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Showing Original Post only (View all)Memorial Day Crocodile Tears from Those Who Create Wars [View all]
About 50,000 of the homeless on any given night are veterans, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Overall, more than 150,000 veterans are homeless during the year. The reasons for veterans being homeless are because of extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income and access to health care . . . lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Under the Obama administration, which has focused upon assisting veterans, the number of homeless veterans on any given night has come down from about 80,000 six years ago, but even a few dozen homeless veterans are far too many.Hundreds of thousands of veterans wont be able to march in Memorial Day parades, or stand and salute the flag. They dont have limbs, their muscles have atrophied because of extensive bed confinement, or they have other debilitating illnesses. About 2.2 million American veterans were injured during their service; about 1.7 million of them were wounded in combat, according to a Pew Research Center summary and analysis. About 200,000 military personnel who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder of have major depression, according to a study done by the Rand Corp. About 285,000 of the veterans of Americas most recent wars have suffered from traumatic brain injury. Among other injuries, according to the VA are chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, fibromyalgia, hearing difficulties, hepatitis, malaria, memory loss, migraines, sleep disorders and tuberculosis.
More than 120,000 Americans wont celebrate Memorial Day; they died in combat during the Korean, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, and Iraq/Afghanistan wars.
During this three-day weekend, Americans will grill steaks, burgers, and hot dogs; they will travel to relatives or friends houses, or take mini-vacations. The nations politiciansfrom small town council members to presidential candidateswill go from picnic to picnic, from rally to rally, and deliver poignant speeches about how much they care about the veterans who were injured or died for their country, and how much veterans mean to the country, while delivering the underlying message to vote for them in the coming election.
But, it is these politicians who, without hesitation, will quickly send American youth into war, and claim that killing people a half-world away somehow protects American citizens. And once Americans are in combat, these same politicians will complain about the cost of war, and vote against providing adequate funds for decent medical and psychological treatment for those who come home damaged.
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http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/walter-brasch/67430/memorial-day-crocodile-tears-from-those-who-create-wars
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I agree and nothing pisses me off more than the people who wave the flag will not support the vetera
hollysmom
May 2016
#1
decades ago I had neighbors who would be tea partiers now but they are both dead
hollysmom
May 2016
#29
I want to give a shame shout-out to those that profit from wars, their puppet politicians, and the
rhett o rick
May 2016
#2
WAR--it's America's biggest industry and makes the very rich richer. It fucks over everyone
valerief
May 2016
#12
Thanks for interjecting some reality into the corporate flag waving extravaganza.
jalan48
May 2016
#19
Neither of the prospective nominees, either Dem or Rep, served a day in the miliary
Stryst
May 2016
#20
We treat our veterans, teachers, nurses and minimum wage employees worse than shit on the bottom of
Feeling the Bern
May 2016
#24
Recall how gladly we sent troops into Iraq in 2003---all the fanfare and flag waving.
McCamy Taylor
May 2016
#30