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11/21/03 Seeks Veterans going together to form political party

Editor, the Forum:

    On November 10, 2003 the Secretary of State, Election Division, State of Georgia, approved "The Georgia Veteran's Party of America" as a registered political body under Georgia Law.
    We are in the process of getting this information out to all present and future Veterans in the State and seeking them as members of this Party. If you are a Veteran, family member or friend of a Veteran, you are requested to join. If you would like to see our service persons receive better pay, medical and other benefits, you are urged to sign up with this party.
    … Do you know that only the retired Veteran has to forfeit all payments from the Veteran's Administration to receive his or her retired pay from their respective branch of the military?
    … Are you aware that a divorced retired or disabled Veteran has to, by law, give his or her ex-spouse up to one half of all pay received from military retirement or VA disability payments, regardless of the marital status of the ex-spouse? They keep the pay even if they remarry. These are the only class of retirees or disabled persons, in our society, to bear this burden.

If you are interested in seeing these and other unfair laws, concerning our Veterans changed, we need your membership in this party.

For further information and instructions on how to join, go to http://members.lycos.co.uk.Veteranspartyofga and click on application or send your name, address, phone number and county of residence to me at 2078 Eastwood Drive, Snellville, Ga. 30078. If you have Internet access you can send this information to gkelley951@aol.com. Please tell me if you are interested in running for a political office. You can also click on www.Veteransparty.us for even more information.

Some Veterans flexing political muscle
Shannon Blosser
Star Staff Writer

    Michael D’Andria is tired of broken promises. D’Andria is tired of being told by elected officials that Veterans’ benefits will be protected only to learn they were not. He’s tired of broken promises made to senior citizens, and VA hospitals, and military
base closings.
    For D’Andria, those concerns have led to a 30-year battle waged against the federal government. It’s a fight that intensified for D’Andria after the government considered him unemployable after a heart attack in 1985.
    The government, he said, gave him just 30 percent of his $350 monthly check for benefits on disability. He couldn’t work for risk of losing what benefits he had.
    “I had to fight to get up to 100 percent,” said D’Andria, a Vietnam War Veteran. “I’ve been fighting for benefits ever since. I was fighting for benefits for some of the Veterans while I was still in the military.”
    D’Andria’s 3-decade fight brought him to a grassroots campaign in North Carolina to bring Veterans, who he says have been mistreated by the federal government, under a political umbrella. The ultimate goal of the campaign is the creation of a Veterans Party in North Carolina, he said.
    “We are tired of the government not listening to us,” said D’Andria. “We are going to take action to fire them.”
    At least seven states this year have completed the process of forming a Veterans political party, while several others are still in the formation stage. Florida was the first state to recognize the political party.
    In North Carolina, D’Andria and his supporters must obtain signatures equal to 2 percent of the total vote from the 2000 gubernatorial election, Cleveland County Board of Elections Director Debra Blanton said. The total number of signatures needed for ballot access in 2004 is 58,842.
    The law also states that 200 signatures must come from each of four congressional districts.
    D’Andria says he is working toward a June 1 deadline for 2004 ballot access, but he added 2005 may be a more realistic goal. So far, in the past month, D’Andria and his group have received about 50 signatures.
    That number, D’Andria said, could increase after an organizational meeting to be held Saturday. “They only understand numbers,” D’Andria said. “We are going to hit them with numbers.”
    Like the Democrats and Republicans, the Veterans Party has a platform. It wants to return the country to its roots, while also improving the tax structure and educational system and provide help for senior citizens, D’Andria said.
    “We want America to be what America is supposed to be,” D’Andria said.
    Steve Shaw, from Gaston County, is an early supporter and political party. A Vietnam-era Veteran of the Navy, Shaw said he, too, was tired of political leaders breaking their promises.
    Shaw, who did not fight in Vietnam, said he plans to lead a voter registration drive at a Dallas flea market this weekend.
    “I’m glad to see the Veterans have a voice,” said Shaw, who was a registered Democrat before switching to the Veterans Party last week. D’Andria said the party would be inclusive and not only for Veterans. There are roughly 28 million Veterans in the county, D’Andria said.
    “Something is wrong with this system,” D’Andria said. “It’s ridiculous. This is going to be a party for everybody.”
For more information on the North Carolina Veterans Party, call (919) 498-0827.
On the Web: www.Veterans party.us

The Star (704) 484-7000, ext. 124 shannon_blosser@link.freedom.com

New party designed to give Veterans a political voice.
November 11,2003
CYNDI BROWN DAILY NEWS STAFF

There are more than 26 million military Veterans in the United States according to the Census Bureau. Another 1.4 million Americans currently serve on active duty. "That's a loud voice," said Russell Pearson. "And that's not counting (Veterans') spouses and voting age children."

Pearson, a Jacksonville resident and disabled Veteran, is working to make sure that voice is heard through a grassroots effort to create a new political party - the Veterans Party of North Carolina, part of the nationwide Veterans Party of America. VPA has chapters currently registered in seven states. Veterans in eight others, including North Carolina, are in the process of forming their own chapters to address the inequities they see in the government's treatment of Veterans. An organizational meeting of the VPNC will be held Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. at Calvary Missionary Methodist Church in Olivia, 20 miles north of Fort Bragg on Highway 87.

The meeting agenda includes an election of officers to the state committee, a name review (American Party is under consideration) and review of the party platform. "If they think they may want to go to the meeting, everyone's welcome and encouraged to attend," said Pearson.

Party organizers are also looking for people to take on leadership roles in the forming party and its committees.

"We'd like people to get involved obviously too," said Pearson. "We've got a lot of leaders around, officers and staff non-commissioned officers. We're looking for people with previous leadership to get involved. "We're really hoping we'll get a good turnout here in Onslow and a lot of people will step up," he added.

VPNC will follow the VPA platform. The primary issues the party will address are Veteran hot buttons: concurrent receipt (VPA's stance: provide it for all military retirees), medical treatment (full coverage for all military retirees and eligible family members), VA funding (provided before financial aid is sent to other countries) and military pay (make it comparable to civilian counterparts). However, said Pearson, a Beirut Veteran, "The party also has stances on a lot of issues that are not just Veteran issues, a lot of issues that concern people today. Issues that are important to all Americans."

Like taxes (VPA wants to do away with the Internal Revenue Service and implement a federal sales tax instead), Social Security (provide seniors with medical care, housing and nourishment) and education (improve teacher pay and classroom equipment and supplies).

Pearson found out about the party on the Internet, the same place Ed Robinson first heard about it.

"I found out it's right up the alley I'm looking for," said Robinson, a retired Army major. "I'm a registered Republican - have been a Republican since JFK and I just got disheartened this time because they're not taking care of the Veteran." The Hubert resident said the party platform represented what he expected from the Republicans and never expected from the Democrats - so he switched. Now, he and Pearson are working to gather some of the 60,000 signatures required for recognition of VPNC as a valid party. "They don't necessarily have to vote for the party," said Robinson, who is looking for "just the support of a signature" and doesn't foresee any problem gathering the 1,000 they are seeking from registered voters in Onslow County.

"It's been very favorable," added Robinson of reaction to a Veterans party, "extremely favorable." Party plans include representative candidates seeking office at all levels. "Even if we don't run a candidate," said Robinson, "we have a viable voting block."

Both men emphasized the appeal of the party to Veterans, non-Veterans and active-duty service members. "Don't forget these guys that are active duty are soon gonna be retirees. This has a lot to do with these guys and their families," said Robinson, noting that one of the party's platforms addresses the pay inequity between service members and their civilian counterparts. And, said Pearson, today's active duty will influence tomorrow's platform.

"There will no doubt be new Veteran's issues arising that are unique to each generation of Veteran and conflict or war they served in," said Pearson, of how the party will evolve. However, he added, "We want the public to know it's a party for all Americans. The main focus is obviously on the Veterans, but the party is for all Americans."

For more information on or to join the Veterans Party, visit www.VeteransParty.US or http://members.lycos.co.uk/vpncmdd/. For directions to the meeting, call (919) 498-0827.

Latest Items About Your Veterans Party www.VeteransParty.US