A day of reflection — and from a few years ago — “Honor and Horror.”
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Memorial Day 2023
Tag: veterans
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Of Honor and Horror
Last week, when the public relations wing of the U.S. Army asked, on Twitter, “how has serving impacted you?” the bulk of the responses were not what was hoped for. What came like tear drops and bursts of rage were thousands of horrific tales, expressions of sorrow, bitterness and despair.
No doubt the intention was to elicit, if not patriotic uplift, at least stories of learning, moral growth, centeredness, and personal victory out of sacrifice and suffering. Almost certainly the Army wanted what the promoters of “national service” now want.
The outcome was far messier.
Now, the Army handled the Twitterflak very well, with a tweet thanking people for their expressions. But a response by Mike Schmidt (@MikeSchmidt69) was probably as upbeat as could be expected, given the ‘writing on the wall’— er, Twitterfeed: “Some say this thread back-fired but this is just the thread that is needed each [M]emorial [D]ay so we remember the sacrifices military members and their families make and how we as a country need to understand the true cost of service and improve our support.”
Most of the tweets I read were decidedly not upbeat. The anger and pain over battle deaths, wounds, PTSD, mental illness, suicides, and so much indifference to it — it was deep and wide … and heartbreaking.
‘War is hell.’ In self-defense — defense of These United States — the brave soldier and general is honorable. But that honor is informed by the reticence that comes from actual knowledge of its true costs.
Maybe this Memorial Day President Trump and all policy makers will finally get what service truly is … and stop pitching more of the same unjustifiable-because-unwinnable or ‑unendable interventions around the world.
Of course, demanding peace and sanity and accountability is up to all of us holding the hot dogs.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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Yesterday I asked the question, “Who comes first: the vets or the politicians?”
We all know who should come first. And we all know who actually does come first.
The Is/Ought Dichotomy in full view — the fact/value distinction.
America’s politicians have legislated themselves wonderful healthcare coverage. Meanwhile, they’ve legislated something very different for veterans: a huge, unaccountable bureaucracy.
The federal archipelago of substandard VA clinics and hospitals is so ineffective that vets have died waiting for any medical care at all.
The problem isn’t a lack of public support. Americans obviously want to help take care of veterans. The many charities are just one indicator of this.
Instead, it’s an unmistakable sign of how completely beyond citizen control Washington has wandered.
Heads haven’t rolled in the Veterans Administration bureaucracy. Fact. But why not? Because of insider values. Why should congressmen even worry their pretty, little re-electable heads about it? None of their heads have rolled for their incompetence or indifference.
In a Congress loathed by the people, only one incumbent congressman has been defeated for re-election this year — and he was facing a 29-count felony indictment for racketeering, etc.
One might wonder if anything ever happens in Washington other than waste, fraud and abuse.
For decades, the lack of care for vets has been an ongoing scandal. But it’s merely a symptom of a much bigger scandal: our government is out of our control.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
Last week, when asked by reporters about the arguably deadly wait times that vets have endured (or not), Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald replied, “What really counts is how does the veteran feel about their encounter with the VA. When you go to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? … What’s important is: What’s your satisfaction with the experience?”
The national commander of the American Legion, Dale Barnett, calls the remark “an unfortunate comparison”:
“People,” after all, “don’t die while waiting to go on Space Mountain.”
The secretary also errs about Disney, as Fox News’s Neil Cavuto noted. Disney does measure the time people must wait in line. The for-profit company goes out of its way to entertain folks while they wait.
But the clowns running the Veterans Administration shouldn’t take up entertainment.
Fix the problem.
Democrats Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders both seek to throw more money at the VA. They seem most concerned in protecting the Veterans Administration, not veterans. And Sanders’s real beef turns out to be with Disney.
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, tweeted: “Obama’s VA Secretary just said we shouldn’t measure wait times. Hillary says VA problems are not ‘widespread.’ I will take care of our vets!”
But will he? Through the VA system?
A zillion reform efforts have failed.
Let’s demand more than a simple promise sans details.
Do congressmen wait months to get a medical appointment? No. Then why not close the VA and give veterans the same healthcare coverage as our (pardon the term) representatives?
On this Memorial Day, who comes first: the vets or the politicians?
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
Photo credit: Xiaojun Deng on Flickr
When people risk their lives, saying thanks is the least we can do.
But it’s not enough.
Today on Veterans’ Day, we honor those who have served and are serving in the military.
The holiday was once Armistice Day, marking the peace agreement that concluded World War I at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. That’s where the phrase “the eleventh hour” comes from. It’s also why the holiday has remained on whatever day Nov. 11 falls — not the closest Monday to provide non-military government workers another three-day weekend.
Of course, Woodrow Wilson’s “war to end all wars” didn’t end warfare. Numerous wars have followed. Today, the president goes to war whenever he feels like it, not only without a declaration, without any authorization — or even discussion — by Congress.
So, here’s what I think we owe veterans:
A federal government that keeps its word.
The Veterans Administration’s continued failure to adequately care for returning soldiers is unacceptable. Until the VA is fixed, don’t vote for any incumbent.
Don’t let our uniformed sons and daughters be shipped off to any conflict where (a) our freedoms are not directly threatened, and (b) where there’s no sane plan to end the conflict and bring our troops home.
Don’t trust politicians.
From the sinking of the Maine (Spanish-American War) and the Lusitania (WWI) to the Gulf of Tonkin incident (Vietnam) and the faulty intelligence that greased the path into the Iraq Conquest, distrust is rational, almost a duty.
Disagree over foreign policy? Over whether to go to war or not? Sure, but we cannot leave these decisions to an insulated cabal of politicians. Deinsulate them. Speak your mind.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
What do we owe to those who fight and give, as President Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg, “their last full measure of devotion”?
More, surely, than appreciative applause for the troops on airplanes and at professional sporting events … with their high-priced, taxpayer-paid military promotions.
First, vets are entitled to contracted-for medical care, as I addressed in greater detail at Townhall.com yesterday — not a Veterans Administration that systematically denies them needed diagnoses and treatments.
Second, wiser strategic decisions going forward. Vets deserve, and we all need, more (not fewer) questions of presidential candidates, such as the hypothetical inquiry of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Iraq, and the hypothetical Libya question Sen. Rand Paul suggests should be posed to Mrs. Clinton.
Bring on the if-you-knew-then questions!
But wait, what about a non-hypothetical: Are we today at war against the Islamic State?
We really should know … I mean, on Memorial Day and all.
President Barack Obama claims he has the constitutional power to engage militarily against the Islamic State under Congress’s 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). A number of legal scholars vehemently disagree. Which may be why, back in February, Obama asked for a new, anti-ISIS AUMF. Congressional Republicans balked, complaining the president’s proposed AUMF isn’t strong enough.
Of course, nothing prevents congressional Republicans from passing a stronger version.
Or better yet, demand that President Obama keep American boys and girls out of harm’s way in the always-messy Middle East.
The murderous leaders of the Islamic State may wish to be at war with us, but we don’t have to humor them. Let Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq and Iran defend themselves and their territories from this gang of cutthroats.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
