Today is Veteran’s Day, the first year without a vet from World War 1. But God knows, there were plenty more wars, with too many people who served them.
I thought about the veteran’s today, because honestly I rarely do. They’re not in the forefront of my mind, unless something monumental happened.
How about killing Osama Bin Laden ? It was a happy and proud day for all Americans. Once again, even for a day, we were one people, unified. There was no separation of religion, color, sex, age, or race. We were just Americans who got the villan.
And yet, as much as people give lip service to our armed forces, somehow, it all seems so understated. There’s no jubilation when they return, no celebration, no parades. Not like in World War 2, where pictures of men returning home, surrounded by wives, girlfriends and family were on the front page of every publication.Okay, it’s a different time. But something ?
Probably the most famous picture, was on the cover of Life magazine by the famous photographer, Alfred Eisenstadt, where a young woman was bent over in a sailor’s arms being kissed. With the ship in the background of course.
I hear of vets being homeless. Is this possible after they serve our country ? And do they get the continued medical and psychiatric care needed once back in this country ? What about jobs ? Who helps them ?
Here’s a good one for you. Remember the good old Republicans who started these two wars ? The ones who sent these young men and women to serve in them, risking their lives ? See below. It will show their sincerity and appreciation. I’m being facetious. I only wish it wasn’t true, because it’s appalling. Don’t forget to read the very end, the response from the Vets.Well deserved.
GOP kills military veteran jobs bill
By DJ Pangburn 53 days ago
The Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012, or S.3457, would have funded a military veterans’ job program, placing vets in police, firefighting and national park forces, amongst other jobs. On September 11th, the GOP joined with Democrats to vote to move forward with the bill (95 yeas, 5 nays). Now, a little over a week later, the GOP has turned against S.3457—a bill that would serve our serviceman.
Is this not the perfect example of legislative obstructionism? Any time Obama and the Democrats are on the verge of getting the GOP behind something, the obstructionists about-face and claim it’s a budget buster.
The bill was sponsored by Senators Bill Nelson (Florida) and Patty Murray (Washington). After the bill failed to muster the supermajority to force a full Senate floor vote, Murray stated:
“This vote is stark reminder that Senator McConnell and Senate Republicans are willing to do absolutely anything to fulfill the pledge he made nearly two years ago to defeat President Obama. It doesn’t matter who gets in their way or which Americans they have to sacrifice in that pursuit, even if it’s our nation’s veterans.”
As quintessential electoral and obstructionist politics, this puts the GOP in a whole new class of shame.
Stars & Stripes, the military’s newspaper, wrote in response to the GOP’s political maneuvering:
Last week, Democratic leaders inserted several Republican-backed provisions into the legislation in an effort to generate widespread support for the measure, including rules requiring states to recognize military experience in their hiring processes, establishing national credentialing rules for veterans and expanding post-military job training programs.
Republicans are constantly going on about supporting the troops, yet they can’t even stomach $1 billion to give our soldiers jobs when their unemployment rate is around 8%. The sentiment seems to be, “Go secure capitalism’s foothold abroad, sons and daughters, but when you get home you can go fuck off.”
Read the full bull over at OpenCongress.org.
We applaud you Veterans. We salute you. We appreciate you. We thank you for your dedicated service, even if the bastards who sent you to war don’t. I am self-employed, but if I had a job available, I’d give it to you.
aboomersvoice 