Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Veterans Treatment; Politics vs Reality

                                                                   
Don't you just love that Michelle Obama and the Vice President's wife have taken to championing the military?  Doesn't it just look lovely when they attend a luncheon and patiently listen to the problems of the military, both active duty and veterans and their wives?  You get such a warm fuzzy, don't you?  I don't.

The majority of politicians, to include politicians wives use the military to advance their political aspirations.  And, I'm sorry to say, most of the American people forget about veterans once their "usefulness" is over.

First of all, this generation of active duty military has probably been abused more than any other.  When I served the U.S. government had a policy that specified once you had completed a year in combat you would not be returned to a combat area until all others had taken their turn.  In today's military it is not unusual to see our military compelled to serve four or five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Two factors account for this.  During my years of service a military draft still existed.  The military, as such was more of a "citizen army" whereby Americans served their "fair" amount of time and would have bitched to high heaven had they been forced into multiple combat tours.  The second factor is that our military has been so decimated that we now have about a third of the force we had during Vietnam.  Because of our relatively small force our military is now forced into multiple combat tours. 

I do not buy the argument that some make; that this is a volunteer force and our military is making the choice to do this.  Not true.  One need only take a look around to see that our economy is so bad that many stay in the military as the only means to support their family.

Once our military troops are finished with their multiple tours and finally decide to separate from the military they can expect to be forgotten, as tens of thousands of Vietnam vets have been.

In 1996 President Clinton decided that VA Health Care for veterans was just becoming too expensive.  Accordingly, he set up procedures to means test VA Health care.  Any veteran making more than $24 thousand a year can expect to be turned away unless they have a combat related injury.  And the VA often fights the vet tooth and nail to deny that an injury is combat related.  Ask any vet who suffers from Agent Orange from Vietnam and had to fight for 20 years to win a court decision to force the VA to treat it.

How many civilians know that, unless the retired Vet surrenders a huge chunk of his retirement pay, when the veteran dies, the spouse gets nothing from the military; this despite the military spouse serving as fully, and with as much dedication as the active duty member.  She or He raises children without a father, serves as tutor and chauffeur, and sounding board for her children.  Yet she or he hangs by a tenuous thread in retirement and hopes she or he can die before the retired spouse.

Finally, it's a good thing I'm not at one of those Michelle Obama/Jill Biden military family photo-ops.  The first question I would ask is why haven't military pensioners received a pay raise for three years.  I would also ask why the U.S. government violated their enlistment contract with the military with respect to Military Tri-Care.

Frankly, I am disgusted when I see the President, the Vice President and Congressmen use the military to boost their political careers.  I believe they should be honest and just say "look guys, you're just cannon fodder and this is how the game is played".

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is what it boils down to: "The majority of politicians, to include politicians wives use the military to advance their political aspirations. ". Knowing this, why would anyone enlist? Because they are stupid.

You enlisted don't "fight for freedom". Freedom is not fought 2000 miles away in some other nation, killing innocent people and ravaging their homes and land.

"Serving your country" is not what you fools are doing.

You are, however, serving special interests, those being, so called "defense" contractors (which are nothing more than death merchants), politicians, and banks.

Stop complaining about the government taking away your benefits if you are going to enlist and fight for them anyway. Idiots. It makes no sense.

I too am disgusted when I see the president, vp, and most politicians use the military to boost their careers but guess what, you have a choice wether or not you let them use you. STOP ENLISTING! Idiots.

You want to serve your country, work for the border patrol to keep the illegals out. Work for coast guard to protect our shores and waters.

You want your country back? Stop borrowing money from banks. Use credit unions. Stop buying products from companies like general motors, who let the federal government steal your tax money so they could keep their doors open. Stop supporting companies like general electric or Hewlett packard, two companies of many that dodged paying millions in taxes in 2010. Turn off the mainstream media, it's garbage. Vote out flip flop lying politicians like Juan McCain, and traitors like Raul grijalva.

We need to audit the federal reserve. The "federal" reserve is not even part of the federal government. It's a private bank that doesn't even answer to congress.

Ron Paul has been talking about auditing the fed for years. Support him by voting for him in 2012.

A Modest Scribler said...

Don't agree with your skewed point of view but thanks for your comments. BTW, if you flag me off Craig's list one more time..you're history on my board.

Anonymous said...

I'm not the one flagging you. You and I are on the Same team. Sort of. I agree with you on illegal immigration.

As for my skewed point of view on this topic, veterans/troops. Answer me this.

Do they or do they not have a choice to enlist? Yes they do, there is no draft.

Now, knowing that and looking at every aspect of what our country is going through, why would any sane person want to enlist?

Are they really serving their nation? If you say yes you are in denial. It's clear to me that at this point they are not serving private sector people like me. If every single troop was pulled from over seas, all the bases that use up money that could be spent else where were closed, how would it change my life?

Nothing in my life would change for better or for worse. Unless those troops were put on our southern border.

The cold hard facts are that the amrded forces work for congress, banks and death merchants/defense contractors. It's as simple as that.

We aren't being attacked every day by armies of Muslims, but we are being attacked every day by hundreds of illegal aliens that pour across the southern border. And what is being done about it? Not that much. Border patrol apprehends them, gives them medical attention if they need it (which taxpayers pay for), and then they are sent back to Mexico, honuras or Guatemala.

If you've ever watched border wars, you'd know that those who are captured will try to cross again because theyve said that, on camera.

Meanwhile, we have congressmen, mayors, governors, churches, liberal bleeding heart idiots who allow these invaders to continue to come here, acquire work, welfare, give birth to children (taxpayers pay for the birth), get driver license, etc.

No one is cutting off the benefits that these invaders are receiving. Our elected officials are not representing us. They represent illegals, and those who support them.

Meanwhile, our troops are two thousand miles away doing what? Trying to impose democracy on some nations who may not even want it.

We cannot be the worlds police any longer. We simply cannot afford it.

I see you complain about illegal immigration a lot. I understand your frustration, but why then would you enlist in a service working for a government that is blatantly refusing to fix the immigration problem? That makes no sense.

Either stop enlisting, or shut your pie hole and enjoy the check you get thanks to private sector citizens income tax.

A Modest Scribler said...

First of all, if you've read my blog for any length of time you will know that I'm totally opposed to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those who know me well also know that I voiced my opposition to Bush's actions in Iraq. I said on day one, okay, if he wants to go in and take out Sadaam and sons, fine...but no occupation and no effort to democratize a muslim society. I prefer quick hit and run attacks on pockets of terrorism from strategic deployments spots in the area.
Having said all that, what I said about your skewed attitude is that I love my country deeply and the vast majority of the military do also. They serve for love of country and, yes, we do need to fight terrorism around the world. From your remarks, it appears you have a very skeptical view about everyone.
Our government and our system is imperfect and the government is getting even worse but you don't "surrender to the dark" when things are going wrong. You fight corruption without calling everyone corrupt.
With respect to motivation as to why the miiitary serve...and your naive opinion regarding the threats to us are remarkable.
The very fact that you can issue an anti-government, anti-military rant is testament to the hundreds of thousands of military men who gave their lives for your freedom to say these things. In half of the world you would already be behind bars, in a dungeon, or dead.

Anonymous said...

Your problem is you think some kind of terrorism "around the world" exists.

Terrorism exists but it's not the kind that the mainstream media and federal government has brainwashed you into believing.

The real terrorists of the world are the federal reserve and the US federal government.

There never were any weapons of mass destruction. That was a ploy to veteran minded gullible people screaming for war. It worked.

It worked the same way 9-11 worked. Hell, 9-11 fooled me, I was too ignorant to understand the Iraq war the first time.

I remember where I was on 9/11/2001, like I'm sure most people do. I remember hoping that George bush jr would declare war and strike back to find the men responsible for the attack against us. I fell for it. Many people fell for it as we all wanted revenge. It was a perfect way to keep a war going for a long time. In reality, it was a perfect way to grow the military industrial complex, keep US citizens in fear of the Muslim boogeyman, strip more rights and liberties from US citizens under the false pretense of "security" (tsa for example), thus making a group of people rich, expand the bank cartel (federal reserve), steal other nations resources, and create a population that was ok with handing over their liberty in exchange for some false security as the police state grew.

Looking back on it now, I see that many wars were created based on lies with the goal being profit and control/manipulation of the populations emotions.

Anonymous said...

"I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated governments in the civilized world. No longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men."

President Woodrow Wilson (Democrat, 1913 - 1921) after realizing that he had authorized the worst act EVER: The Federal Reserve Act!

"Most Americans have no real understanding of the operation of the international money lenders. The accounts of the Federal Reserve System have never been audited. It operates outside the control of Congress and manipulates the credit of the United States" -- Sen. Barry Goldwater (Rep. AR)

"This [Federal Reserve Act] establishes the most gigantic trust on earth. When the President [Wilson} signs this bill, the invisible government of the monetary power will be legalized....the worst legislative crime of the ages is perpetrated by this banking and currency bill." -- Charles A. Lindbergh, Sr. , 1913

"From now on, depressions will be scientifically created." -- Congressman Charles A.
Lindbergh Sr. , 1913

"The financial system has been turned over to the Federal Reserve Board. That Board as ministers the finance system by authority of a purely profiteering group. The system is Private, conducted for the sole purpose of obtaining the greatest possible profits from the use of other people's money" -- Charles A. Lindbergh Sr., 1923

"The Federal Reserve bank buys government bonds without one penny..." -- Congressman
Wright Patman, Congressional Record, Sept 30, 1941

"We have, in this country, one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board. This evil institution has impoverished the people of the United States and has practically bankrupted our government. It has done this through the corrupt practices of the moneyed vultures who control it". -- Congressman Louis T. McFadden in 1932 (Rep. Pa)

"The Federal Reserve banks are one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever seen. There is not a man within the sound of my voice who does not know that this nation is run by the International bankers -- Congressman Louis T. McFadden (Rep. Pa)

"Some people think the Federal Reserve Banks are the United States government's institutions. They are not government institutions. They are private credit monopolies which prey upon the people of the United States for the benefit of themselves and their foreign swindlers" -- Congressional Record 12595-12603 -- Louis T. McFadden, Chairman of the Committee on Banking and Currency (12 years) June 10, 1932

"I have never seen more Senators express discontent with their jobs....I think the major cause is that, deep down in our hearts, we have been accomplices in doing something terrible and unforgivable to our wonderful country. Deep down in our heart, we know that we have given our children a legacy of bankruptcy. We have defrauded our country to get ourselves elected." -- John Danforth (R-Mo)

"These 12 corporations together cover the whole country and monopolize and use for private gain every dollar of the public currency..." -- Mr. Crozier of Cincinnati, before Senate Banking and Currency Committee - 1913

"The [Federal Reserve Act] as it stands seems to me to open the way to a vast inflation of the currency... I do not like to think that any law can be passed that will make it possible to submerge the gold standard in a flood of irredeemable paper currency." -- Henry Cabot Lodge Sr., 1913

Anonymous said...

How many people knew that these men spoke these words? Not very many. Why? Because if the citizens of the USA had a clue as to how this nations monetary policy was run, we would be in a mass war right now against today's congressmen/women and the mainstream media who have completely covered it up. Maybe even the "education" system that has never truly educated us on this important part of united states history. The word indoctrination comes to mind.

Having said that, it's understandable that people love this nation and want to fight for it but now having been educated on who pulls the strings why any sane individual would enlist to fight manufactured wars is beyond me because in the end, they are not helping or serving their country, they are actually hurting it. Over the last half century, troops have unknowingly facilitated the destruction of their nation for aiding the corrupt.

As Ron Paul recently said, we messed with Iran first in the 50's, then they retaliated in the 70's. The USA, specifically the federal reserve along with the US government, have always been the aggressors within the last 75 years when it comes to war. Osama bin laden worked for the CIA when we were fighting the soviets. It's documented. Even CIA employees have admitted this. If you had a brain and knew how to use it you would do research of your own, rather than just swallowing what the mainstream media and your superior feeds you.

If you really love your country you would not join evil corrupt men who bully other nations in order to push their beliefs on others while stealing their resources. It cant be more simple than that.

One last time, so it sinks in, you didn't fight for my freedom, you fought for a group of corrupt men to expand their empire and steal resources. Get that through your thick brain washed military head.

People like Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, etc fought for my freedom when they wrote the declaration of independence and the constitution. The people who you fought for trampled and disrespected those documents.

You want to help your country? Stop helping tyrants become more powerful and tell ever young person you know to NOT enlist until the power is restored to the people.

Idiot.