Belt Drive Betty's Blog

Imagine...what if it was you?

I want you to imagine for a moment what it would be like to wake up one morning and realize the your once perfect child is a shattered version of him/herself.  Perhaps a limb is missing or their brain is traumatized. 
 
Or perhaps it is your spouse, or parent. 
Once active, lively, loving and engaging, now withdrawn, tempermental and moody - distant. 
 
This is the reality for over 6,000 military families in Canada.  The families of our veterans - those who have been in harms way courtesy of our government, the boss of their loved one - are hurting, badly. 
 
In 2005, the government of Canada introduced the New Veteran's Charter, that charter changed the way our veteran's are compensated when they are injured in the line of duty.  The changes are devestating and wrong minded in my humble opinion. 
 
Since 1917, there has been a sacred covenant between soldiers and their government in this country - a covenant that our current government has broken. 
 
The NVC has been assessed by phychiatrists, doctors and many others, read the "<a href="http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/images/conga2013/PTSD_Book.pdf">Shaping the Future - Military & Veteran Health Research" PDF</a>. Chapters 15, 16, 17 & 18 are of extreme importance to understanding the changes. The entire document is important, but those two chapters in particular are important. 
 
It's a dry document - written by people who appear to have a direct relationship with drug therapy, although they do look at the arts as a form of therapy. 
 
It looks at the social causes for change in the way our veterans are supported and it looks at the attitudes of government regarding out veterans. 
 
Begin Quote: 
Extremes of perceptions of the military in a society can be illustrated by these contrasting views held by two prominent Kingston politicians, Sir John A. MacDonald (Canada’s first prime minister) and W.F. Nickle (Kingston’s Member of Parliament (1911-19), respectively: 
 
…‘regulars’ are useful only for hunting, drinking and chasing women…they are soldiers because they are no good at anything else.9 
 
…this war has clearly demonstrated …that the hero is to be found under practically every jacket…10 
End Quote 
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It is clear that how the Prime Minister and government officials percieve our troops relates directly to their compensation for being put in harm's way by our government. 
 
I personally do not recommend any young person join our military, at least not under this government - as the callous disregard for them and their families' welfare is evident in statements made by the governments lawyers regarding the Equitas Class Action Lawsuit - Please view the YouTube Video that I recorded of the Press Conference with Peter Stoffer - NDP Veteran's Affairs Critic on Parliment Hill 2 days ago: 
 
Personally I feel that if we can not afford, financially, to look after those our government puts in harms way, then we should not be poking our nose in the affairs of other countries and should instead go back to a peace keeping role. 
 
The fact is that in 60 years of Peace Keeping we lost fewer soldiers than in the 10 years of active combat during the Afghanistan conflict. 
 
If we send them, we must mend them - as Medric Cousineau of Paws for Thoughts is fond of saying. 
 
The RCMP are now being affected by the NVC which has replaced the Pension Act. 
 
Our government included the RCMP in the 2013 budget and if you consider the ramifications to attracting quality people to the job, you will see that we will be sucking the bottom of the pond, very soon, as the compensation and supports for the families is brutal, never mind the serving member. 
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I am terrified of the quality of people we will attract into the RCMP as well. 
 
Today Medric Cousineau began his long walk to sanity - he will arrive in Ottawa on the 19th of September - his goal is to raise the money for 50 dogs in 50 days for 50 veterans - his is one of three causes I am riding to support - so far I have raised just shy of $5,400. 
 
It's a drop in the bucket - but it is an important drop, as we Canadians prove to our veterans that we will support their therapy and reintegration into civilian life where our government is failing them. 
 
I hope you will go out and meet Medric along his journey or come out and meet me on mine - the cause - the reason is the same - supporting our veterans and thanking them for their service to our country by helping them to heal.  Dog therapy is not funded by our government - sadly, our government does not appear to value the lives of our veterans or their families - read - educate yourself and then please consider joining us along the way. 
 
Here are the links: 
 
Medric's Walk 
<a href="http://www.pawsfurthought1.com/">www.pawsfurthought1.com</a> 
 
My Conga 
<a href="http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/home/conga">www.beltdrivebetty.com/home/conga</a> 
 
The Document Shaping the Future for our Military & Veterans 
<a href="http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/images/conga2013/PTSD_Book.pdf" target="_blank">PTSD Book Download</a> 
 
When a Child's Parent has PTSD 
<a href="http://www.canadianveteransadvocacy.com/blog/?p=857">http://www.canadianveteransadvocacy.com/blog/?p=857</a> 
 
Until the next time that I have time to write... 
 
Belt Drive Betty 
Editor &Rider 
 
PS - Ride safe - like everyone around you is blind and can not see you.