Tuesday, May 27, 2014

The Community Organizer Commander


Soldiers and veterans interest me because I’ve never been one, and because many are regular readers of this column. When they allow it, I like to pick their brains. They’ve had experiences I’ve never had and never will have. I almost joined up after high school, but didn’t, and I’ve often regretted that. Even if they haven’t been in combat, soldiers have worked and lived closely with others who have, and it changed them in some fundamental way. My sense is that for most the change has been a net positive —especially for Marines and soldiers with elite training such as Special Forces and Seals. I’m curious how they feel about changes taking place in the government of the country they’ve offered their lives to defend. They are, or have been, instruments of that government, yet many I’ve talked to lately express profound dissatisfaction with it even before the VA scandal broke.

Washington has deep misgivings about veterans too. In 2012 the Department of Homeland Security under Janet Napolitano profiled what sort of people are potential terrorists and the list included Iraq veterans. Also mentioned were “extreme right-wing” organizations, people who “believe that one’s personal and/or national ‘way of life’ is under attack,” or people who are “suspicious of centralized federal authority” and “reverent of individual liberty.” People of Janet Napolitano’s ilk consider the Tea Party an “extreme right-wing organization,” consequently this writer and many readers fit the profile. So do virtually all conservative Republicans and Libertarians. 
Surviving veterans, many of whom offered their lives in service to these individual liberties, are indeed suspicious of an increasingly centralized federal authority so disdainful of them as to consider them potential terrorists. The irony here is that 95% of terrorists worldwide are Muslims, and over the last thirteen years thousands of American soldiers have died and more than a hundred thousand others have been wounded while fighting them. Yet, while the Obama Administration forbids profiling Muslim terrorists as terrorists, it has no problem profiling American veterans of the Iraq War as potential terrorists.
Now consider that the VA gives “top notch medical treatment” to Muslim terrorists imprisoned at Gitmo — far better than it provides to our veterans. According to information a Pentagon insider provided to Judicial Watch:

There are approximately 150 terrorists at Gitmo yet the VA has 100 doctors, nurses and healthcare personnel assigned to them, [retired Navy Commander J. D.] Gordon says. ‘Doctors and medical personnel are at their beck and call,’ he confirms, adding that they are readily available for things as minor as a cold, fever, toothache or chest and back pain. The jihadists who murdered thousands of Americans never have to wait, Gordon says, because the Gitmo patient to healthcare provider ratio is 1.5 to 1. ‘No problem, come right on in,’ Gordon writes in his piece. If you risked your life serving your country, however, the ratio is 35 to 1.


As Michelle Malkin points out that America’s illegal aliens get much better health care than our veterans too:

In New York, doctors report that nearly 40 percent of their patients receiving kidney dialysis are illegal aliens. A survey of nephrologists in 44 states revealed that 65 percent of them treat illegal aliens with kidney disease. In Memphis, a VA whistle-blower reported that his hospital was using contaminated kidney-dialysis machines to treat America’s warriors. The same hospital previously had been investigated for chronic overcrowding at its emergency room, leading to six-hour waits or longer… In Arizona, illegal aliens incurred health-care costs totaling an estimated $700 million in 2009. [Meanwhile’] in Phoenix, at least 40 veterans died waiting for VA hospitals and clinics to treat them, while government officials created secret waiting lists to cook the books and deceive the public about deadly treatment delays.

We’re hearing lots of excuses from Washington about the VA scandal. In spite of the fact that Obama made at least seven speeches in the last seven years promising he would not rest until he had fixed the waiting times at VA, and emphasizing how absolutely outraged he was about it, White House advisor Dan Ffeiffer had the gall to say last week that the president only recently heard about the problem on the news.

This is our commander-in-chief, the man in whom our soldiers must have confidence when he sends them into battle. As the House Select Committee on Benghazi unravels what really happened on September 11, 2012, Americans will learn what President Obama was doing as his aids watched Muslim terrorists attack the compound there. What exactly was the commander-in-chief's response when brave American soldiers, vastly outnumbered and outgunned, fought desperately for so many hours and ultimately died as they awaited reinforcements that never came?

21 comments:

Brian said...

"People of Janet Napolitano’s ilk consider the Tea Party an “extreme right-wing organization,”

This is debatable? Really? Where would you put the Tea Party on the political Spectrum, Tom? The middle? Slightly leaning right? Wow!

Rick said...

"Senate Republicans derailed efforts to move forward with a $21 billion bill to enhance health care, education and job benefits for veterans.

Republicans stopped the veterans bill from moving on a procedural vote, which needed 60 votes. The final tally was 56-41."

ABC News, February 27, 2014


Huh, I don't recall your outrage and indignation over that scumbag move by the GOP. Oh, that's right, being a major hypocrite you ignore such things when done by "your" side.

Veterans being treated better should be a no-brainer for ALL sides.


Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

It's funny, but tea party members are, for the most part, elderly citizens in lawn chairs complaining about higher taxes.

Only in the twisted liberal-mind newspeak are those harmless folks considered "extremists".

You have to laugh at liberals.

Tom McLaughlin said...

Middle of the road, definitely. Since when are citizens who want the US Constitution applied as written, who want to limit federal government power to what the founders intended, and who want the Bill of Rights enforced, extremists?

Brian said...

From the Dictionary:

Middle-of-the road:

1. Pursuing a course of action midway between extremes
, especially following a course in politics that is neither liberal nor conservative

Are you claiming the Tea Party is not conservative?

Doug said...

Liberals are definitely middle of the road. Since when are citizens who want the US Constitution applied as written, (Separation of church and state - god in schools and on our money -, firearms limited to militias, etc) who want to limit federal government power to what the founders intended, (keeping them out of our bedrooms and private lives) and who want the Bill of Rights enforced, extremists?

Mr. Noggins said...

Is the Tea Part extreme? Let's count the ways.

1. Conception that virtually every tax is in some way excessive and should be eliminated or reduced.

2. Misplaced obsessions with deficit spending and the national debt.

3. Protecting free markets to the exclusion of sound regulatory policies to reign in the pernicious effects of unbridled capitalism in a global economy dominated by multinational corporations.

4. Radical and ignorant views about the nature of the Constitution and what it says.

5. Assuming that government is always too big and must be reduced constantly, without regard to adverse impacts on real people.

6. A mythological obsession with rugged individualism that ignores civic responsibility and civility, as well as the basic interdependence of members of society.

7. A propensity to support social policies that actually impinge on civil liberties.

Eric said...

Look how Tom chooses this inane Tea Party "arguement" to respond to, but ignores the bitc% slapping he took from Rick.

Anonymous said...

"Senate Republicans derailed efforts to move forward with a $21 billion bill to enhance health care, education and job benefits for veterans."
WOW!, say, is that ALL "the bill" proposed?

Soldiers.
In a morbid moment I watched the school band file out of the cemetery from the Memorial Day observance. I couldn't help but wonder which ones, or how many, of THEM will see combat.
Foreign, or domestic.
Circle of life indeed.

CaptDMO

Anonymous said...

Amusing "interpretations" here of what "The Tea Party" folk um...are.

On the other hand, locally, folks might consider dropping in at The Porcupine Festival,(another group of folks ignorantly maligned in "the paper") June 22-29 at Roger's Campground in Lancaster, and finding out the actual "program".
Loosely sponsored by The Free State Project folks,
IMHO, an enlightening intersection of Libertarians (lower and upper case), "Tea Party",and Mensa folk. Oh sure, as always, there're are a few (again, IMHO)crazies around.

CaptDMO

Tom McLaughlin said...

At least two things derailed the VA bill in the Senate. The first was that Harry Reid refused to allow any votes on Amendments to the bill. Republicans wanted to attach an amendment to enact stricter sanctions on Iran if it didn't follow through on promises it made about the interim agreement with Kerry.

Another would have required that other items in the $3.5 trillion budget be trimmed to pay for the VA bill since there had already been a budget ceiling agreement between Republicans and Democrats. Reid refused to allow it. The bill would have passed with a bipartisan majority if he had.

He and Bernie Sanders set it up as a way to smear Republicans. That's all it was.

Anonymous said...

Oh Crap! DISCLOSURE!
"PorcFest Registration. The price is now $75 for a full week, but will increase to $100 at the door. Day passes will be available at the door for $45/day. As always, children 17 and under get in free."

Sorry for the inadvertent "commercial" promotion on your site's comment zone Mr. McL.

CaptDMO

buttercup said...

Do you share your contempt for community organizers with your local Red Cross, Lion's Club, the DAV, Elks, Kiwanis, American Legion, Odd Fellows, or Grange members?

Richard said...

Tom Said:

"At least two things derailed the VA bill in the Senate. The first was that Harry Reid refused to allow any votes on Amendments to the bill. Republicans wanted to attach an amendment to enact stricter sanctions on Iran...."


You must see what a moronic excuse that is!! The GOP had a chance to pass a bill giving incredible help to our veterans, but rather than passing it as the seperate bill it was, tried to throw in unrelated ammendments! When they were told that was not the reason they were there, they babbled on with their politics, even bringing up Benghazi!! THen in a childish display they spit in the veterans face becasue they didn't get there way with their ammendments! Shameless! Scumbags!!

It is very simple. They had a chance to help veterans, and they refused. The GOP smeared themselves, they needed no help. Fools.

Richard said...

Tom Said:

"Another would have required that other items in the $3.5 trillion budget be trimmed to pay for the VA bill since there had already been a budget ceiling agreement between Republicans and Democrats."

Forbes Magazine says:

In order to bring the bill to the floor, a procedural vote was required to waive a technical limit placed on such spending as agreed to in Congress during last year’s budgetary fiasco. Despite the sum of money having been fully offset by cuts and modifications to other planned expenditures, Senate Republicans used the required vote to shoot down the proposed legislation as the Democrats, with some Republican assistance, were able to manage only 58 of the 60 votes required to accomplish the waiver.

...how does even the most dedicated Republican live with the knowledge that their party’s top elected officials can so easily cast a vote to send an American solider off to war, only to refuse a comparatively small sum of money to help that veteran get his or her life back in they event they actually make it home?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/09/23/senate-gop-obstructionists-throw-veterans-under-the-bus-vote-down-bill-to-help-vets-in-need-of-jobs/

Greg said...

Right on buttercup! I always find the right's lame attempts to belittle communitty organizers very amusing. Organizing a community...isn't that a perfect skill for a president to have? I guess the GOP turns up it's nose at Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Jesus, etal.

It is obvious that the GOP places no importance on community.

Rick said...

Republicans grasp at desperate little things to poke fun at, like being a Community organizer! They usually blow up in their faces, like the term "Obamacare". Obama has embraced this term, and why not? I bet President Johnson would love Medicare to be called something like LyndonCare today!

My personal favorite is the teleprompter!! I just love how naive it make them look!! It is the epitome of an example showing that they don't have anything real to pick on. It 's like they really don't understand when people are laughing at them, and not their lame jokes. I'm hoping that they take it up a notch and start trying to poke fun at the fact that he stands behind a podium a lot!

Ms Perkins said...

"At least two things derailed the VA bill in the Senate."

No. One thing derailed the bill. Shameless republicans trying to play political games with the well-being of veterans in the balance.

Mick said...

Lest anyone think that this latest display of the GOP not giving a crap about our veterans, there is a long history...

Here's the Bills in numerical order that Republicans rejected.


The rejected Bills are:

H.R. 466 – Wounded Veteran Job Security Act became H. R. 2875.

H.R. 1168 -- Veterans Retraining Act

H.R. 1171 – Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Reauthorization

H.R. 1172 -- Requiring List on VA Website of Organizations Providing Scholarships for Veterans

H.R. 1293 -- Disabled Veterans Home Improvement and Structural Alteration Grant Increase Act of 2009

H.R. 1803 -- Veterans Business Center Act

H.R. 2352 – Job Creation Through Entrepreneurship Act

The GOP has voted TO NOT SUPPORT THE TROOPS at least 7 times. I think that is sufficient to call the GOP House Hypocrites and Phonies.

The mainstream corporate media aren't covering this story , but this clearly shows which party supports veterans and which party does not.

RLK said...

Another week, another thumping given to Tom.