SUPPORT OUR TROOPS?

[Jeffersons Ghost]

Recently, a friend said the Social Security Office was so crowded with veterans applying for food stamps that he had to leave. According to him, pensions and health care at the VA are being delayed for absurdly long periods. Is this how America's current leadership supports our troops?

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. The best way to support our veterans

is to stop making them.

[UKProPeace]

4. How about this?

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-resister23jul23,1,7845174.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california&ctrack=1&cset=true

"At the Highland Park gathering, Aguayo described himself as having "mixed emotions inside," happy to be home but sad that the war in Iraq continues.

"I realized I wasn't just a medic, someone that helps and patches up and heals the wounded. I was much more. I was an enabler of these missions," the Southern California native said.

In an interview after his brief talk, Aguayo described his evolution after he joined the Army in January 2003 to earn money for his education into what he now calls himself on his business card: a "conscientious objector/war resister.""

Now, in my eyes Mr Aguayo is a brave hero. He refused to be an enabler, a far nobler thing he did than many are prepared to do. I fully support him and other resisters.

How about "Support the war resisters"?

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Yes

They are the real heroes.

Welcome to DU :hi:

[Jeffersons Ghost]

10. IMHO.... the real heroes are people like John Kerry...

The men and women that fight with valor and then join an anti-war effort are the noblest kind of heroes.

[UKProPeace]

12. Hi, proud2blib

nice to be here, they certainly are, worthy of a medal in my humble opinion...imagine what those brave men and women must go through before coming to such a decision, amazing people.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. Yes I agree

Welcome to DU :hi:

[Luke_R]

7. I agree, and seriously considered resisting, but never got the chance.

The problem comes, though, when soldiers begin to think that they can pick and choose which wars to fight. That's kind of a scary concept.

[NNN0LHI]

9. I wish American soldiers had realized the Vietnam war was wrong before so many died for nothing

That concept does not scare me at all. Welcome to DU.

Don

[UKProPeace]

13. Hi Luke

I imagine it must be a difficult matter to deal with internally....I guess there aren't a majority who would resist without a major gut wrenching thought process.

[NanceGreggs]

21. No, what's scary ...

... is a president who thinks he can "pick and choose" what intelligence he'll use - real or imagined - as a basis for sending our troops into harm's way.

I'd take the soldiers' assessment of what wars to fight over the AWOL Chimp-in-Chief's any day of the week.

[Skittles]

22. ??

a vetean is someone who serves in the military - are you proposing America have no military force whatsoever?

[atreides1]

2. Is this how America's current leadership supports our troops?

Why yes it is! They send them to the desert and then when they come back with parts missing, or their minds f***ed up, the VA with the assistance of the Pentagon try to claim that these troops had pre-existing conditions.

Of course this puts a delay on any claims filed, at least until these troops can appeal the decisions against them.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

3. one little kick before I leave...

I'll just take it on faith that my friends at DU will help keep this important issue visible.

[damntexdem]

6. No, it's not -- and don't tell them!

If they find out, they'll try to cut off the food stamps.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

8. LOL... too true!

[Disturbed]

11. The RWing mantra of "Support Our Troops" is a pathetic slogan.

It was conjured up to negate the call for the US Occupation of Iraq to protect "our vital interests" Oil. The RWing doesn't give a damn about their cannon fodder. Troops are fungible according to Rumsfailed. The Regime treats troops like disposable non-recyclable garbage.

[LWolf]

14. Apparently, we support our troops by billing them.

We support them by making sure they pay their "debt of service" for any equipment that may have been damaged when they were risking their lives for us.

http://wcbstv.com/seenat11/local_story_204222600.html

This is a recipe for disaster, imo:

Send people over to risk life and limb for a lie; risk them to further someone's dreams of empire, and others' greed.

When they make it back, those that do, drop them off at home with promises, and leave them without the mental and physical health care and maintenance they deserve. Delay their pensions. Bill them for damaged equipment.

The Bush administration humiliated us in the international arena early on. This is a domestic humiliation of epic proportions.

[Mnemosyne]

16. .

[AwakeAtLast]

17. Kickety kick

This is pathetic, truly pathetic.

[chknltl]

18. Kicked by a vet. eom

[lebkuchen]

19. What US federal agency IS functioning w/any efficiency whatsoever?

Disaster victims can't get relief, the State Dept. is months behind in issuing passports, the VA under Jim Nicholson is in shambles, the DoD has been routed under this administration, the Dept. of Education has taken another budget cut as has any agency having anything to do w/the environment, and the Food Safety and Inspection agency is underfunded and understaffed. The list is near endless.

[autorank]

20. The VA needs to be a stellar institution. Why isn't it? K*R

If we send people to fight, ask them to sacrifice, then they're right at the front of the line to
receive the benefits this country has to offer. I have friends who benefit from VA at times (like
prescription medication) and who simply can't access it for certain forms of health care. It
ought to be fixed and focus on veteran satisfaction. They're the true measure of success.

Thanks for posting this. We need a reminder regularly until we get it right, and that should happen
sooner not later.