"If the military stalls in turning over files to Congress pertaining to the five years of Bergdal's absence, we'll at least know that there is no national-institution remaining to be corrupted."...George Will
- Will makes a good point considering the scandals that have surfaced in almost every government institution in just the last 6 years alone.
- Not long ago, I wrote about political correctness that infected the Pentagon and Defense Department surrounding the Ft. Hood shooter and the aftermath. In short, the FBI knew about the shooter's background well before the incident (he was emailing al-Qaeda operatives). In addition, the incident was classified as "work-place" violence---an absurd designation considering what we now know about the shooter.
- In 2009, the same year as the Ft. Hood shooting, the Department of Homeland Security labeled veterans as "potential domestic terrorists" in a report entitled, "Right Wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment." The report pointed out "returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to right wing extremists." The report added veterans may be "disgruntled, disillusioned, or suffering from psychological effects of war." And while there is some truth to these statements (but who is not disgruntled or disillusioned at one time or another?), the fact is they were made to characterize veterans as extremists. Since there are almost 22 million veterans today in the United States, one would consider---based on this absurd report---we should be facing a major problem. We're not.
- Of course, we now have a VA scandal that clearly shows many veterans have not been treated well by the administration. Back-logs of claims, veterans allegedly dying while waiting for care and secrete waiting lists are just a few of the problems that have surfaced recently. Also add to this the cuts to Tri Care that were were proposed (right now they are on hold). But there was some good news. The administration proposed a "whopping" 1% pay raise for our troops in 2014.
- So considering all of this and more, I was not surprised to read a Tweet by an administration press secretary suggesting that Bergdahl may have been justified in deserting (not officially established yet either) because his platoon mates might have been "psychopaths." His Tweet: "Here's the thing about Bergdahl and the jump-to-conclusion mats: What if his platoon was long on psychopaths and short on leadership?" Oh, by the way, this nitwit happens to also be a veteran. This followed the "Swift Boat" charge by the critics earlier in the week.
- All of this continues to reinforce my claim that most progressives despise the military and veterans. It also reinforces my claim most progressives are good at nothing and bad at almost everything---in addition, they can also be dangerous.
