A Nurse's Courage

Laura Berg, a Veterans Affairs nurse in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was investigated for sedition after she wrote a letter to a local newspaper criticizing the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq war. In her first broadcast interview, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman spoke with Laura Berg, as well as Larry Kronen, an attorney with the New Mexico chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Here in Albuquerque, a local Veterans Affairs nurse has felt the crack down on civil liberties firsthand. In September, shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck, Laura Berg wrote a letter to the Alibi, a local newspaper, criticizing the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq war. Berg wrote, "as a VA nurse working with returning... vets, I know the public has no sense of the additional devastating human and financial costs of post-traumatic stress disorder." She urged readers to, "act forcefully to remove a government administration playing games of smoke and mirrors and vicious deceit."

The response to Berg's letter was harsh. Her office computer was seized. And the government announced it was investigating her for sedition -- that's right, sedition. V.A. human resources chief Mel Hooker wrote in a letter to Berg, "The Agency is bound by law to investigate and pursue any act which potentially represents sedition."

To date the VA has yet to issue a public apology to Berg. But pressure is building. In Washington, New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman has asked Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson to thoroughly investigate the VA's actions. Bingaman wrote "In a democracy, expressing disagreement with the government's actions does not amount to sedition or insurrection. It is, and must remain, protected speech."

Amy Goodman: Today, Laura Berg joins us here in Albuquerque in her first broadcast interview. We are also joined by Larry Kronen, an attorney with the New Mexico chapter of the America Civil Liberties Union. We welcome you both to Democracy Now!

Laura Berg: Thank you.

Goodman: Laura, talk about the letter that you wrote to your local paper, The Alibi. When did you write it?

Berg: I wrote the letter within a week after Katrina hit the coast. And I had been just devastated by the scenes that I saw there. I was watching. Actually, it was my first experience to really be thoroughly exploring alternative media, actually reports right from the people on the streets as far as their experiences of abandonment, the scenes that were so much like a third world country. I think we have been really privileged in this country and not had to see close-up experiences like that. And it's just absolutely devastating. I have been a V.A. nurse for 15 years.

Goodman: Where do you work?

Berg: I work in behavioral health at the local V.A. in out-patient area.

Goodman: And what's your specialty?

Berg: My specialty right now is working on-call for emergencies, mental health emergencies. In the past, I have worked as doing mental health assessment for new patients. And, of course, that would be many returning vets from the Persian Gulf or from the current conflict.

Goodman: And so, you wrote this letter.

Berg: Pardon?

Goodman: So you wrote a letter.

Berg: I wrote this letter. I think, you know, I have -- all of us at the V.A., there's very many compassionate people working there, very many dedicated people. And we've worked with, you know, veterans from Vietnam, veterans from Korea, veterans from World War II. We were seeing more and more World War II veterans, you know, triggered for the first time by Iraq and actually, you know, having memories and nightmares coming out.

Goodman: You are saying now that they are triggered?

Berg: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

Goodman: So, World War II vets are coming in.