Rachel Maddow has always included coverage of the wars in her news casts. When she was on the radio she had a segment called, "Life during wartime". It was always a reminder that even hough the majority of us, the 99%, using our new vocabulary, did not bear the brunt of the wartime burden, it was important to remember that we were indeed a Country at war.
My daughter, who is now eight, was born into a Country at war, but to her, you would never know it. We've been insulated for a very long time. The death is documented here with the series, I Got the New Today, paying respect and honoring those who died fighting these wars. Daily Kos is probably more cognizant than many who are not as politically plugged in.
I was watching Rachel tonight and she covered the ending of the war just as she has covered the rest of it, brilliantly and it reminded me of that divide again. As so many of us go to work, prepare for the Holidays, there are many service men and women who are preparing to reenter civilian life. There are those who are mourning their loses all over again and there are some who will be staying behind.
But many have lived a very different reality than those serving in these wars, those related to those serving, etc. And so as this war comes to an end we have a different kind of ending to a war. There are no ticker tape parades, no National ceremonies, much of the ceremony has been isolated to the military and their families.
And this was not on accident, it was done on purpose, just for the same reason why those who opposed the war were labeled UnAmerican, but it did not stop me from being against this war. And supporting our troops does not mean you support the war.
Divide and conquer, it is the same old story. The less the war touched our loves, the longer it could go on and be profitable for private companies while our troops risked their own lives for so much less and in some ways for so much more.
We must acknowledge this. I hope we will, especially many Republicans are calling the end of the war a big mistake.
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It was today that President Obama marked the end of the Iraq war at Fort Bragg, a war that has lasted almost 25% of my lifetime. A war that I fiercely disagreed with is finally at its end. It does not matter if you agree or disagree the sentiments that the President begins in this clip is important.
Welcome home and thank you from a grateful Nation.
I am asking that we all take a moment today to think about all that was lost in this horrendous war. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians have lost loved ones, friends and communities. A Country that is still struggling to recover from years of violence, horror and war. Something that so many of us also have no concept of.
And take a moment to think of all those soldiers lost in a war that should have never been fought. I cannot help but wonder how different thing might have been if we had not invaded Iraq, would it have mattered.
All I know is that I am grateful, I am sorry, and I am hopeful.
Hopeful that we will care for the veterans of this war as best as we can. That we will pressure this administration to keep its promise to help employ veterans, send them to college, find them housing and healthcare, it is the least we can do.
Support for Veterans
First lady Michelle Obama, who shared the stage with the president and has made veterans’ assistance one of her causes, told troops and their families that “this nation’s support doesn’t end as the war ends.”
“Part of ending a war responsibly is standing by those who have fought it,” Obama said. “It’s not enough to honor you with words; we must do so with deeds.”
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the International Franchise Association to hire 100,000 have agreed, with Obama’s prodding, to hire 100,000 veterans, wounded warriors and military spouses by 2014.
Last month the president signed into law a measure that provides tax credits to companies that hire unemployed veterans. Companies can claim a credit against taxes owed of as much as $5,600 for hiring veterans, and as much as $9,600 for hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities, if the veteran has been looking for work for six months or longer.
“After years of rebuilding Iraq, we want to enlist our veterans in the work of rebuilding America,” Obama said at Fort Bragg.
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