I have been reading the diaries about the returning veterans since last week with a very heavy heart. Coincidentally, I have received several right wing missives from my increasingly wrong headed, conservative relatives. My response follows. I would like suggestions for changes and more links for organizations that are trying to help.
I have written a letter to send along the next time I get the obnoxious right wing e-mail. I am waiting to send it because I want to make sure it goes out to all the kooks that are listed on the posts I get. While they are all busy getting their ire up about Mexicans, liberals, Clintons and abortionists, the veterans are sinking into obscurity, to be spat upon in a few years for being crazy and dirty by these same self-annointed giants of integrity. I have used Brandon Friedman's earlier post and some of the links included in the comments and also Ninepatch's diary for sending packages as background and links to help readers give a hand.
This is my own way of trying to help and to attempt to get people who want to draw sides and divide us to feel a little motivation to help out. Many hands makes the load lighter.
I am also including all this information in my Christmas cards. I haven't sent any for about 5 yrs due to depressing circumstances in my own life and this has motivated me to start up again.
My letter:
There is some despicable acts going on in our beloved nation that deserve our attention and we had better get going on solving the problem immediately. Our returning veterans are being screwed in many ways by our military and our government and all in our name.
Incidents of suicide among veterans have skyrocketed. The number of homeless veterans is unconscionable. What can we do? Whether you are a yellow ribbon carrying, unabashed supporter of the war and our veterans or a war protesting supporter of our veterans I implore you to help out. The bickering and accusatory rhetoric of both sides must stop and we must join hands to help these returning heroes.
http://www.cbsnews.com/...
CBS news has revealed the horrible truth of the pain these veterans are returning to. Please do not discount this because you don’t believe in the mainstream media. If the best you can do is ignore this account then go visit a facility that has our returning injured vets and speak to them yourself. Complaining and criticizing without budging your behind off the couch is cowardly.
Here's another,
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com...
Here is a link to an article about veterans fighting homelessness.
http://www.boston.com/...
Please, I am begging all to become involved to help. The amount of vitriol being spewed against each other is fruitless and scours our souls of feeling. We must put our energies into helping these vets and making their lives as easy as we can. We have sacrificed our futures and their's to this war and now we must sacrifice our time to help our returning military.
Everyone has time to bitch and fight and listen to our favorite shills. Let’s make time to help these people and show them how grateful we are that they volunteered to give their lives for our country.
Aid and help:
http://www.iava.org/
http://www.iava.org/...
http://www.helpaveteran.org/
I would like to include more links for aiding the veterans, but I want to be careful and not include inflammatory sites that will rile. I wish for people to really help, not fight. Any links to more information are appreciated too.