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Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec
Date: 08/03/2026 23:45:57
Good Morning.
Ah, what an institution our Congress is.
House Officially Delays 60-Bill Veterans Package
Well, we can't have that, can we?
It sure is odd to think about the original intent of the Veteran's Administration as created by President Lincoln, and how that mission is being delivered today. (Hint: It isn't.)
Despite everything Trump is trying to destroy, the United States still has vast resources that we could be doing so much more with, instead of giving it to Trump's cronies and the corporations they run. I've been wondering how to drop a bit of Masonic wisdom on this matter into the blog....as you well know, I spend a lot of time teaching and training. This last weekend I was "boots on the ground" at our weekly community service centerpiece, being the HELP program in Woburn, MA. Given the ongoing evisceration of any kind of healthcare support by the Trump administration, I must say that I have never seen the line so long as it was this Saturday. We actually had to turn people away.
But shouldn't we as a society be doing better? Masonry has many symbols and rituals, some known to the public, others not. I have decided that the entire reason for community service and assisting the needy rides on this particular symbol.
It is a humble beehive, representing industry. The passage that I personally think that all of society hinges upon is thus...
Alas, it seems we are increasingly powerless to change anything at the national or global level.
Tip O'Neill was right long ago: "All Politics is Local". I've said that before, too. Nobody in Washington gives a fuck about you or me. But I know my Mayor personally, two members of City Council are involved in Scouting, and the Middlesex County Sheriff is my longtime friend and neighbor.
I can take care of my neighborhood with those resources. What can the rest of us do?
Ah, what an institution our Congress is.
House Officially Delays 60-Bill Veterans Package
The House on Thursday abruptly delayed a vote on the Take Care of America's Veterans Act (TCAVA), shelving one of the largest veterans legislative packages in years after Republican leaders apparently failed to secure enough support amid a growing fight over disability compensation that has divided many of the nation's largest veterans organizations.
The legislation combines roughly 60 veterans bills covering disability benefits, caregivers, survivors, education, health care, home loans and oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
While many of those proposals enjoy broad bipartisan support individually, the package has become consumed by debate over one question: Should projected savings from future changes to VA disability ratings be used to help pay for other veterans' programs?
The House debated the legislation Thursday and narrowly defeated a Democratic motion to recommit the bill to the House Veterans' Affairs Committee by a vote of 210-211. But rather than proceeding to final passage, House Republican leaders pulled the measure from the floor before a final vote.
House Speaker Mike Johnson later told reporters that Republican leaders decided to delay the vote because "there still remains ... a lot of misinformation" surrounding the legislation. Johnson said the House Veterans' Affairs Committee had done "a great job engaging with veterans" and indicated the bill would likely return after lawmakers reconvene in September.
The delay marks the second time House leaders have postponed action on the legislation, raising new questions about whether Congress can move the package this year or whether lawmakers will ultimately have to separate many of its most popular provisions.
Well, we can't have that, can we?
It sure is odd to think about the original intent of the Veteran's Administration as created by President Lincoln, and how that mission is being delivered today. (Hint: It isn't.)
Despite everything Trump is trying to destroy, the United States still has vast resources that we could be doing so much more with, instead of giving it to Trump's cronies and the corporations they run. I've been wondering how to drop a bit of Masonic wisdom on this matter into the blog....as you well know, I spend a lot of time teaching and training. This last weekend I was "boots on the ground" at our weekly community service centerpiece, being the HELP program in Woburn, MA. Given the ongoing evisceration of any kind of healthcare support by the Trump administration, I must say that I have never seen the line so long as it was this Saturday. We actually had to turn people away.
But shouldn't we as a society be doing better? Masonry has many symbols and rituals, some known to the public, others not. I have decided that the entire reason for community service and assisting the needy rides on this particular symbol.
It is a humble beehive, representing industry. The passage that I personally think that all of society hinges upon is thus...
It teaches us that, as we came into the world rational and intelligent beings, so we should ever be industrious ones; never sitting down contented while our fellow-creatures around us are in want, especially when it is in our power to relieve them without inconvenience to ourselves.
...he that will so demean himself as not to be endeavoring to add to the common stock of knowledge and understanding may be deemed a drone in the hive of nature, a useless member of society, and unworthy of our protection...
Alas, it seems we are increasingly powerless to change anything at the national or global level.
Tip O'Neill was right long ago: "All Politics is Local". I've said that before, too. Nobody in Washington gives a fuck about you or me. But I know my Mayor personally, two members of City Council are involved in Scouting, and the Middlesex County Sheriff is my longtime friend and neighbor.
I can take care of my neighborhood with those resources. What can the rest of us do?
