A Retired General Wants to Know What's Wrong with Our Country [View All]

[babylonsister]

A Retired General Wants to Know What's Wrong with Our Country

by Bud Kennedy


A retired Air National Guard general called Thursday with three worries.

"Something bad's gone wrong in this country," said retired Brig. Gen. Tom Daniels, 62, of Fort Worth.

"Something's wrong in Arlington. Something's wrong in Austin. And something's wrong in America."

He flew missions in Vietnam. In the Pentagon, he served proudly under President George H.W. Bush - "whom I loved," he added.

"Now our country chooses a black man as president - and suddenly, the governor is talking about secession? And Arlington is boycotting the president? They won't even let children see him in school?"

Eight years removed from 9-11, Daniels feels a chill.

"Look how united we were!" he said in his booming command voice. "Now - look how we've squandered it!"

He didn't even have to mention U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson:

"We're hollering at each other now," Daniels said. "We hate each other."

And he sees that as dividing our heroes in uniform.

"I talk to military guys all over the world - white, black, brown," he said. "They're asking, 'If it was unpatriotic to talk this way about the last president, isn't this unpatriotic?' They're concerned. This is nothing but open, unabated racism. Nobody's saying that."

I know what some of you are going to say. It's political, not racial.

But I also can't imagine people acting this way over, say, a President Harry Reid or even President Al Gore.

"All I know is, the black guy wins, and suddenly these nuts are out there on TV and radio preaching to long-haul truck drivers all over the country," Daniels said.

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http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/09/14-5