserves.
But female veterans also face a complex “web of vulnerability,” said Dr. Donna L. Washington, a professor of medicine at U.C.L.A. and a physician at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs medical center, who has studied the ways the women become homeless, including poverty and military sexual trauma.
Female veterans are far more likely to be single parents than men. Yet more than 60 percent of transitional housing programs receiving grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs did not accept children, or restricted their age and number, according to a 2011 report by the Government Accountability Office.
Women veterans face a dense constellation of issues: low wages, a lack of childcare and family housing options, inadequate gender-specific services at the Veterans Administration and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from combat and Military Sexual Trauma.
“You come out of the Afghan or Iraqi war, as an American woman veteran, at a time when the housing market is terrible, the banks don’t trust you, and its hard to get a job, and you’ve experienced mental health issues as a result of what happened you in the military,” said Dr. Cynthia Enloe, a professor at Clark University and author of Nimo’s War, Emma’s War. “It’s not any wonder that there so many women veterans now who are really suffering the loss of housing.”
Military Sexual Trauma is a common thread in the stories of women who become homeless after returning from service. A recent study by Dr. Donna L. Washington of the UCLA Medical Center and the VA of Greater Los Angeles, estimates that just over half of homeless women veterans were victims of sexual assault. Then, after they serve, they’re faced with a supply of housing for them that remains woefully inadequate. This is all happening as the ranks of women in the military grows and grows.
Boothe is an Army Veteran, who gave 13 years of service to this great nation.
She deployed during the Operation Iraq Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom campaigns and her military career has been dedicated to working with and advocating for Soldiers and their family members.
In 2005, she was a single parent in the Army Reserves living in New Orleans. That spring, she learned she would soon be deploying to Iraq. During her mobilization, Boothe’s life was torn apart by two significant events. In August she lost everything she owned due to Hurricane Katrina. She tried to shift her focus to her platoon that was counting on her for leadership through the deployment. The very next month in September, she received a devastating diagnosis of an aggressive head, neck, and throat cancer, and was now unable to deploy.
Boothe’s options were limited and posed some very hard choices for her. Because of her illness, she was facing discharge from the military. But she needed complex full-time medical care, a job, and a place to live with her young son. When searching for what assistance might be available, she was told there were no existing programs for female Veterans with children and that she should explore welfare and social services as an option, just like every other single mother. Jas then realized that America had forgotten about the women who have served, fought, bled and died along side their male counterparts. She found these options unacceptable for a woman who had honorably served her country and after extensive cancer treatment, including radiation therapy that left life-long side effects, at Brooke Army Medical Center, she was able to stay in the Reserves and immediately began looking for full-time employment and a place for her and her son to live.
In 2006, she relocated to Missouri with her aunt, where she had subsequently accepted a job offer from the Army National Guard. Later in the year, she received an opportunity to return to full-time duty in Washington, DC. Boothe never forgot what she and her son had been through and was determined to ensure her fellow sister Veterans had a resource in their time of need.
Jas Founded Final Salute Inc in November 2010 as part of her commitment to "Never Leave a Fallen Comrade".
On the outskirts of Long Beach, Calif., a national nonprofit group, U.S. Vets, created living quarters for at-risk families at Villages at Cabrillo, former naval housing, with a special program for homeless female veterans.
But the directors soon grew perplexed by the large number of women who were struggling to make it on their own.
“We began to understand that so many of them suffered from sexual trauma,” said Steve Peck, the group’s president and chief executive. “Their inability to cope with those feelings made it impossible for them to put one foot in front of the other.”
The result was Renew, a collaboration with the V.A.’s Long Beach center. It incorporates psychotherapy, journal writing and yoga, and it accepts women who have been screened for military sexual trauma. Each class of a dozen women lives together for 12 weeks while spending eight-hour days at a women’s mental health clinic, “where you can cry and not have to encounter a bunch of men with your mascara running,” as Dr. Katz put it.
Both of these efforts are worthwhile, but they address the effects of the scourge. They do not get to its cause, which is the hyper-masculine, male-dominant culture of the military. To do that, the military must create a far more welcoming atmosphere for women, who make up only 15 percent of the armed services. It must welcome and value them as equal partners, and it must greatly increase their numbers.
As Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey commented in January, when the Defense Department lifted the ban on women in combat, having “separate classes” of male “warriors” and everyone else creates an environment ripe for sexual assault and harassment. The more that the Pentagon “can treat people equally, the more likely they are to treat each other equally.”
Quote by Scoopster:
Mornin' all..
Ah, travel preparations! I'm finalizing one and starting to gear up for another. Really wish I could make it down there this weekend for the gathering.
OOh that reminds me Raine m'dear. I would like to reserve your finest state room for the weekend of August 24th!
Quote by Scoopster:
Mornin' all..
Ah, travel preparations! I'm finalizing one and starting to gear up for another. Really wish I could make it down there this weekend for the gathering.
OOh that reminds me Raine m'dear. I would like to reserve your finest state room for the weekend of August 24th!
Quote by Raine:
B37, B37 --- it does appear as tho Zimmerman really did get a jury of his peers.
JUROR: If he didn’t go too far. I mean, you can always go too far. He just didn’t stop at the limitations that he should have stopped at.
Quote by Raine:
B37, B37 --- it does appear as tho Zimmerman really did get a jury of his peers.
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:
B37, B37 --- it does appear as tho Zimmerman really did get a jury of his peers.
maybe there should be a competence test to be on a jury
Quote by trojanrabbit:Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:
B37, B37 --- it does appear as tho Zimmerman really did get a jury of his peers.
maybe there should be a competence test to be on a jury
There is --- if you're competent, you don't belong.
ducks
Quote by Raine:
B37, B37 --- it does appear as tho Zimmerman really did get a jury of his peers.
Quote by BobR:Quote by Scoopster:
Mornin' all..
Ah, travel preparations! I'm finalizing one and starting to gear up for another. Really wish I could make it down there this weekend for the gathering.
OOh that reminds me Raine m'dear. I would like to reserve your finest state room for the weekend of August 24th!
You are always welcome here at Casa de BRaine. However - a couple things...
I looked into the MLK anniversary thing. From what I can tell, they are going to reenact the march on the actual anniversary, which is Wed 08/28. I'm not sure what activities are occurring on the 24th for this. If you know differently, please let us know.
Also - my homebrew club is doing a huge pig roast on that Saturday. Being that I am president of the club, I am somewhat obligated to attend, so I would not be able to participate in whatever you and Raine decide to do for that day.
Of course - if you get hungry while out and about, and want some roast pig and good beer, I know the perfect place
Quote by Scoopster:
McConnell offers to fastrack seven major exec nominations in the Senate if Reid backs down on cloture changes; Reid says no.
Sounds like Reid is sick of the games and wants ALL the pending executive/judicial nominations too.
Quote by BobR:
This is all kinds of awesome: Alanis Morrisette's "Isn't it Ironic" fixed to be actually ironic
Quote by BobR:
This is all kinds of awesome: Alanis Morrisette's "Isn't it Ironic" fixed to be actually ironic
Quote by Raine:I hope he's finally sick of it.Quote by Scoopster:
McConnell offers to fastrack seven major exec nominations in the Senate if Reid backs down on cloture changes; Reid says no.
Sounds like Reid is sick of the games and wants ALL the pending executive/judicial nominations too.
Quote by Mondobubba:
BTW my previous post was meant as if you didn't know.
Quote by Scoopster:Quote by Raine:I hope he's finally sick of it.Quote by Scoopster:
McConnell offers to fastrack seven major exec nominations in the Senate if Reid backs down on cloture changes; Reid says no.
Sounds like Reid is sick of the games and wants ALL the pending executive/judicial nominations too.
So much for that.... or is it?
The tentative deal says that the two NLRB nominees must be replaced with different nominees, and those two must receive simple majority votes on the Senate floor. Okay fine - nominate the two most pro-worker people you can find.
After a two-year battle, the U.S. Senate this morning approved Ohioan Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The vote was a last-minute compromise to avert a showdown over the Senate's filibuster rules.
Quote by Raine:Quote by Scoopster:Quote by Raine:I hope he's finally sick of it.Quote by Scoopster:
McConnell offers to fastrack seven major exec nominations in the Senate if Reid backs down on cloture changes; Reid says no.
Sounds like Reid is sick of the games and wants ALL the pending executive/judicial nominations too.
So much for that.... or is it?
The tentative deal says that the two NLRB nominees must be replaced with different nominees, and those two must receive simple majority votes on the Senate floor. Okay fine - nominate the two most pro-worker people you can find.
Harry makes me dizzy.
Quote by Raine:Really? you, sarcastic?Quote by Mondobubba:
BTW my previous post was meant as if you didn't know.
Isn't it not ironic?
So the taxpayers of Columbia County are now paying for the Sheriff's Office to operate a side-scan sonar system? A service once provided by the State at no charge. While its probably true that a grant helped purchase the equipment (at least I'd hope so, it does for most agencies) the real expense of such a system is the training (personnel hours) and maintenance. So instead of sharing services with the State, we now must pay for our own county system. Another example of our Sheriff's Office competing with other agencies at our expense. It's time for some fiscal restraint and conservative management.
Quote by Raine:
Ok, everyone, I was reluctant to talk about a story from back home yesterday. It was this story. You all know that my hometown is very small.
VERY small. I know who this man was.We went to school together. I have friends that loved him. I know his sister.
My blood pressure rocketed when I saw this comment in the comment section:So the taxpayers of Columbia County are now paying for the Sheriff's Office to operate a side-scan sonar system? A service once provided by the State at no charge. While its probably true that a grant helped purchase the equipment (at least I'd hope so, it does for most agencies) the real expense of such a system is the training (personnel hours) and maintenance. So instead of sharing services with the State, we now must pay for our own county system. Another example of our Sheriff's Office competing with other agencies at our expense. It's time for some fiscal restraint and conservative management.
I have a seething hatred for conservatives that don't even give a fucking shit that taxpayer dollars actually helped to find my friends body.
Quote by Raine:
Ok, everyone, I was reluctant to talk about a story from back home yesterday. It was this story. You all know that my hometown is very small.
VERY small. I know who this man was.We went to school together. I have friends that loved him. I know his sister.
My blood pressure rocketed when I saw this comment in the comment section:So the taxpayers of Columbia County are now paying for the Sheriff's Office to operate a side-scan sonar system? A service once provided by the State at no charge. While its probably true that a grant helped purchase the equipment (at least I'd hope so, it does for most agencies) the real expense of such a system is the training (personnel hours) and maintenance. So instead of sharing services with the State, we now must pay for our own county system. Another example of our Sheriff's Office competing with other agencies at our expense. It's time for some fiscal restraint and conservative management.
I have a seething hatred for conservatives that don't even give a fucking shit that taxpayer dollars actually helped to find my friends body.
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:
Ok, everyone, I was reluctant to talk about a story from back home yesterday. It was this story. You all know that my hometown is very small.
VERY small. I know who this man was.We went to school together. I have friends that loved him. I know his sister.
My blood pressure rocketed when I saw this comment in the comment section:So the taxpayers of Columbia County are now paying for the Sheriff's Office to operate a side-scan sonar system? A service once provided by the State at no charge. While its probably true that a grant helped purchase the equipment (at least I'd hope so, it does for most agencies) the real expense of such a system is the training (personnel hours) and maintenance. So instead of sharing services with the State, we now must pay for our own county system. Another example of our Sheriff's Office competing with other agencies at our expense. It's time for some fiscal restraint and conservative management.
I have a seething hatred for conservatives that don't even give a fucking shit that taxpayer dollars actually helped to find my friends body.
WTF?? Where does it even say in the article does it say thing one about cost? Why does it matter who is bearing the cost when they are investigating a tragedy like this? What a selfish short-sighted dickhead.
I wish I had a solution to this problem. If I were a young black male and were stopped just on account of my appearance, I would feel violated. If the police are abusing their authority and using race as the only reason, that has got to stop. But if they ignore race, then they are fools and ought to go into another line of work.
The problems of the black underclass are hardly new. They are surely the product of slavery, the subsequent Jim Crow era and the tenacious persistence of racism. They will be solved someday, but not probably with any existing programs. For want of a better word, the problem is cultural, and it will be solved when the culture, somehow, is changed.
In the meantime, the least we can do is talk honestly about the problem. It does no one any good to merely cite the number of stop-and-frisks involving black males without citing the murder statistics as well. Citing the former and not the latter is an Orwellian exercise in political correctness. It not only censors half of the story but also suggests that racism is the sole reason for the policy. This mindlessness, like racism itself, is repugnant.
Quote by Raine:
In which Richard Cohen absolves himself of his racism.Oh, there is a hella lot more. I'll be really honest here, I miss Grumpyman right now.I wish I had a solution to this problem. If I were a young black male and were stopped just on account of my appearance, I would feel violated. If the police are abusing their authority and using race as the only reason, that has got to stop. But if they ignore race, then they are fools and ought to go into another line of work.
The problems of the black underclass are hardly new. They are surely the product of slavery, the subsequent Jim Crow era and the tenacious persistence of racism. They will be solved someday, but not probably with any existing programs. For want of a better word, the problem is cultural, and it will be solved when the culture, somehow, is changed.
In the meantime, the least we can do is talk honestly about the problem. It does no one any good to merely cite the number of stop-and-frisks involving black males without citing the murder statistics as well. Citing the former and not the latter is an Orwellian exercise in political correctness. It not only censors half of the story but also suggests that racism is the sole reason for the policy. This mindlessness, like racism itself, is repugnant.
I really do.
Quote by Raine:
In which Richard Cohen absolves himself of his racism.Oh, there is a hella lot more. I'll be really honest here, I miss Grumpyman right now.I wish I had a solution to this problem. If I were a young black male and were stopped just on account of my appearance, I would feel violated. If the police are abusing their authority and using race as the only reason, that has got to stop. But if they ignore race, then they are fools and ought to go into another line of work.
The problems of the black underclass are hardly new. They are surely the product of slavery, the subsequent Jim Crow era and the tenacious persistence of racism. They will be solved someday, but not probably with any existing programs. For want of a better word, the problem is cultural, and it will be solved when the culture, somehow, is changed.
In the meantime, the least we can do is talk honestly about the problem. It does no one any good to merely cite the number of stop-and-frisks involving black males without citing the murder statistics as well. Citing the former and not the latter is an Orwellian exercise in political correctness. It not only censors half of the story but also suggests that racism is the sole reason for the policy. This mindlessness, like racism itself, is repugnant.
I really do.
Quote by Raine:
In which Richard Cohen absolves himself of his racism.Oh, there is a hella lot more. I'll be really honest here, I miss Grumpyman right now.I wish I had a solution to this problem. If I were a young black male and were stopped just on account of my appearance, I would feel violated. If the police are abusing their authority and using race as the only reason, that has got to stop. But if they ignore race, then they are fools and ought to go into another line of work.
The problems of the black underclass are hardly new. They are surely the product of slavery, the subsequent Jim Crow era and the tenacious persistence of racism. They will be solved someday, but not probably with any existing programs. For want of a better word, the problem is cultural, and it will be solved when the culture, somehow, is changed.
In the meantime, the least we can do is talk honestly about the problem. It does no one any good to merely cite the number of stop-and-frisks involving black males without citing the murder statistics as well. Citing the former and not the latter is an Orwellian exercise in political correctness. It not only censors half of the story but also suggests that racism is the sole reason for the policy. This mindlessness, like racism itself, is repugnant.
I really do.
Quote by Mondobubba:
Ow! I accidentally read a David Sirota column, it made my brain hurt.
Quote by Raine:It's far less painful to eat ice cream too fast and the pain goes away quicker...Quote by Mondobubba:
Ow! I accidentally read a David Sirota column, it made my brain hurt.
Quote by Raine:I responded to this person, and it appears as tho the newspaper felt directly engaging a paster was far to much to allow to be posted.Quote by Raine:
Ok, everyone, I was reluctant to talk about a story from back home yesterday. It was this story. You all know that my hometown is very small.
VERY small. I know who this man was.We went to school together. I have friends that loved him. I know his sister.
My blood pressure rocketed when I saw this comment in the comment section:So the taxpayers of Columbia County are now paying for the Sheriff's Office to operate a side-scan sonar system? A service once provided by the State at no charge. While its probably true that a grant helped purchase the equipment (at least I'd hope so, it does for most agencies) the real expense of such a system is the training (personnel hours) and maintenance. So instead of sharing services with the State, we now must pay for our own county system. Another example of our Sheriff's Office competing with other agencies at our expense. It's time for some fiscal restraint and conservative management.
I have a seething hatred for conservatives that don't even give a fucking shit that taxpayer dollars actually helped to find my friends body.
I asked him to delete his post and that sometimes political ideology should take a back seat to life and death. I also asked him if he would be saying such a thing if that was his brother/son/husband floating in the river.
Oh well. I tried.
Dear InformedVoter,
Have your political views made you so callous that you would not even take into consideration that a human being is dead? I truly wonder if you would be saying such a cold heartless thing if that were your son, brother, husband that was found dead yesterday.
Life, and death -- humanity in general used to trump money and political ideology. What you wrote is cold heartless and just mean considering the man who is no longer with us resided in Livingston. It wouldn't be a huge leap to assume that he has family and friends that live there as well.
Please consider deleting what you wrote.
Quote by Raine:
You are welcome:
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