But how can we honor the fallen if we can't take care of those who come back? Those who willingly make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, their livelihoods, their futures and those of their families and then come back only to be treated so shabbily? Whatever you may believe about whether we should have waged war in Iraq or Afghanistan or not, we did. And there were hundreds of thousands of men and women who made the decision to serve in our nation's military forces and do what our country and our leaders asked of them, and continue to ask them to do. These soldiers and sailors voluntarily sacrifice their bodies, minds, and souls for the promise that we will take care of them when they return. We are failing them in the most egregious way bordering on criminal if not just outright criminal. They deserve better. Period.
What they don't need is yet another political war of "who done it". But that is all we get these days. With every new revelation about our government, the pattern of crisis management and leadership has never been so clear as with the Obama Administration. And frankly, it is has to end. Our President has shown his style of leadership does not work on the American people anymore. Just to make this clear, here is a step-by-step anatomy of a crisis with Obama:
1. Show shock and send Jay Carney/Rob Gibbs et al. to express his outrage to the WH press corps.
1a. Leave for Fundraiser/Golf/Vacation
2. Amplify outrage and state he had no idea this was happening until he read it/saw it in the news
2a. Leave for Fundraiser/Golf/Vacation
3. Gets caught in obvious lie. Print/TV News Media refuse to investigate further.
3a. Leave for Fundraiser/Golf/Vacation
4. Cue the violins - Show public outrage by giving speech** to demonstrate said "outrage" so everyone will "get" that he...well, may have known, but didn't really know. Insist this will be investigated and top priority and patience is needed. Show photo of a single tear down cheek, if necessary. Print/TV News Media refuse to investigate further.
4a. Leave for Fundraiser/Golf/Vacation
5. Have someone publicly "fired" who was going to retire within 3 weeks anyway; Or in the alternative, "reassigned" or "put on paid leave" appropriate low level administrator. Print/TV News Media refuse to investigate further.
5a. Leave for Fundraiser/Golf/Vacation
6. Blame/claim the previous administration did the same thing and/or is at fault. Print/TV News Media refuse to investigate present administration further, but find many examples of previous Administration's culpability.
6a. Leave for Fundraiser/Golf/Vacation
7. Insists again that there be "an investigation". More patience needed. House Republicans take up investigation and form a committee to investigate. Initiate mocking and stonewalling by the present Administration and Democrats [see: Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Charles Schumer, or any random member of the Congressional Black Caucus used interchangeably]
7a. Leave for Fundraiser/Golf/Vacation
8. More outrage from public demanding answers because Print/TV News Media refuse to investigate further. Initiate mocking of public by see list above.
8a. Leave for Fundraiser/Golf/Vacation
9. If necessary, initiate the Print/TV media/HuffPo/DNC investigation to conclude that the issue is only important to "The Right" because they are [evil, racist, stupid] because the President is [fill in the blank] and not because this is a real problem. Initiate use of the phrases "faux scandal", "fake scandal" and "witch hunt" to be used interchangeably when anyone questions the status or facts of said issue. Conclusion from the Print/TV News Media: Blame Bush.
9a. Leave for Fundraiser/Golf/Vacation
10. Initiate pivot to "jobs" and pray that public will move on AND...
10a. Leave for Fundraiser/Golf/Vacation
[For the record, we are up to #6 on the liberal blogs...]
**Oh, and if you think his statements and outrage are new and different? Well, here are two examples to dispel you of that myth:
On Veterans Administration issue
"If these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is a disgrace and I will not tolerate it. Period," Obama said during a hastily called press conference at the White House...I will not stand for it. Not as commander-in-chief, but also not as an American," he added. "None of us should."
On IRS targeting conservative groups
"If in fact IRS personnel engaged in the practices being reported on then...that's outrageous," President Obama said. "I’ve got no patience with it, I’ve got no tolerance on it."
The bottom line is that nothing gets fixed and we just become more divided. And this time our soldiers and sailors and their families get screwed. We have to fix this and we have to demand that this Administration fix it NOW. And while they are furiously trying to deflect any culpability, we need hold their feet to the fire and not allow them to advance to their step. We must now lose our patience. And while we are at it we need to ask them why our military families have to live on food stamps to survive. We owe them!
There, I am done.
P.S. In case you have forgotten, this week is the Commentarama family's Fifth Anniversary. I personally would like to thank all of you for sticking together for these years. Your insightful comments and arguments continue to be inspiring. And to Andrew, I especially thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of this great group of people. And since it is Memorial Day, let's remember our fallen comrade Larry Hawk (aka LawHawkSF/LawHawkRFD) who is very much missed.
I dislike Blogger immensely...
ReplyDeleteAlas, I've only stuck around for 2 years!
ReplyDeleteThe VA Scandal is what happens when you put your healthcare in the hands of the government. Really, the Department of Veterans' Affairs should be dismantled and its responsibilities placed under either the DOD of the HHS.
Also, in other news, the US has deployed 80 troops to Nigeria and neighboring Chad to aid in the search for the girls They'll be operating drones. A few of them are soldiers guarding him.
We previously sent a small group of about 16 or so soldiers along several other specialists from law enforcement. I hope they find the girls alive. Unfortunately, I doubt this is going to have a happy ending.
Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve it good and hard.
ReplyDeleteWhen I retired from the Air Force in 2011 after 30 years I filed a disability claim with the VA, it took them 18 months to get around to even having me evaluated. They really are slow, and frankly, most of the doctors aren't that good...
ReplyDeleteCritch - Now imagine that now we have put our government in charge of ALL of our healthcare needs. The only people who do not suffer are our federal non-military employees, their families, and our elected officials. Do you ever hear any of our Congresscritters complain about their government provided healthcare??
ReplyDeleteOh, and now there is a group complaining that those poor innocent souls at Guantanamo aren't having their healthcare needs met. Some of them are elderly. I makes me want to scream...
Bev, You're welcome!! And thanks for sharing your opinions each week in the comments and in your articles. I enjoy your articles very much! :D
ReplyDeleteLet me also second Bev by thanking everyone who has joined us and stuck with us throughout our little run here. It's been fun and informative and it's been great getting to know each of you!
Bev, On the VA thing, it's been kind of an open secret for decades that the VA is truly a nightmare. It's incompetently run. Their budget is a mess and not well spent. Their facilities are the worst. And their doctors often shouldn't be practicing. It's really a sad way to treat not only veterans, but anyone.
ReplyDeleteAmen, amen, amen on that divisiveness result, Bev -- again, I say, amen!
ReplyDeleteWhile I’ve gotten used to dealing with ignorance from my lefty friends and co-workers (kinda have to when you reside in LA County), still baffles me how they continually fall for what the current admin peddles, brilliantly and hilariously (mostly “ha-ha” variety) detailed in the above. I’d say they fear the racist label they and the “shrug and move on and along” media love to attach to anyone who disagrees with them, but they had little to no problem respectively savaging Herman Cain and Stacey Dash. Regardless, the days of “agree to disagree” continue to fade further and further in the rearview mirror.
EricP - It is tiresome. Yes, we ALL know that other administrations are at fault. It's a bureaucracy that no one wants to break through. And now we have just added more. It is now time to stop the childish games of "pass the buck". The Buck Stops Here and Now and no one gets to blame anyone anymore. We just need to fix things. If that means that we have to burn the Washington establishment down then maybe that is what we should do.
ReplyDeleteMy Mom mentioned visiting a VA and being appalled at how bad the place was.
ReplyDeleteI joke a lot that I wish I had a doc at the VA that I hadn't help bomb his country...I think they see I'm an old AMMO troop and then decide to see if they can run me off....
ReplyDeleteThat's this administration's MO to a T. Especially the turn where Obama's outrage somehow becomes something only the "Right" cares about. Brava.
ReplyDeleteWell, it looks like Obama has reached #6a of the list - he appeared at the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday to promote tourism in Cooperstown. I guess I should add /make celebrity endorsement" to "Leave for Fundraiser/Golf/Vacation"
ReplyDeleteFYI
ReplyDeleteAMC has a show called Turn about a spy ring in the American Revolution. It took me a couple episodes to get into because it has a high learning curve and it's not written in the clearest of ways -- plus the hero is a putz. But once I got into it, I was hooked.
Anyway, AMC is doing a marathon tomorrow. I recommend everyone check it out.
Andrew, I just started watching Turn last weekend and it's really good. I second your recommendation.
ReplyDeleteBev, I've enjoyed it a lot. There's only three episodes left, so DVR the marathon.
ReplyDeleteThis Son of the Revolution wholeheartedly concurs on Turn. Haven't missed an episode, and saved 'em all for a marathon when the season sadly concludes.
ReplyDeleteEric, I wasn't so sure after the first one. It was hard to follow -- they used too many names and jumped right in. But by the middle of the second, my father and I were hooked. It's a very well done show that doesn't dumb anything down and which has some really fascinating characters. Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteTV really has impressed me in the past 5-10 years with the quality of so much of what they are turning out!
Bev,
ReplyDeleteHilarious essay. You've really got Obama's number.
Moving on, the creator of GI Joe passed away. My memories are of the 80's cartoon and the action figures associated it rather than with the original toy line, but its very cool that a toy intended as a tribute to American soldiers has lasted in some form for decades.
Out of respect, let's pretend the awful movies never existed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/24/gi-joe-death_n_5384957.html
G.I. Joe remained popular until the late 1960s, as opposition to Vietnam intensified and parents shied away from military-related toys. Hasbro countered in 1970 by introducing "Adventure Team" G.I. Joes that played down the military connection. Into the '70s, G.I. Joes featured "lifelike hair" and "kung-fu grip" and were outfitted with scuba gear to save the oceans and explorer's clothing for discovering mummies.