Scott Walker Disrepects Veterans Again and Again

Tim Russell, Scott Walker and Brian Pierick
"Don't think for a minute that Walkergate
or its effect will end ... ."

'When a vet is interred, it is considered a final and lasting resting place. It's final to us'

Updated - Since Scott Walker appointed two longtime political flunkies, Tim Russell and Kevin Kavanaugh—who had and likely never will have any veterans' advocacy or non-profit experience—to non-profit veterans' groups, it's been clear Scott Walker uses veterans as a campaign prop and could not care any less about service.

Tim Russell and Kevin Kavanaugh proceeded to embezzle $60,000 from the veterans' funds with which they were entrusted by Walker.

".... charged (and later convicted) .... with embezzling more than $60,000 intended for veterans and their families, instead using the stolen funds on everything from Caribbean cruises to wedding expenses to renewing Walker-for-governor websites." (Bice, Schultze and Stein, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

Now, a Korean War Veterans memorial up in Price County is getting the shaft from Scott Walker and his Department of Transportation which is refusing funding for the revered area, reports Seth Carlson in the Price County Review.

Walker's DoT and disrespect for veterans isn't anything new.

Walker wants to expand I-94 against the wishes of numerous Milwaukee community groups and dig up and move the resting place of veterans at Wood National Cemetery, "located on the grounds of a former Soldiers Home that today is called the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee."

"(W)hen a vet is interred, it is considered a final and lasting resting place. It's final to us," said Al Richburg, director of Wood National Cemetery, reports Don Walker in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Someone forgot to tell this to Scott Walker, or more likely Walker doesn't give a damn. Other private cemeteries along Scott Walker's plan to widen I-94 will move final resting places as well.

As the Root River Siren noted this Spring, "Scott Walker even dared to stand next to U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin at Wood National Cemetery on Monday (Memorial Day 2014) to honor the fallen and praise Medal of Honor recipient, Gary Wetzel."

Scott Walker is an ass, and any politician who voted for the budget allowing this desecration is an ass.

It doesn't stop there.

As the Siren also noted: "As unsavory as the whole [Russell-Kavanaugh] episode is, it largely remains forgotten by Wisconsin veterans as a whole. Then legislation (passed this last) March, which Walker signed into law, that makes it harder for people to pursue legal remedies and compensation for repeated exposure to asbestos."

Mesothelioma is the rare form of cancer which occurs - and disproportionately affects veterans."

Veterans groups condemned the bill, but Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce loved it - and even had a hand in writing it. See, many of their members are the source of these lawsuits and they really hate to pay out cash for killing people - even veterans."

"A number of veterans groups have sworn they won't forget come election time. We've heard that before."

Veterans groups and Democratic Party representatives have introduced the "Full Compensation for Victims" Act, repealing the GOP's "Corporate Profits over Veterans" Act. (Jessica VanEgeren, the Capital Times)

As of the posting of this piece, Scott Walker has never apologized once for what his flunkies, Russell-Kavanaugh, did to veterans, or what Walker had done.