VA Sued for Not Getting Mental-Health Help for Vets

Months after reports surfaced pointing out the sloppy outpatient care of soldiers with service-related disabilities at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, fueling intense scrutiny of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and the Pentagon, two groups are asking U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti to force the VA to immediately spend $60 million to provide care to hundreds of thousands of veterans they say have pending health claims, reports The Associated Press (AP). "The VA has repeatedly failed to implement programs," the veterans' lawyer Gordon Erspamer told the judge. "Mental-health funding is not being spent on mental health." Erspamer urged the judge to act soon to fix a healthcare system he says is plagued by staffing shortages, high turnover and a crushing need to treat about 56,000 patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, reports AP.

U.S. Lags in Political Equality for Women

The United States has a long way to go to level the political playing field for women, according to a new book by two Ohio State University researchers. The book, titled Women, Politics, and Power: A Global Perspective, argues that while over the past century women have made inroads in every area of political decision making, they still must make long strides before they achieve equality, reports Newswise. "It would be groundbreaking for the United States if Hillary Clinton were elected, but it would still be following the middle-of-the road pattern," Pamela Paxton, a co-author and associate professor of sociology and political science at Ohio State, told Newswise. "A number of other countries have already had female leaders. Overall, we're behind many countries, but there are also plenty of countries that do more poorly." The United States ranked 61st of 128 countries when examining the gender proportionality in a country's legislature or parliament.

Soap Opera Fans Demand More on Gay Relationship

Fans of CBS' "As the World Turns" are demanding the show develop the love affair between two young characters, Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer, after a Valentine's Day episode featured fantasy sequences involving several of the show's couples, all ending with the couples kissing except the one involving Luke and Noah--they hugged, reports The Associated Press. "We totally support this show and applaud the show for doing this story line," Roger Newcomb, a computer worker from New York's northern suburbs and the man behind the campaign, told AP. "We just don't understand why they have to be censored or treated differently." Newcomb and his supporters have written letters, posted petitions and even have a day, hour, minute and second counter that tracks the time since Noah and Luke kissed. While the show says there is no "kissing ban," a spokesperson for Procter & Gamble Productions, which sets the creative direction for the show, told AP, "It's always hard to please a diverse audience and we have a diverse audience." A different popular soap opera, "All My Children," broke new ground early last year when it introduced six transgender characters. 

Gay-Marriage Debate Hits the Golden State

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