What happened in that theater outside Denver, Colorado on July 25, 2012 or, for example, the terrorist

bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murray Federal Building in D owntown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, were acts of terrorism and/or combat no different from what happened on 9/11 or in America's foreign wars such as Vietn am, Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, twelve days after 9/11, the US Congress enacted the September 11th Vict im Compensation fund of 2001. This $6 billion program was intended to compensate any individual (or the personal representative of a deceased individual) who wa s physically injured or killed as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011. Source: Homeland Security: 9/11 Victim Relief Funds We already know what happens to America's combat veterans in similar situations US troops are trained, armed and ready. In July 2010, PBS News Hour reported, "Of the more than two million men and wome n who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, it's estimated one in five will come home with post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD," said health correspondent Betty An n Bowser. Bowser quoted U. S. President Barack Obama, who said, "I don't think our troops on the battlefield should have to keep notes just in case they need to apply for a claim. And I have met enough veterans to know that you don't have to engage i n a firefight to endure the trauma of war." Before President Obama, the rules required veterans to document events like fire fights or bomb explosions that could have caused PTSD. Such documentation was of ten time-consuming and difficult, and sometimes was impossible. Under the new rule s a veteran need show only that he or she served in a war and performed a job du ring which events could have happened that could cause the disorder. But what about the innocent victims of combat in the United States? I'm not talking about the homicide rate (which is in decline) or riots (which mo st people may avoid by staying away from the location of the riot). I'm talking about the victims of lone-wolf mass killings such as what happened recently near Denver, Colorado. According to The Arizona Republic, "There has been no corresponding decline in m ass murder these sudden, stunning eruptions of violence with multiple victims, often perpetrated by gunmen who researchers refer to as 'pseudo-commandos.' Such a ki ller, clad in body armor and with a small arsenal of firearms, struck Friday in Aurora, Colo., leaving a dozen dead, 58 wounded and a nation horrified. "The United States experienced 645 mass-murder events killings with at least four vi ctims from 1976 to 2010, according to Northeastern University criminologist James Al an Fox. When graphed, these incidents show no obvious trend. The numbers go up a nd down and up again. The total body count: 2,949." The total number killed in the terrorist attack in New York City on September 11 , 2001 was 2,819. If what happened in that Colorado Theater does not qualify as a home grown terro rist attack by a 'pseudo-commando', what does? Lone-wolf acts of violence in the United States must be considered the same as a ny disaster and be included under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Eme rgency Assistance Act of 1988. Under this act, the Federal share of the costs of such efforts is to be no less than 75 percent of the eligible costs. Total assi stance under this Act for one emergency is to be limited to no more than $5,000, and

000, except when the President determines additional funds are needed. If additi onal funds are needed, the President must report to Congress on the extent of th e additional need. If what happened in Colorado is not covered under the Stafford Act, we need a ne w law that will. After all, it is the government's responsibility to safeguard i nnocent, law abiding US citizens and in acts of lone-wolf violence, the governme nt has failed 645 times since 1976. It's time to take care of our own in situations such as a lone-wolf mass-murder events. If the US Federal government can spend $49 billion for foreign aid in 20 12, it must help the victims of acts of violence similar to what happened in Col orado in that Century Theater the victims in such acts of violence should be treated the same as if they were 9/11 victims, wounded in combat or came home with PTSD from Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan. This post is reprinted with permission of The Soulful Veteran http://thesoulfulveteran.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/it-is-time-relief-for-victimsof-lone-wolf-killers-such-as-james-holmes/