Since it was Memorial Day this weekend, I would like to think that most people took time to think, reflect, and maybe give back to the people who made sacrifices for our country.....
Unfortunately this weekend was pushed by big corporations as one more excuse to buy charcoal, lighter fluid, and have a BBQ in the back yard. Volunteering at an old vets home, or driving a van for the D.A.V. doesn't put any money in anyones pocket... why promote things like this? Once again, are higher taxes that bad? If I was told that an extra 1% in taxes would help with health care for all the maimed, burned, and permanently disabled vets that luckily (?) survived the Iraq war, why would I protest? But come to think of it, that would make me a bleeding heart liberal who wants to create a wasteful bureaucracy. Why reverse those famous Bush tax cuts to create an appropriate health care system for our veterans? We'll just give them a couple of parades, and have the president visit Walter Reed Hospital before the mid-term elections for a carefully staged photo-op. Then they can deal with their "co-pays", formularies, and utilization review boards like the rest of the country. And if they dare protest, write a book, start a blog, or go on Oprah... then we can blame it all on the post-traumatic stress disorder, that the liberal media exploited to turn these "poor heroes" against our president.
If you're really a patriot, take that stupid flag off your car, and donate your time or money to a couple of veterans organizations. The Disabled Veterans of America, the V.A., and the Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.optruth.org) are good places to start.