🌟 Revolutionizing Veteran Care and Local Governance: Insights from the Buckmaster Show
Dive into the revolutionary approach of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and hear firsthand accounts of veterans reclaiming their lives after the trauma of war.
Based on the Buckmaster show for 1/27/25 on KVOI-1030AM.
🙊 Notable quotes from the show
Hugo Frausto (Veteran, Healing Arizona Veterans)
"Before this treatment, I was on the verge of suicide. I was completely broken."
"I was sleeping about three hours a night, and my irritability was through the roof."
On VA medication: "They give you a flat affect where you're just... you have no ability to actually connect and talk to people on an actual meaningful level."
"I've had a lot of unfortunate calls where I'm having to talk to people at 3 a.m. because they're suicidal or they're getting checked into rehab or they're having substance abuse issues."
Sa'ad Allawi (Healing Arizona Veterans)
On HBOT history: "It started with decompression chambers that Navy divers used back in the 40s... Athletes started using it in the 60s because they found out it actually healed their traumatic brain injury."
"In Europe they have them, China has over 5,000 chambers, Russia has 105 indicators that they use it for. Japan, interesting enough, in the 70s, they started making ambulances available with a hyperbaric chamber."
Dr. Matt Heinz (Pima County Supervisor)
On executive orders: "This isn't a monarchy. I mean, you might be confused because of the recent rulings of the Supreme Court enabling our executives to do kind of whatever almost carte blanche and not be accountable for it."
On county jail: "About 65% of those who are hanging out in our jail are nonviolent offenders. It doesn't make sense to have a good chunk of those people stuck in there."
On flu: "Flu can kill, and people tend to forget about that."
Jan Westenborg (Green Things)
On the winter: "We've had a winter we haven't seen for years."
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
The Buckmaster Show is a place where people talk about important issues in our lives. 🗣️✨ Recently, they discussed how some doctors don't help veterans the right way. Instead of just giving them pills that make them feel numb 💊😶, there's a new way called Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy that really helps them feel better. 🌬️💪 They also talked about how the government sometimes makes choices that hurt people who need help, like immigrants. 🚫🤝 Lastly, a local shop owner showed us how businesses can change to help the environment. 🌱🏬💚
🗝️ Takeaways
🏥 Veterans' Health Crisis: Many veterans struggle with traditional treatments; Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy shows promise.
📉 Administrative Challenges: Pima County faces serious funding issues affecting asylum seekers and non-violent offenders.
🌍 Community Resilience: Local businesses are adapting to climate change, with innovative practices ensuring survival.
🗳️ Call to Action: Systemic change is needed in veteran care and local governance to prioritize humans over bureaucracy.
Voices of Change: Healing, Hope, and Hard Truths on the Buckmaster Show
On a crisp January morning in 2025, Bill Buckmaster's radio show once again proved why it remains a vital platform for local voices and critical conversations. Broadcasting from the Green Things, Zocalo Village Studio at the Bustos Media Center in Central Tucson, the show exposed the deep-rooted systemic challenges facing veterans, local governance, and community resilience.
🏥 Veterans' Healing: Challenging the Medical-Industrial Complex of Veteran Care
The segment with Sa'ad Allawi and Hugo Frausto from Healing Arizona Veterans wasn't just a medical discussion—it was a radical expose of how our broken healthcare system fails those who've sacrificed the most.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) emerges as a revolutionary treatment that challenges the pharmaceutical-driven approach to veteran mental health. The stark reality is brutal: traditional VA treatments often reduce veterans to pharmaceutical zombies, numbing their pain without addressing root causes.
Hugo Frausto's testimony was a damning indictment of the current system. "Before this treatment, I was on the verge of suicide," he candidly shared. "I was completely broken. I was sleeping about three hours a night, and my irritability was through the roof."
His experience reveals the human cost of bureaucratic healthcare:
Traditional VA treatment: Endless pharmaceutical cocktails
Consequences: Emotional numbness, liver issues, disconnection from family
HBOT alternative: Restoration of emotional capacity, improved sleep, cognitive recovery
The financial and human implications are staggering:
Cost per veteran treatment: Approximately $20,000
Sessions required: 40-80 treatments
Global context: Countries like Japan and China already utilize this technology extensively
Progressive Analysis: This is medical colonialism in action. Our veterans are treated as disposable resources—sent to war, then abandoned to a pharmaceutical system that prioritizes profit over healing. The VA's resistance to alternative treatments isn't just medical conservatism; it's a systemic violence against those who've served.
The proposed Congressional bill (HR 3649) represents a glimmer of hope—a potential crack in the medical-industrial complex.
"Congress is working on a bill... that will actually provide a pilot program where the VA will actually start funding this hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat brain injuries and PTSD," Frausto explained.
Key Statistics That Demand Attention:
Over 200 veterans sponsored
8,600 HBOT sessions conducted
Nearly 100 veterans fully treated (80+ sessions)
Zero cost to veterans
Call to Action: We must dismantle the current veteran care model. HBOT isn't just a treatment—it's a fundamental reimagining of how we heal trauma.
🏛️ County Crossroads: Systemic Failure and Potential Transformation
Dr. Matt Heinz's interview exposed the intricate dance of local governance, revealing how policy decisions create ripple effects that devastate vulnerable communities.
Immigration and Asylum: A Humanitarian Crisis
Pima County's groundbreaking asylum seeker program suspended
Federal funding shifted to unpredictable reimbursement models
"We should not have to use our county tax dollars if they're not going to be reimbursed by the feds," Heinz stated
The underlying message? Bureaucratic indifference trumps human compassion.
Justice System Reform: Beyond Incremental Change
65% of jail inmates are non-violent offenders
Current system: Criminalization over rehabilitation
Proposed alternative: Ankle monitoring, community-based interventions
Healthcare Insights: Systemic Neglect Heinz's medical perspective revealed deeper structural issues:
Ongoing respiratory virus challenges
Influenza as a persistent threat
"Flu can kill, and people tend to forget about that," he warned
Progressive Critique: This isn't governance—it's administrative violence. Each policy decision represents a choice between human dignity and bureaucratic efficiency.
🌿 Resilience in Retail: Ecological Adaptation and Community Survival
Jan Westenborg's interview about Green Things wasn't just a business story—it was a microcosm of climate adaptation and local economic resilience.
Flood Plain Realities:
Forced relocation due to environmental regulations
Massive sale as a survival strategy
Up to 50% off merchandise
Climate Survival Guide: Westenborg offered a masterclass in local ecological adaptation:
Hardy plants surviving extreme temperatures
"We've had a winter we haven't seen for years," she noted
Recommended plants: Texas Rangers, Green Hot Bush, Lady Banks Rose, Mesquite trees
Community Perspective: This is what climate resilience looks like—local businesses adapting, sharing knowledge, surviving.
Show Wrap-Up: Weaving Resistance and Hope
Buckmaster's show transcends traditional media. It's a platform where systemic challenges are exposed, where personal stories become political statements.
Radical Reflection Prompts:
How do we redesign veteran care to prioritize holistic healing?
What does true immigration justice look like at the local level?
How can communities build ecological and economic resilience?
Solidarity isn't a sentiment—it's a practice.
Reporting from the frontlines of local resistance, The Three Sonorans Team
¡Presente! ¡Resistimos!
People Mentioned
Directly Interviewed
Bill Buckmaster
Radio host
37 years in Tucson Radio and TV
Host of the Buckmaster Show
Sa'ad Allawi
Director of Strategy and Operations for Healing Arizona Veterans
Helps explain HBOT and organization's mission
Hugo Frausto
Marine veteran
Chair of the Board of Healing Arizona Veterans
Personal HBOT treatment recipient
Dr. Matt Heinz
Pima County Board of Supervisors member
Hospitalist at TMC
Discussed county issues and healthcare
Jan Westenborg
Owner of Green Things and Zocalo Village
Discussed business relocation and plant survival
Other Notable Mentions
Dr. Henrichs/Henrikx
Neurologist associated with Healing Arizona Veterans
Conducted brain scans and HBOT evaluations
Sheriff Nanos
Pima County Sheriff
Stated he would stay out of immigration enforcement
Broadway Joe Namath
Mentioned as a proponent of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Set up a clinic in Jupiter, Florida
Shared his own brain scans showing treatment results
Jack Westenborg
Jan's partner/husband
Co-owner of Green Things
Organizational Mentions
Healing Arizona Veterans
Pima County Board of Supervisors
Veterans Administration (VA)
Green Things
Zocalo Village
Bustos Media Center
A snapshot of local voices, struggles, and resilience from the Buckmaster Show
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