Reply #45: Solly, my younger son and I were discussing [View All]

[ninkasi]

the abysmal treatment of our troops and veterans earlier today. We are both astounded that the administration which has shamelessly whipped up nationalistic fervor in order to wage a war of choice, is so often left completely off the hook for the shameful treatment that those who served have gotten. So many of the troops are just kids, and while I completely recognize that in many cases their desire to serve their country comes from a sense of patriotism, in too many cases, it comes from having limited choices. Their parents are not wealthy. They are trying to better their lives, while serving their country.

I can think of no other war the country has been involved in which has so heartlessly abused and exhausted our brave troops. I asked a friend today, one who is not particularly politically aware, but who does watch CNN and FAUX, if she had seen anything about the Washington Post's expose on Walter Reed, and she was completely unaware of the reality of how our vets are treated. She expressed shock, and a bit of doubt. After all, she reasoned, if this were the case, why hasn't she heard about it? I did my best to educate her.

Massive tax cuts for billionaires, pennies pinched for our troops. Lucrative no-bid contracts for cronies, our troops subjected to sub-standard treatment while actively serving, and neglect and abuse after they are wounded. While this abuse of our troops continues, America is a joke, falsely claiming goodness, while condoning and facilitating greed at the expense of those who permit their abusers to practice their robber baron economics on the rest of the world.