Tag: poltiics

  • President of the Smithsonian?

    President of the Smithsonian?

    President of the Smithsonian?

     

    I am pleased to announce that Synchronized Chaos will publish more of my poetry in their September issue.  These poems are a satirical take on the news of the day; any resemblance to real people and events are entirely coincidental and a product of the author’s wild imagination.

    pictures of the smithsonian institute – Search Images

    Synchronized Chaos Publishes More of My Poems

    More Synchronized Chaos Poems

    Audio Clips

     

    Index

    President of the Smithsonian

    Meanwhile In the real World

    LG Company Disservice Award

    🌍 President Al Wilson Reverses Course on Climate Change

    MAGA Dreams of the New Golden Age

    Bonus -Letter from Concerned  Christian Minister Re Cleaning Up the Smithsonian

    Bonus Poem –  It Can Happen Here

    Bonus Poem Are We Living in North Korea?

    co-pilot neo-neatnik rap 🌀 Red Tape Ripped in Rhythm

    A Found Poem from the August 2025 Cabinet Meeting

    🌀 Red Tape Ripped in Rhythm A Found Poem with Historical Echoes

     

    President of the Smithsonian?

    President Al Wilson

    Not content with taking.

    Over the Kennedy Center.

     

    As part of the MAGA movement

    Culture war against the communists

    Radical left-wing Marxist

    Enemies of real America.

     

    Had described that the Smithsonian.

    Must reflect traditional American values.

    And avoid divisive or anti-American.

    Or anti-Christian propaganda.

     

    Therefore, he decreed,

    The African American Studies Museum

    Must close,

    The African Art Museum

    Must close.

    The American Indian Museum

    Must close.

     

    The Smithsonian must be color-blind.

    And not to mention race or gender

    Slavery or the treatment of American Indians,

    And the whole Chinese Exclusion Act

    And internment of Japanese Americans

    Which was a good thing,

    Or the holocaust, for that matter.

     

    End anti-American, Anti-Christian,

    Anti-MAGA, cultural Marxism

    Radical lunatic left, CRT, DEI

    And WOKE programming.

    Throughout the Smithsonian.

     

    The African American museum holdings

    And the American Indian Museum

    And the African Art Museum

    Will be sold off at an auction.

     

    So the president decreed

    MAGA baby all the way!

    RESTORING TRUTH IN AMERICAN HISTORY: 

    Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order restoring truth and sanity to American history by revitalizing key cultural institutions and reversing the spread of divisive ideology.

    President Trump aims to ensure that the Smithsonian is an institution that sparks children’s imagination, celebrates American history and ingenuity, serves as a symbol to the world of American greatness, and makes America proud.

    The Order directs the Vice President, who is a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, to work to eliminate improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology from the Smithsonian and its museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.

    The Order directs the Administration to work with Congress to ensure that future Smithsonian appropriations: (1) prohibit funding for exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans by race, or promote ideologies inconsistent with Federal law; and (2) celebrate women’s achievements in the American Women’s History Museum and do not recognize men as women.

    The Vice President will work with congressional leaders to appoint members to the Smithsonian Board of Regents who are committed to advancing the celebration of America’s extraordinary heritage and progress.

    The Order also directs the Secretary of the Interior restore Federal parks, monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties that have been improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events.

    In preparation for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, the Order directs the Secretary of the Interior to complete restorations and improvements to Independence Hall by that date.

    COMBATING CORROSIVE IDEOLOGY: In the last decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted effort to rewrite American history and force our nation to adopt a factually baseless ideology aimed at diminishing American achievement. President Trump is fighting back by reestablishing truth in the historical narrative and restoring Federal sites dedicated to American heritage.

    The prior administration pushed a divisive ideology that reconstrued America’s promotion of liberty as fundamentally flawed, infecting revered institutions like the Smithsonian and national parks with false narratives.

    At Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, the Biden Administration sponsored training by an organization that advocates for dismantling “Western foundations” and that taught Park Rangers that their racial identity should dictate how they present history to visitors.

    The Smithsonian Institution—once revered throughout the world as a symbol of American excellence—has recently promoted divisive ideology that American and Western values are harmful.

    The American Art Museum currently features an exhibit that purports to address how “sculpture has been a powerful tool in promoting scientific racism” and claims that the United States has “used race to establish and maintain systems of power, privilege, and disenfranchisement.”

    The National Museum of African American History and Culture has proclaimed that “hard work,” “individualism,” and “the nuclear family” are aspects of “White culture.”

    The American Women’s History Museum plans to celebrate male athletes participating in women’s sports.

    CELEBRATING AMERICAN GREATNESS: President Trump is committed to honoring America’s extraordinary heritage and building a sense of national pride.

    President Trump signed an Executive Order on his first day in office to establish a task force to prepare for America’s 250th birthday.

    This Order also protects America’s monuments from vandalism and calls for construction of the National Garden of American Heroes.

    President Trump signed a memorandum ensuring Federal buildings reflect the timeless grandeur of traditional, classical architecture.

    By signing this Executive Order, President Trump is ensuring that American history is celebrated accurately, fairly, and with pride—honoring the remarkable progress, liberty, and ingenuity that define our great nation.

     Media Coverage by Bias

    Bias Outlet Coverage Summary URL
    Left MSNBC, The Root, The Guardian Framed as censorship, historical erasure, and authoritarian overreach. https://www.theroot.com/why-trumps-threat-to-d-c-s-african-american-museum-shou-1851773481
    Center Smithsonian Magazine, USA Today Focused on institutional process, placard standards, and exhibit updates. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/01/smithsonian-removes-trump-impeachment-exhibit-response/85473807007/
    Right Fox News, Washington Examiner Framed as necessary correction

     

    Kenneday Center Controversy

     🏛️ Overview: The Kennedy Center Takeover

    • Leadership Overhaul: President Trump installed himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center, replacing the bipartisan board with loyalists including Richard Grenell as interim president.
    • Cultural Rebranding: Trump declared the center would be restored to “luxury, glamour, and entertainment,” rejecting “woke” programming and canceling drag shows and LGBTQ+ events.
    • Renaming Efforts:
    • House Republicans proposed renaming the Opera House as the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House”.
    • A separate bill, the “Make Entertainment Great Again Act,” would rename the entire center the “Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts”.
    • These proposals violate a 1983 federal statute prohibiting additional memorials at the Kennedy Center.

    🎭 Programming Changes

    • New Honorees: Trump personally selected honorees including Sylvester Stallone, KISS, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, and Michael Crawford.
    • Cancellations: LGBTQ+ events, drag performances, and the opera Fellow Travelers were canceled or withdrawn.
    • New Season Lineup: Includes Spamalot, Chicago, Moulin Rouge!, Back to the Future, and The Outsiders—with emphasis on mainstream, family-friendly entertainment.

    🎨 Artist Protests

    • Boycotts:
      • Hamilton canceled its anniversary show.
      • Issa Rae, Shonda Rhimes, Rhiannon Giddens, and Louise Penny withdrew from scheduled appearances.
      • Les Misérables cast members staged a silent protest during Trump’s visit.
    • Resignations: Renée Fleming and Ben Folds resigned from advisory roles.
    • Public Statements: Leonard Slatkin urged artists to “stand up” and perform defiantly.

    📰 Media Coverage by Bias

    Bias Spectrum Outlet Summary URL
    Left The New York Times Framed takeover as part of Trump’s broader cultural war and authoritarian tendencies https://www.nytimes.com
    Center Reuters Focused on Trump’s renovations and honoree selections, noting his influence on cultural institutions https://www.reuters.com
    Right The New York Post Highlighted Trump’s praise for honorees and his role in restoring the Kennedy Center’s prestige https://nypost.com
    Foreign Sky News (UK) Called the takeover “authoritarianism coming for arts institutions” and covered artist boycotts https://news.sky.com/story/why-artists-are-boycotting-kennedy-center-over-changes-made-by-trump-13335298
    Public/Global PBS Provided live coverage and noted Trump’s renovation plans and honoree announcements https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-visits-kennedy-center-as-new-honorees-announced

    Here’s a satirical, beat-inspired poem using found language from Trump and VP Vance’s statements:

    Here’s a satirical, beat-inspired poem using found language from Trump and VP Vance’s statements:

    🧢 Neo-Beatnik Poetic Takedown (Model Poem) Co-Pilot Version 

    🎤 “Make Art Great Again” Blues

     

    1. I am the chairman,

    the chandelier king,

     Red velvet dreams

     and marble things.

     

    “We don’t need woke,”

     he said with a grin,

     

     “Some of the shows

    were terrible —sin.

     

    ” Melania’s name

    etched in gold,

    Opera House reborn, s

    tories retold.

     

     “I know grass,

    ” he said,

     “like I know golf

     

    , DC’s parks?

    Tired.

    Let’s rip ‘em off.”

     Drag queens vanished,

     rainbows dimmed,

    “Luxury, glamour”—t

    he new hymn.

    “98 percent involved,

    ” he boasts,

    “Turned down wokesters,

    raised the ghosts.”

     

     J.D. Vance in the lobby,

     portrait hung,

    “American exceptionalism,”

    songs unsung.

    Artists flee,

     curtains fall,

     

     But the gala goes on,

     red-white-ball

    . So here we sit,

     in velvet chains,

     

    Watching culture

    scrubbed of stains.

     

    The ghost of Kennedy

    whispers low—

    “Art is truth, not just a show.”

    Kennedy Center Take Over found Poem 

     

    “I would say

    I was about 98 percent involved.

     They all went through me.”

     

    “I turned down plenty.

     I had a couple of wokesters.”

     

    “Since 1978,

    the Kennedy Center honors

     have been among

    the most prestigious awards

     in the performing arts.

    I

    wanted one,

    was never able

    to get one.”

     

    “I waited

    and waited

    and waited

     

    and I said

    ‘to hell with it

    , I’ll become chairman.’

     

     I will give myself an honor.

     Next year we’ll honor

    Trump, okay?”

     

    “In a few short months

     since I became

    chairman of the board

    of the Kennedy Center,

     

     we’ve completely

    reversed the

    decline of this cherished

     national institution.”

     

    “We’re going

    to fully renovate the dated —

     and really the entire

    infrastructure of the building —

     

     and make

     the Kennedy Center

    a crown jewel of American arts

     and culture once again.”

     

    “Look at the Academy Awards —

    it gets lousy ratings now,

     it’s all woke.

     

     All they do is talk

    about how much

    they hate Trump,

    but nobody likes that.”

     

    “Just last year,

     the Kennedy Center

    featured drag shows

    specifically targeting our youth —

     

     THIS

    WILL

    STOP.”

     

    “I said

    I’m the president

     of the United States.

     Are you fools

     asking me to do that?”

     

    “The Kennedy Center

     learned the hard way

    that if you go woke,

     you will go broke.”

    It Can Happen Here  

    And so it goes—
    the gradual taking down
    of cultural institutions,
    including the Smithsonian Institution,

    universities,
    law firms,
    state governments,
    blue cities,

    and anyone
    who stands in his way
    to transform America
    into a Christian fascist state.

    Like his buddies—
    Erdoğan, Orbán, and Putin.

    Sinclair Lewis,
    in his book
    It Can’t Happen Here,
    forecast how it could indeed
    happen here.

    Are we there yet?
    Sadly, we are 80 percent there.
    Will we go there?

    I hope not.
    But I am afraid
    we are heading down
    that path.

     Meanwhile, In The Real World, You Can Be Fired For Going To The Doctor

     

    Meanwhile

    In the real world

    You can be fired

    For going to the doctor.

     

    the worker’s bosses.

    Can refuse to let workers

    go to the appointment.

     

    As they are not required

    To grant them leave

    sick leave.

     

    Bad for the bottom line

    And they have no empathy

    For workers.

     

    Who are seen as

    Merely disposable, interchangeable

    “Labor units of production.”

     

    Who should be replaced

    By robots

    as soon as possible.

     

    People will be given a choice.

    Go to work, gravely ill.

     

    Or go to the EER.

    And six hours later

     

    Perhaps see an overwhelmed doctor

    And told me to follow up.

    With your primary care doctor.

     

    Who the hell knows.

    Who that is any more?

     

    You get the bill

    10,000 dollars,

    Pay up sucker!

     

    No money?

    Not my problem.

     

    And go back to find.

    You have been fired.

    For leaving or not showing

    Up for your shift.

     

    Doctors visit?

    That’s not my problem.

    You are going to die.

    So be it.

     

    We can find other workers.

    Or robots to take your place.

    Loser.

     

    President Al Wilson Reverses Course on Climate Change, From Denial to Action in the Wake of National Catastrophe

     

    With the destruction of most of Florida

    —including Mar-a-Lago—
    Monster storms ravaging Texas,
    And Los Angeles reduced to ash
    By earthquake and fire,

    President Al Wilson finally decided:
    Climate change is real.
    It is killing people—
    Especially in red states

    .
    The costs of rebuilding are horrific.
    The costs of doing nothing?
    Even worse.

    His advisors, once cautious, now urgent,
    Convinced him to embrace

    a rapid shift to green energy.
    Solar, wind, geothermal—no longer fringe,
    Now the backbone of survival.

    And beyond Earth,

    Plans accelerate for lunar and Martian colonies,
    With NASA’s bioregenerative greenhouses

    already in prototype.

    Underground cities, domed habitats

    —once sci-fi,
    Now contingency plans.

    Wilson must work with the world.
    Not just to lead,
    But to redeem.

    If he fails,
    And the world turns

    into a hellscape man created,

    History will remember him
    As the worst leader

    in human memory.

     

    But if he succeeds—
    If he reverses course,
    And actually solves the problem—

    He could be hailed
    As the savior of humanity.

     

    Doing something

    to change the future
    Is good politics.

    Continued climate denialism
    Is bad politics.

    And so,
    He reverses course.

     

    MAGA Dreams Come True

     

    President AL Wilson

    Had a dream

    The MAGA dream

    Coming true!

     

    This time will be different

    The internet and AI

    Will be used

     

    To make sure

    That MAGA rules

    And Christian values

    Take over.

     

    LGBT folks

    Back in the closet

    Where they beyond

     

    Women’s rights curtailed

    Minorities deported.

     

    Media tamed

    public distracted

    By the latest faked

    Celebrity scandal.

     

    The rich live very well

    With robot servants

    Self-driving vehicles

    Great health care.

     

    Maybe even cloned body parts

    But the poor

    Will barely live

     

    But who cares about them?

    MAGA, Baby

     

    The real scandal

    The taking over

    Of democracy

     

    By the oligarchs

    Not talked about.

     

    The secret camps

    Filled with people

    Who disappear.

     

    Climate change
    well the rich

    Can live on

    In walled off

    underground shelters.

     

    The rest of the public

    Who cares?

     

    And so it goes

    Democracy dies

    In broad daylight

     

    MAGA baby!

     

    Previously published  in Synchronized Chaos

     

    America where are thou
    bad craziness Rising
    just an unhinged lunatic
    one night in bombay
    visiting father’s grave
    waiting for the rapture
    falling rain
    God is coming

     

    And a bonus letter from a concerned Christian to the VP demanding that they clean up the Smithsonian Institute.

    Dear Vice President

    It has come to my attention that the Smithsonian museum has, for many years, openly displayed pictures of naked men, women, and children, mocking traditional Christian values.  Their lame excuse has always been that they are showing “art”.

     But this so-called “art” is basically pornographic in nature and should not be on display where children can see the artwork. Parents should not be forced to explain to young people about such degenerate art.

    Furthermore, the African American History Museum is too focused on slavery and is anti-American in tone. The Museum of the American Indian is also too focused on the alleged genocide of the native Americans. It downplays the grumesome actions by native Americans against peaceful settlers, such as the depredations of the Apache savages in the 19th century. The African Art museum must also be closed. The Holocaust museum, which is independent must also be closed as it is too divisive and anti-American.

    These museums need to be closed, and related collections.in other museums nationwide must be closed. 

    All the Smithsonian exhibits must be cleansed of anti-American, Anti-Christian, cultural marxist, CRT, DEI,  radical left-wing, WOKE, exhibits and anti-American content, and be replaced by pro-American exhibits showing the greatest of the greatest country on earth, and they must reflect the traditional Northern European ancestry of most Americans, including British, German, and Irish backgrounds, as well as traditional Protestant Christianity. An European American museum should be set up to replace the African American Museum.  The Smithsonian should take over the Museum of the Bible and install it at the American Indian Museum. The African Art museum should be replaced with a Patriotic Art museum.

    Please, sir, clean up the Smithsonian Institute of degenerate artwork, artwork depicting naked people, and close the cultural marxist, CRT, DEI, woke, left-wing content, and close the African American History museum, the Museum of the American Indians, and the African Art Museum.. Support cleansing all other museums as well by setting up a task force to make recommendations and cut off Federal funding to suspect museums.  Sex museums and erotic art museums in SF and elsewhere must be closed as well.

    All suspect art should be sold off at auction. After six months, items can be donated to anyone who wants to pick it up at their expense. After one year, the residual items will be disposed of as trash.

    I ask this in Jesus’ name.

    Rev. Bob Jones

    First Baptist Church

    North Little Rock

    Arkansas, USA

     

    and two more bonus poems – is the US becoming like North Korea?

    Living in North Korea?

    Dear leader

    leading his cabinet

    Cabinet heads praising the dear leader

     

    watching it

    wondering where are we

    Are we now living in North Korea?

     

    what is this?

    what fresh hell is this now?

    when will we wake up from this nightmare?

     

    3-6-9 Poem

    This poem has three stanzas. Each stanza has three lines that follows the 3-6-9 syllable count. The first line has 3 syllables, the second line has 6 syllables and the last line 9 syllables. The subject can be anything.

    🗞️ Press Coverage Summary of Trump’s Latest Cabinet Meeting

    🟥 Left-Leaning Coverage (NBC News)

    🟨 Center-Leaning Coverage (ABC News)

    🟦 Right-Leaning Coverage (The Hill via Fox News interruption)

    🌍 Foreign Media Coverage (PBS via Brussels AP)

    • Tone: Geopolitical and trade-focused
    • Highlights:
      • Trump threatened tariffs and export restrictions on countries with digital taxes, targeting EU regulations
      • EU responded by defending its sovereign right to regulate tech companies
      • Coverage framed Trump’s comments as part of broader U.S.–EU trade tensions
    • URL: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-holds-a-cabinet-meeting

    Co-pilot Neo-Beatnik rift

    Absolutely, Jake. Here’s a neo-beatnik found poem stitched from the raw fabric of Trump’s latest cabinet meeting and recent presidential remarks. It blends direct quotes, paraphrased fragments, and the surreal rhythm of political theater—filtered through your lens of poetic synthesis.

    🌀 Red Tape Ripped in Rhythm

    A Found Poem from the August 2025 Cabinet Meeting

    “We’re not just draining the swamp—
    we’re paving it over with American steel.”

    The room hums like a war drum,
    coffee cooling in the shadow of executive orders.
    A voice rises—
    not from conscience,
    but from calculation:

    “Murder in D.C. will meet justice.
    Not in years. Not in appeals.
    But in days.”

    Lisa Cook stares through the storm,
    accused by a whisper,
    defended by silence.
    Trump leans forward,
    his tie a flag, his words a verdict:

    “She’s compromised.
    Mortgage fraud, digital fraud—
    it’s all the same when the Fed won’t listen.”

    Zelensky’s name floats in the air
    like a drone over disputed soil.
    Putin’s shadow flickers on the wall.
    Tariffs are teeth.
    Diplomacy is a grin.

    “We’ll tax their tech,
    we’ll tax their thoughts
    if they dare to tax ours.”

    The cabinet nods,
    some from loyalty,
    some from inertia.
    The beat goes on:

    “AI will be American.
    Not woke. Not weird.
    Just ours.”

    Outside, the National Guard tightens its boots.
    Inside, the map of Indiana redraws itself
    in red ink and ambition.
    A voice from the back mutters:

    “This isn’t governance.
    It’s jazz.”

    And Trump laughs,
    a sound like a brass section
    breaking the fourth wall.

     

    🌀 Red Tape Ripped in Rhythm A Found Poem with Historical Echoes

    “We’re not just draining the swamp—
    we’re paving it over with American steel.”
    —Trump, August 2025

    The room hums like a war drum,
    coffee cooling in the shadow of executive orders.
    A voice rises—
    not from conscience,
    but from calculation.

    “Murder in D.C. will meet justice.
    Not in years. Not in appeals.
    But in days.”

    Echoes of Hoover’s dossiers,
    Nixon’s enemies list,
    Reagan’s morning in America
    now dusk in the District.

    Lisa Cook stares through the storm,
    accused by a whisper,
    defended by silence.
    Trump leans forward,
    his tie a flag, his words a verdict:

    “She’s compromised.
    Mortgage fraud, digital fraud—
    it’s all the same when the Fed won’t listen.”

    The ghost of Alan Greenspan
    shuffles papers in the ether.
    Jackson’s populism,
    FDR’s fireside calm—
    none present here.

    Zelensky’s name floats in the air
    like a drone over disputed soil.
    Putin’s shadow flickers on the wall.
    Tariffs are teeth.
    Diplomacy is a grin.

    “We’ll tax their tech,
    we’ll tax their thoughts
    if they dare to tax ours.”

    The cabinet nods,
    some from loyalty,
    some from inertia.
    The beat goes on:

    “AI will be American.
    Not woke. Not weird.
    Just ours.”

    Outside, the National Guard tightens its boots.
    Inside, the map of Indiana redraws itself
    in red ink and ambition.
    A voice from the back mutters:

    “This isn’t governance.
    It’s jazz.”

    And Trump laughs,

    a sound like a brass section
    breaking the fourth wall.

    Medium

    Medium

    Substack

    Substack

    Substack Podcast

    Substack Podcast

    Spotify Podcast

    Wattpad

    Substack

    The End

     

  • update APO for Retirees

    update APO for Retirees

    Re: APO for Retirees Overseas

    update:

    The pending elimination of APO privileges overseas for military retirees and their family members is on hold pending further review.  the pressure campaign must have worked.

    “We have just received word that non-SOFA retirees and widows losing their APO boxes directive has been temporarily rescinded. They are going to do more research and will decide within the next six months.

    The message says, “Effective immediately: AMPS Message dated 06/09/2022, (Elimination of MPS Privilege’s Effective 24 August 22) is rescinded until further notice. MPSA will provide forthcoming guidance regarding authorized patrons within the next six months.”

    This is NOT a final decision, just a stay of execution for up to six months. Everyone, whether personally affected or not, MUST keep contacting their congressional representatives and senators to get this injustice permanently overturned. If we relax now in six months non-SOFA retirees and widows may still lose their APO boxes.

    Thank you to everyone who has sent messages and letters to your elected officials. Keep up the fight!

    Happy Independence Day!”

    Letter to Ted Cruz Regarding Guns

    Folks,

    I sent the following letters to my Florida senators, the President, Vice President, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and the Director of Tricare to ask them to reverse two policies that negatively affect my life overseas as a retiree.  We are about to lose access to the APO system and have been effectively kicked out of the military hospital system overseas.  If you are able and concerned enough to join me in taking action, please do so. Where to send letters is listed at the end.

    I will update this is I get any responses or if the policies are reversed.

    Thanks for anything you can do.

    Letter to Senator Rubio etc

    Senator Rubio
    senator Rubio

     

    nancy jpg

    nancy jpg

    biden jpg

    biden jpg

    Senator Scott
    Senator Scott

    Dear Senator Rubio,

    Re changes to Military APO system and Tricare for retirees

    I am a long-term dedicated voter in Florida and have been a long-term supporter of you.  I urgently need your help and respectfully urge you to stop and reverse two pending federal government policies that will negatively affect military retirees and their family members living overseas, which will happen on August 24, 2022.  There are over a million American retirees overseas, and many of them, are registered voters in Florida like me.  I will be very disappointed in you if you fail to take action to reverse these anti-military family and anti-retiree policies.

    My wife retired from the US military as a major and I retired from the US foreign service and have been Florida residents voting in Florida since 2016 although we live in South Korea.

    The first policy I wish to address is ending military APO privileges for retirees living overseas, and the second is Tricare requiring military retirees and family members to sign up for Medicaid part b even if they have other insurance, knowing full well that Medicare part b is useless overseas.

    It is with great concern I write to you regarding the planned discontinuation of APO/FPO privileges for military retirees and widows living overseas. I have just been informed that my APO/FPO box and privileges will end on August 24, 2022. This is a devastating change that will affect every military retiree living overseas. Not only will it affect the veterans, but also their families and survivors. We have never left the US In our hearts, but it now appears the US Is about to leave us. We military veterans and widows living overseas use the APO/FPO privilege to receive not only mail, but also lifesaving medications, pension, and benefit checks, important Government correspondence, banking needs, and the ability to cast absentee ballots, just to name a few.

    The alternative is the local foreign postal service or private companies such as FedEx. Most foreign postal systems are unfortunately replete with theft, loss, and misdirection of important mails and medications. Here in Korea, the local post office is inadequate and Amazon and other US firms will not ship internationally.  Thus cutting off APO service means that we can’t easily shop by mail in the U.S.

    The couriers are extremely expensive and at times also as ineffective as the postal systems. At no time in our history have Veteran benefits and privileges been so fragile as now.

    In the past twenty years, Veterans indisputably earned and promised benefits to have been under attack ,once again as U.S. military veterans, we are being treated as second-class citizens because for various reasons we have chosen to live outside the US. We are still contributors to the economy of the country we served and remain patriots and advocates for the United States in the countries where we live. The term ex-pat does not mean any longer a patriot of the US.

    Many have paid the ultimate price and have survivor spouses worldwide who also contribute. Just because we have chosen to live in quiet solitude, or because our loved ones hail from international locations, seems to be a reason to force us into the forgotten citizen group. I request you give your full attention to change and stop this injustice that is about to be perpetrated. Upon your joining the leadership of those who represent us, just like we who have served in the Armed Forces of America, you took an oath to defend and protect our laws and your fellow citizens.

    I now request you honor that pledge and ask you submit legislation to prevent this drastic and extremely damaging change to a community of Americans who have served their country well. At a minimum, hold on to the execution of this action, pending a more in-depth review of the impact on veterans and their survivors worldwide.

    The second issue is that Tricare is now requiring military retirees and family members to have Medicare Part B insurance if they wish to continue to use military health care facilities, even if they have alternative health care.  Medicare does not require people to enroll in part B and if you have alternative insurance that is more than adequate for them.

    The problem this poses for overseas retirees and their family members is that without signing up for Medicare Part B we are effectively cut off from using the military hospital system overseas.  Part B is not usable overseas, so TRICARE is frankly ripping off military retirees and their family members who reside overseas.

    I urge you to look into both of these issues that directly affect the lives of military retirees and family members, many of whom are residents and voters in Florida such as ourselves.

    Thank you for reading our concerns and looking forward to your help in reversing these anti-retiree actions by the Federal government.

    Thank You

    Jake Aller, retired US foreign Service

    Angela Lee, Retired US Army

    FW: Update – Retirees and Widows Losing APO/FPO Mail Eligibility

    Subject: Update – Retirees and Widows Losing APO/FPO Mail Eligibility

    Thank you to everyone who has contacted their Senators, Congresspeople, and House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC). The more contacts that are made by concerned voters may stop military retirees and widows from losing their APO/FPO Mail Eligibility.

    We are starting to hear from disgruntled retirees and widows threatening to never volunteer on the post again. We ask that you wait until the decision is final. We do a lot of good work for the garrisons in our free time saving them from having to hire people. If this does happen not volunteering would be fully warranted.

    Those of you that have contacted the HVAC have probably received the message, “We recommend you reach out to the House Armed Services Committee”.

    Attached is a word document provided by one of our retirees with our message in letter format and all the House Armed Services Committee’s senators and address. The PDF file has all letters formatted with their names and addresses. Just print, sign, and mail.

    You can also send a message to the President at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.

    We just confirmed today with the IMCOM Pacific Postal Office that based on newly published DoDI 4525.09, Military Postal Service, retirees, widows, Red Cross, and others will be losing their overseas mail privileges on 24 August 2022. This was an Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and Military Postal Service Agency (MPSA) unilateral decision.

    The impact this will have on the non-SOFA military retiree and widow population is enormous. Some Government mail and checks cannot be mailed to foreign addresses. TRICARE medication received in the mail will not be received. Absentee ballots cannot be mailed, and so forth.

    We are asking everyone to contact their elected officials and the House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC) to voice their displeasure and concern.

    – If you do not know your US address, it is the last known address you used in the US before coming to Korea.

    – To contact your senators, go to https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm. In the drop-down box choose your state. Under the picture of your senator click on “Contact” and you will be taken to a fill-in-the-blank page to send a message. You will need to do this for each of your senators.

    – To contact your congressperson, go to https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative. Enter your home of record zip code and click on the “envelope” link under their picture. You will be taken to a screen to enter your US address.

    Follow the instructions and you will be taken to a fill-in-the-blank page to send a message.

    – To contact the House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC), go to https://veterans.house.gov/contact/. Click on the “Contact Us” box and you will be taken to a fill-in-the-blank page to send a message.

    Collective and individual failure to quickly contact elected officials will result in the loss of our APO/FPO privileges. Even if you are not personally affected you can write your elected officials and support your fellow veterans.

    If you do not know what to write, you can cut and paste the below message:

    It is with great concern I write to you regarding the planned discontinuation of APO/FPO privileges for military retirees and widows living overseas. I have just been informed that my APO/FPO box and privileges will end on August 24, 2022. This is a devastating change that will affect every military retiree living overseas. Not only will it affect the veterans, but also their families and survivors. We have never left the US In our hearts, but it now appears the US Is about to leave us. We military veterans and widows living overseas use the APO/FPO privilege to receive not only mail, but also lifesaving medications, pension, and benefit checks, important Government correspondence, banking needs, and the ability to cast absentee ballots, just to name a few. The alternative is the local foreign postal service or private companies such as FedEx. Most foreign postal systems are unfortunately replete with theft, loss, and misdirection of important mails and medications The couriers are extremely expensive and at times also as ineffective as the postal systems.

    At no time in our history have Veteran benefits and privileges been so fragile as now. In the past twenty years Veterans indisputably earned and promised benefits to have been under attack., Once again as U.S military veterans, we are being treated as second-class citizens, because for various reasons we have chosen to live outside the US. We are still contributors to the economy of the country we served and remain patriots and advocates for the United States in the countries where we live. The term ex-pat does not mean any longer a patriot of the US.

    Many have paid the ultimate price and have survivor spouses worldwide who also contribute. Just because we have chosen to live in quiet solitude, or because our loved ones hail from international locations, seems to be a reason to force us into the forgotten citizen group. I request you give your full attention to change and stop this injustice that is about to be perpetrated. Upon your joining the leadership of those who represent us, just like we who have served in the Armed Forces of America, you took an oath to defend and protect our laws and your fellow citizens. I now request you honor that pledge and ask you submit legislation to prevent this drastic and extremely damaging change to a community of Americans who have served their country well. At a minimum, hold on to the execution of this action, pending a more in-depth review of the impact on veterans and their survivors worldwide.

    The change will not affect others with APO or FPO mail privileges on overseas military installations, including about 20,000 military retirees who have such addresses because of some other connection to the military community � having a Defense Department civilian job, or being married to an active-duty member assigned overseas, for example.
    Jun 10, 2022Medicare Advantage plans provide all of your Part A and Part B services and usually Part D pharmacy coverage. You may pay a plan premium each month in addition to your Medicare Part B premium. You must get all your health care services from the Medicare Advantage plan’s network of providers. This doesn’t apply to emergency services.
    Mar 4, 2022You must keep Medicare Part B to keep TRICARE. If you’re awarded disability on appeal The action you take if you don’t agree with a decision made about your benefit., you generally have a gap of six or more months between your Medicare Part A and Part B effective dates. If you have a Part B effective date of October 2009 or later, you’re …

    The End