This is For the Soldiers-More than Just a Happy Fourth of July

Defending a Client

My husband and I had dinner with another couple last night and I was challenged to explain the differences between IAVA and other vets groups. What I should've said was that I'm not an expert on other Vet groups, and I barely touch the depths of the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of American while I'm asking radio talk show hosts and news desks to interview Paul Rieckhoff and the other spokesmen from the group. But, I did recently finish reading Paul's book Chasing Ghosts.

Now, reading a book does't make a person an expert about another person. But, I do feel like I understand the founder and executive director of this organization a heckuva lot better than I used to. I encourage you to pick up a copy of Paul's book because he lets us in on the ugly blood and guts of Iraqui freedom that the media didn't have access to. (Why they didn't or couldn't is a topic for another blog, and has been covered by numerous others who were there.)

Back to what I feel more qualified to write about....

I think, what makes Paul's group unique is that he and his guys were in combat, and can better analyze the mistakes, misteps and shortsighted decisions that were made just before "Operation Iraqi Freedom" was launched. And, you get to read about his thoughts based, in part, on journals he kept, and conversations he had, with his buddies, while he was on active duty.

I suppose some people find it hard to stomach that a guy who signed up to become a killer in uniform, a battlefield commander, an officer in the National Guard, would write about the the lousy way the war came to be, is being conducted, and how his boys, (now veterans) are being taken care of by the government ---and indeed, by their fellow countrymen and women. Afterall, isn't it against some sort of oath of office that he cannot besmirch the reputation, or badmouth the commander-n-chief? Well, not when you are NOT active duty. And, why do people think that just because he is critical that he would undermine the security of the very men he commanded? How idiotic is that thinking? You don't become a Lieutenant by undermining the safety and well being of the guys who you tell to "take the shot," and kill the bad guys; or the guys who you would hope would shield you from the blast from an IED. (Read his book. You'll feel like your watching the war from his perspective unfold like a movie.)

I think that we, as Americans, confuse love of country, with silence about the stupid things government does or doesn't do. Do not believe for one minute that just because you consider yourself a patriot that you have no choice but to "put a cork in it" and shut up. Paul includes a quote from Mark Twain in his book that goes something like this, ' love of country, always...love of my government, not a given. ' Find that chapter.

I'll always love my country. But, our country was founded by people who argued vehemently amongst themselves about the government that they were in the midst of creating, trying out, and recreating. We fight to instill that premise in our friendships with other nations around the world. I think we can afford to have dynamic debate without having to shut-up opposing points of views. And, I think this great nation can afford to do a heckuva lot better by ALL our generations of veterans. We have to. We'll never be able to maintain an all volunteer Army if we fail our men and women who sacrifice life, limb and mental health for us.

So, how's it going by you?

I've got a friend who started a very wonderful blog called Chickaboomer.com.
Marty is very funny. She talks about all the stuff that I like to laugh at. All that tabloid trash. Check it out. This blog is a place to rest weary minds and eyes. It's desert after a day of watching Fox talking about the Anna Nicole Smith story as if it were the only story out there.


I've been working setting up radio interviews for a much more serious group. I encourage you to check out the website for the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America. This group is made up of active military men and women who are still serving, and are likely to be called to serve again. As you may imagine the Walter Reed Army Medical Center story has been keeping me very busy.

I don't understand why some folks don't want to interview the IAVA. They confuse questioning authority with treason. Nobody said that to the Nazis who claimed they could do nothing to prevent the slaughter of millions of Romas, Jews, Christian dissidants, Russians and those who dared to say, "I disagree." In fact, those who just went along with it all found themselves on the wrong end of a noose! Yet, some are implying that vets in America have to put up, suck it in, and shut up. We've got a citizen based military. You take an oath to obey orders, and uphold the Constitution. We don't live in a fascist nation. We're allowed to question orders, and provide opinions. Heck, even Supreme Court Justices write dissenting opinions. So, I don't understand why the self-proclaimed "fair and balanced network" is so intersted in avoiding IAVA and would rather provide tabloid trash to its valued audience.

And, just because another news organization broke the news that you dared not look at (the Washington Post) doesn't mean its not news. In fact even the most loyal audiences would gawk at the news, which is as disgusting as gawking at a casket that contains the rotted remains of what was once a flamboyant blond American woman.

At some point we're going to have to face the not so fancy music of how ugly we treat each other when it comes to money. Don't blame it on bureaucrats. The bureaucrat works within an organization to push things through it. Bad ones need to be exposed. And, for Pete's sake! If there aren't enough of them we all suffer the consequences of not having our hard earned tax dollars put to better use, or just the plain old use that they were budgeted for.

So, that's how it's going for me. I've got a lot of pent up thoughts since my last post. I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts