Today is Veteran's Day

[Stinky The Clown]

How sad that our government has broken its promises to its veterans.

How sad that gay people are still officially unwelcome to serve.

How sad that people who fought 40 years ago remain on the streets.

How sad that we add to the homeless veteran population daily.

How sad that women vets are now fully equal participants in the experience of being a homeless vet.

How sad that the VA - perennially underfunded - has to means test vets for even the issuance of the medical card, let alone actual benefits, benefits that were promised to all of us.

How sad that so many vets die anonymously, at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder, drug addled, suffering from various service connected diseases and conditions, ignored and unwanted.

How sad that when our government speak of vets, we see flowing red, white and blue and hear patriotic music when the reality is multiple tours in a pair of pointless, endless wars.

Today is Veteran's Day.

[treestar]

1. Determined to be negative today?

:rofl:

No words to honor the veteran's?

[Stinky The Clown]

2. You think this is funny?

Shame on you.

[alsame]

3. The entire OP honors veterans. nt

[Brickbat]

17. On the contrary. I found this OP full of honor for veterans.

[Bethany Rockafella]

4. Is that why some tv personalities are wearing these red tags on their clothes?

:shrug:

[Dulcinea]

10. They're poppies.

In Canada it's known as Remembrance Day, and people wear poppies in honor of veterans. Last night on "NHL On The Fly" all the studio hosts had them on.

[pinboy3niner]

16. This will help explain it:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Memorial-Day-Veterans-Day-Rembrance-Day-Poppy-Day-honoring-our-vets-Lest-We-Forget

[Xenotime]

5. Just because you are a 'vet' you get a free pass as being a nice person.

I'm just saying.

[Stinky The Clown]

7. ??

That made no sense. Is a word missing? Like maybe "no" between the words get and a?

[niyad]

15. wow, are you going after the wrong person

[Dulcinea]

6. A poem for Veterans Day:

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.


We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.



Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

[unhappycamper]

8. All of that is very sad Stinky.

k&r

[AsahinaKimi]

9. Today I will be going to the VA HOSPTIAL...

I will be bringing cookies. I have spent the entire night baking some.

[Stinky The Clown]

11. Thank you

[AsahinaKimi]

12. I wonder how many

Republicans and Tea baggers will be doing the same..??

[niyad]

13. k and r--cannot believe this got an unrec--guess some cannot handle the truth

[Stinky The Clown]

21. It has

gotten many more unrecs than one. I find it disgusting. I am virtually certain none of the unrecs came from vets.

[pintobean]

14. unrec

Today is the day to celebrate and thank them for their service. There are 364 other days to take on those issues.

[niyad]

19. how is it honouring vets to overlook their real situation? to me, that is DISHONOUR

what a truly skewed way of looking at things

[Stinky The Clown]

25. Shame on you

You have no idea what you're talking about. Vets have been mistreated almost as a systemic policy. My Dad, who served - in combat - in WWII spoke about how his fellow vets were mistreated. True enough, most were well served by the GI Bill, but many were not. Too many to simply be mistakes. It got worse with the Viet Nam vets, many of whom suffer to this day. And today, while we see lots of great programs for the outwardly injured, those who suffer the invisible wounds are not treated nearly as well as they ought to be.

And then there is the chronic UNDERFUNDING by the government. This is not the VA's fault. It is the congress's fault and the presidents' (all presidents, that's a plural possessive I used, so this isn't about Obama, per se) faults. The governemtn promised us the services of the VA. Then they means test us for it. That is NOT what was promised. I am so very fortunate to not *need* VA care because I can pay for my own insurance and so I am thrilled that a fellow vet, less fortunate than I, can get the care he needs. But this is not what we all, collectively, were promised.

So do us a favor. Enjoy your unrec. I'm sure it was important to you. But don't think that all is sunshine and light in Vetville this Veterans Day. It absolutely is NOT.

If you know a vet, how about hugging her or him.

[pintobean]

26. I'm hugging myself now

and I'm not ashamed of my post. You got a lot more unrecs than just mine, at least I gave my reason.

[Stinky The Clown]

27. That's very special. A real friend of vets, you are.

What do unrecs gave to do with your post? Are you simply a follower?

Critical thinking: its a good thing.

[pintobean]

28. Critical thinking

= whining about an unrec? I didn't take issue with anything in the op, just when you posted it. You replied with personal attacks. I'm entitled to my opinion, just like you are. However, you are not entitled to an automatic spot on the greatest page. That's up to this community, of which, I am a member.

[Stinky The Clown]

30. Read the other vet threads today.

Not a lot of cheering and red white and blue bunting out there, is there?

Read the stories. Vets who make it .... fine. We made it. But the ones who got home and got forgotten. **They're** what the day means to many other vets and people who care about them.

The problem is, as stated in the OP, broken promises made to them by the government.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Stinky The Clown]

32. ...

Self delete - I totally misunderstood. Mea culpa.

[pintobean]

33. I just use the tools that are

provided by the anmins. Your sexist insult appears to be directed at them.

[democrank]

18. Thank you for standing up for our vets, Stinky.

~PEACE~

[chill_wind]

20. How sad that any Democratic think tank would currently propose

• Raising military health care premiums and deductibles

as a key "defense contribution to fiscal discipline".



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=569194&mesg_id=569201

[Stinky The Clown]

23. Yup, it continues, the government's ongoing mistreatment of our vets

[chill_wind]

29. Sadly

related:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9537452

[Lucinda]

22. Thank you for the thread Stinky. And my thanks to all who have served. (nt)

[w8liftinglady]

24. Thank you,Stinky.The sad thing is...tomorrow-a non-issue.

Damn it-fighting for vets and criticizing the way our nation has screwed the daylights out of them IS Supporting the vets.

What isn't is plastering a yellow ribbon on your car-then turning your back on those who have served.

"Happy" Veterans Day is a misnomer.

"Thank a Veteran...and don't forget them"...is much more appropriate.

Thank you for doing just that.

Peace.
Beth