Unfortunately, this has been the history of the Armed Forces in this country since the Revolutionary War. Honest veterans do NOT receive the care and benefits promised them. I defy any person reading my statement to deny this. I can site chapter and verse from every war this country has fought wherein ordinary veterans have been fucked. And not isolated incidents, but as a matter of course. This is the price of business in America.

Are enlistments and/or reinlistments going up, down or about the same since the fighting in Iraq stopped? Will the U.S. be able to maintain voluntary armed forces sufficient to honor W's National Security Strategy? A recent column by O'Hanlon (yesterday's LA Times) suggests that the numbers regarding military needs do not add up. Will the draft be needed to keep the U.S. #1 militarily and economically as provided in the National Security Strategy? How are these costs calculated if at all in determining the current and upcoming deficits? W has promised even more tax cuts. This puts younger generations on the hook down the road to pay for these deficits. Will the younger generation of voters in 2004 consider the impact of these deficits on their backs? The U.S. is starting off these young voters with humongous federal credit card balances.

This will serve as a multi-purpose post.

I note that the Afghan and Iraq vets will get two years' medical inattention from the VA.

Let's see....that will get us all nicely past the 2004 elections, in case the 1600 crew decides to allow them to occur. After which, said vets will no longer be needed as political photo ops, so will they please shuffle off the stage quietly?

To answer Trophies' comment, it's always been that way. Vets are only needed or wanted while there is shooting. And all countries treat them the same way. See these examples written by Rudyard Kipling:

http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/kipling_ind.html

"Tommy" and "Arithmetic on the Frontier"

And Shag: I understand enlistemnts are down, as are reups. I'm sure the draft will be along, spurred on by the insatiable Lust for Empire on K Street.

This is horrifying. Even more so because it's not in the least bit surprising. Indeed, I can't think of a post-war period when veterans weren't f*!#ed over by the government. Just look at the state of Veterans hospitals at all. What's amazing to me is that there are still enough faithful and willing to protect us to make up an entire army... including my own brother. It's maddening.

Forget Lynch! What about her fellow captive, Shoshanna Johnson? You don't hear much about her. Oh, I forgot, Shoshanna is African-American. As I suspect Sgt Turner is. Roxbury is a largely African-American neighborhood. Boston's Harlem. That's where the injustice lies.

1. Timely
   
2. Strategery
   
3. Webb wins
   
4. Huh?
   
5. Bunnypants in Bagdad
   
6. Outage
   
7. Filthy Lucre Watch
   
8. Playing the numbers
   
9. My letter to Countdown
   
10. Jefferson's Nigerian Scams