It's been a while, but they had to go and screw with the veterans.
I had a conversation a couple of days ago with a friend that thinks Fox News is actually “Fair and Balanced.”
I say that so you’ll know that we almost never agree on anything…except that America needs to be ashamed of the way we treat our veterans. Oh, sure, we love the Hell out of them when they are dying for us in some cesspool of political corruption halfway around the world.
We just can’t seem to love them if they live through their enlistments and then turn to us for the benefits we promised them…AND…Jesus help them if they were wounded or get old or both.
Janet Jackson’s nipple pops out at the Super Bowl, and we can generate outrage out the ass. Some poor infantry soldier’s leg pops off when an IED explodes and he can’t get the absolute best Goddamn prosthetic leg in Goddamn record time, and it’s, “Ho-motherf**king-Hum.”
My Dad is 85. He enlisted in the Navy in 1946. He is considered a WW II-era veteran. He’s about as young as a WW II-era veteran can be. Korean War-era veterans are in their late 70s. I’m going to be 60 in August. I was never in the service, but I am about as young as a Vietnam-era veteran can be. Older vets need more care…AND we owe them.
We have veterans from both Gulf wars, Grenada, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and a million other places where gunfire wasn’t exchanged that are 50 and younger. They all that served out of a sense of duty…AND, partially, because we told them we’d take care of them when their service was completed.
Apparently, we lied.
There is no excuse for this international embarrassment. Presidents Obama, et al, should be ashamed. Democrats and Republicans that haven’t taken care of our veterans should be horse whipped. All this takes to solve is resolve…and we have had damned little of that in Washington, D. C., so far in the 21st Century.
At funerals of veterans the honor guard presents the family of the departed a folded American flag. The honor guard then thanks the family on behalf of the President of the United States and a grateful nation for the veteran’s service. How about we thank veterans that are still alive by honoring our commitments to them?
• “On behalf of the President of the United States and a grateful nation, we’ve scheduled your annual physical for next week instead of next decade.”
• “Sorry about your leg; here’s one you can use until we get your new one from the manufacturer.”
• “Wow, we are overwhelmed this month, but you can go to a civilian doctor and have the doctor send the bill to us.”
I have another idea about how we might show the members of the armed forces that we love them and appreciate their commitment to defending our collective asses…How about we don’t get quite so many of them killed or wounded?
Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain, as well as most of the rest of the neo-cons that thought “liberating” Iraq was just a peachy idea, have come up with a plan to make more dead and injured veterans…they want to basically occupy Iraq, Iran, Syria, the Ukraine, and any other place “freedom is at risk.”
Senator McCain, please retire. You have served your country for a long time as a warrior in the Navy and as a member of the United States Senate. You used to be a “straight talker,” but now it’s starting to get embarrassing.
Senator Graham, please shut up. I know you are scared that some South Carolina Tea Party nut bag (a tautology) will come along and challenge you to a nut bag duel for the hearts and minds of your nut bag constitutes, but, just shut up…you come off sounding like Scarlet O’Hara in a snit.
Goodbye, Eric Cantor
I will not miss you…however, that may change. David Brat, the man that beat you in the Republican primary, gives God credit for his victory. He thinks other Christians haven’t done enough to promote the teachings of Jesus.
Really, when you think about it, the teachings of Jesus aren’t the problem…love thy neighbor as thy self…that which you do to the least of these, you do unto me…feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick…I’ve always found it was the teachers and not the teachings that screw up the whole thing.
Goodbye, Uncle Bob
We had to say goodbye to my Uncle Bob Mayer late last month. Bob died following a short illness. He and my Aunt Ruthie were married for 44 years. He was a retired FBI Special Agent and an Army veteran. He was the kind of man that always did the next right thing. People like that are getting rarer these days. I will miss him.