Veterans Savaged Again!
Hubgram
News and Views
May 23, 2006
___________________________________
Veterans Records Stolen!...
The story made the news yesterday evening.
And it didn't seem to make sense.
Apparently, a VA official took 26 million files home and those files were stolen
when somebody came into the home and robbed the records.
Wow! They actually published such a story--but what's even more alarming is that they expect the public to believe it.
Let the questions begin:
Why was an official allowed to take records home? And if that was conventional policy, why was he allowed to take 26 million records which has to be a large part of the VA's total universe? To allow this to happen indicates not only that security is poor, it seems patently non-existent..
Then, according to the individual who came forward, why would somebody break into his home and just take the computer and the files and leave everything else?
I'm sorry, this story doesn't seem to lack credibility.
What that indicates is that somebody from the outside with no involvement to the employee knew that this person had some valuable files and that those files would have great value on the open market. It also meant that this was not an ordinary criminal; that it was somebody who was not interested in the ordinary loot stolen in such incidents--the TV, the stereo, jewelry; none of which were apparently disturbed but only in the VA records. The probabilities of all of these things being true are remote..
Pardon the expression, it sounds more like an opportunity to rip off your employer and make a big haul with no "heavy-lifting."
. But this is just not any employer. This is the VA. It's records refer to those who have already given more than should be expected of anyone. Now, they face another problem that will not go away.
And to paraphrase the government's answer: Veterans need to be vigilant! ANd they will pretty much be responsible for what happens to their records.
Admittedly, this is the VA's first response and it will change; but it is a damned poor one. Instead of consoling these veterans that they don't have to worrry; that the government will take care of this (since they were responsible for it in the first place), the veterans now have another worry added to their plate.
For as sure as night follows day, whoever stole these records did so intentionally. They knew that they had a license to make money with these records and, unquestionably, they are going to turn this into profit at the veterans' expense..
There are international groups who do nothing else but seek out records of the innocent so that they can scam them, steal money from their accounts and in every way possible, invade their privacy.
To my way of thinking, knowing what is going on in the world today, the VA must be held responsible here for its abysmal record protection. . They should have instituted safeguards so that no employee could remove records from VA headquarters. The government should have instituted protections for its veterans so that they wouldn't be subjected to additional stress.
This is a given. And if I were in the shoes to adjudicate this problem, heads would roll including the head of the Agency for having such poor security in their facility.
Veterans do not deserve to be tormented for something that the government did or failed to do. They have already been subjected to cuts in benefits and closings of VA hospitals not to mention whatever problems they have inherited from their duty assignments. It is simply not fair that we burden them again!
Moreover, security for government agencies has to fall under the newly formed mega-agency, Homeland Security. It is another failing grade for this embattled agency that seems to have not improved protection but only added to an uncontrollable bureaucracy.
Les Aaron
the Armchair Curmudgeon
PRE-ORDER "THE GUERILLA GUIDE TO TAKING BACK THE WHITE HOUSE" AT INTRODUCTORY PRICE OF $24.00. EMAIL HUBMASTER@AOL. COM. In Subject Area Write BOOK
News and Views
May 23, 2006
___________________________________
Veterans Records Stolen!...
The story made the news yesterday evening.
And it didn't seem to make sense.
Apparently, a VA official took 26 million files home and those files were stolen
when somebody came into the home and robbed the records.
Wow! They actually published such a story--but what's even more alarming is that they expect the public to believe it.
Let the questions begin:
Why was an official allowed to take records home? And if that was conventional policy, why was he allowed to take 26 million records which has to be a large part of the VA's total universe? To allow this to happen indicates not only that security is poor, it seems patently non-existent..
Then, according to the individual who came forward, why would somebody break into his home and just take the computer and the files and leave everything else?
I'm sorry, this story doesn't seem to lack credibility.
What that indicates is that somebody from the outside with no involvement to the employee knew that this person had some valuable files and that those files would have great value on the open market. It also meant that this was not an ordinary criminal; that it was somebody who was not interested in the ordinary loot stolen in such incidents--the TV, the stereo, jewelry; none of which were apparently disturbed but only in the VA records. The probabilities of all of these things being true are remote..
Pardon the expression, it sounds more like an opportunity to rip off your employer and make a big haul with no "heavy-lifting."
. But this is just not any employer. This is the VA. It's records refer to those who have already given more than should be expected of anyone. Now, they face another problem that will not go away.
And to paraphrase the government's answer: Veterans need to be vigilant! ANd they will pretty much be responsible for what happens to their records.
Admittedly, this is the VA's first response and it will change; but it is a damned poor one. Instead of consoling these veterans that they don't have to worrry; that the government will take care of this (since they were responsible for it in the first place), the veterans now have another worry added to their plate.
For as sure as night follows day, whoever stole these records did so intentionally. They knew that they had a license to make money with these records and, unquestionably, they are going to turn this into profit at the veterans' expense..
There are international groups who do nothing else but seek out records of the innocent so that they can scam them, steal money from their accounts and in every way possible, invade their privacy.
To my way of thinking, knowing what is going on in the world today, the VA must be held responsible here for its abysmal record protection. . They should have instituted safeguards so that no employee could remove records from VA headquarters. The government should have instituted protections for its veterans so that they wouldn't be subjected to additional stress.
This is a given. And if I were in the shoes to adjudicate this problem, heads would roll including the head of the Agency for having such poor security in their facility.
Veterans do not deserve to be tormented for something that the government did or failed to do. They have already been subjected to cuts in benefits and closings of VA hospitals not to mention whatever problems they have inherited from their duty assignments. It is simply not fair that we burden them again!
Moreover, security for government agencies has to fall under the newly formed mega-agency, Homeland Security. It is another failing grade for this embattled agency that seems to have not improved protection but only added to an uncontrollable bureaucracy.
Les Aaron
the Armchair Curmudgeon
PRE-ORDER "THE GUERILLA GUIDE TO TAKING BACK THE WHITE HOUSE" AT INTRODUCTORY PRICE OF $24.00. EMAIL HUBMASTER@AOL. COM. In Subject Area Write BOOK
posted by The Armchair Curmudgeon at 6:42 AM
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