First, I want to thank you for your financial and personal support of my campaign for the United States Senate – Idaho. I had started last week to write each one of you a thank you note, but quickly realized that what needs to be said could not be accomplished on an informal card; thus this letter.
To say the least, the primary vote was disappointing. Only 25% of Idaho’s registered voters voted in the primary. The candidate selected to represent Republicans in the general election was selected by less than 11% of the registered voters. This is really, really sad, but a fact. The voter disconnectedness from our democratic process was exactly what my December poll identified. After spending five months running for office it is easy to see what the problem is; our two-party system is focused more on generating power than on representing the people. The Republican Party in Idaho has become a “top down” organization.
The Party circumvented the primary election by “selecting” the candidate it would support without consideration of true qualifications, or lack of qualifications, of the “anointed one.” New ideas from the outside are not embraced and, in fact, are discouraged. This results in an inbred organization; an organization that begins to consciously disregard the major issues that need attention. For an election year like the one we are facing, this is a serious, serious flaw. For example:
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The federal and state leadership has allowed our returning National Guard and Reserves to be treated in the most disgraceful manner one could possibly imagine. Medical records reveal that over 40% of our returning soldiers are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”), a debilitating condition that is tied to a war in which we, the United States, are using Depleted Uranium Munitions. You will hear that there is free medical help. But the facts are it takes these returning citizen soldiers who need help up to six months to get an appointment with the Veterans Administration (“VA”). The first meeting is only to get their records in order. Then their case must go before a judge (not a doctor) to see if their ailment is really related to their service in the War. If they pass that test they then get to see a doctor. This can take up to two years. By then, for many, it is too late. Is there any wonder why too many veterans end up homeless and on the streets? Or can there be any wonder why we have 12,000 veterans per year attempting suicide?
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Based on medical records provided by the VA approximately 300,000 of our soldiers who have fought in and returned from the Gulf Wars are now sick, and 70,000 have died. Add to this the fact that by far the majority of these veterans were in the age bracket of 20 to 36 when they went to war. Additionally, a review of the available files clearly reveals that a major cause of the illnesses appears to stem from toxic exposure to radiation resulting from the use of Depleted Uranium Ammunition and the misuse of pesticides in the Gulf Wars. What is difficult to swallow is that the majority of these illnesses and deaths were inflicted by us, by the munitions we used, not by the enemy.
The above facts are only a sample of what is available. This information, which comes from military records, is available to any and all political leaders. Yet our leaders of the past decade, Republican and Democrat, have chosen to ignore them. The simple fact is this, 370,000 soldiers, responding to the call of their Nation, left their homes healthy and returned sick or dying. Why haven’t the Department of Defense and VA leadership acknowledged the truth of their own records and fixed the problem?
Consequently, I will be devoting the next five months to helping our Veterans get their case before the public and hopefully get the Republican Party leaders to lead the charge to fix the problems our courageous soldiers and their families are being forced to face when they come home from defending our way of life. They have been called from civilian life to put themselves in harms way, have left their homes, families and jobs, and then they have returned to conditions that can only be identified as a betrayal of trust. Can there be any question that our government suffers from a lack of integrity, ethics and accountability. If we are going to send them to war, then we must take care of them when they return home – OR DON’T SEND THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.
There is not enough time in this letter to cover all of the issues we are facing. But face them we must. As you can see, I have not withdrawn from the campaign; nor will I until the veteran issues are fixed and our Party again becomes open to new people and fresh ideas. Hopefully, our Republican Party will again play by the democratic rules that resulted in the 1994 Contract with America. At this point I am not sure where my decision will take me, but I am set for the ride.
Again, thank you for your support and may God bless each and every one of you and your families. If you wish, I will keep you posted on progress.
Sincerely,
Richard E. Phenneger