Off Topic: Words With The Speaker.

This post has nothing to do with this blog, but I wanted to file this information away someplace publicly assessable for my family to get to. I originally posted this on a defunct blog of mine in July of 2008. Mark is my twin brother.

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Listen to the radio interview:

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The US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Seattle to raise money for Congressional candidate Darcy Burner today on Friday June 13th 2008. She also visited with my brother, retired (US Army) Staff Sgt Mark MacPherson.

Transcript from Radio Interview:
Pelosi Offers Help to Burner and Veterans in Seattle Visit

06/13/2008
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Seattle to raise money for Congressional candidate Darcy Burner today (Friday). She also toured Seattle’s VA hospital to tout the new money Congress has given the system. KUOW’s Amy Radil reports.

PELOSI’S VISIT WAS TIMED TO COINCIDE WITH A FUNDRAISER FOR BURNER AT THE WASHINGTON ATHLETIC CLUB IN DOWNTOWN SEATTLE. BURNER IS ONCE AGAIN CHALLENGING REPRESENTATIVE DAVE REICHERT FOR HIS CONGRESSIONAL SEAT ON THE EAST SIDE. BUT FIRST PELOSI AND THREE WASHINGTON CONGRESSMEN VISITED SEATTLE’S VA HOSPITAL TO HEAR FROM VETERANS. PELOSI SAYS SHE’S PROUD THAT THIS YEAR CONGRESS HAS GIVEN THE BIGGEST SPENDING INCREASE IN THE VA’S HISTORY. AND SHE WANTS TO DO MORE.

PELOSI: “That is why we are now promoting the GI Bill for the 21st century. This is what our young veterans want. Say thank you to our veterans, and when they come home, send them to college.”

PELOSI SPOKE WITH WITH FORMER ARMY STAFF SEARGENT MARK MACPHERSON, WHO RECEIVED A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY FROM A ROADSIDE BOMB IN IRAQ. MACPHERSON SAYS HE’S RECEIVED GREAT CARE AT THE VA. THE PROBLEM, HE SAYS, IS THE TIME HE SPENT IN LIMBO BETWEEN THE ARMY AND THE VA. HE SAYS ONLY HIS WIFE’S HELP ALLOWED HIM TO NAVIGATE THE BUREAUCRACY. HE NOW WORKS AS A MANAGER AT BOEING.

MACPHERSON: “I’m happy that my employer, Boeing, hired me. It took me seven months to get a job once I was ready. But people talk about victories in ones and twosies, and there’s thousands of us.”

MACPHERSON RECEIVES VOCATIONAL AND PHYSICAL THERAPY, TO HELP HIM WORK AROUND THE EFFECTS OF HIS INJURY. HE SAYS DESPITE A LOT OF PATRIOTIC TALK, IT’S VERY HARD FOR VETERANS TO FIND JOBS WHEN THEY LEAVE THE SERVICE.

AMY RADIL, KUOW NEWS.

(http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=15169)