We had to take down Saddam. There really was no other reasonable choice. Despite leftist blathering about giving sanctions and weapons inspectors a chance (12 years wasn’t enough, apparently) the connections between Saddam and terror were well documented and the threat that he would use his terror nexus to bring chemical, biological or nuclear weapons into the United States was palpable.
And God bless our troops for doing what they have always done so well. They have faithfully and competently fought our nation’s battles. They have placed honor and duty above their own lives. They have died in our stead. Their love for the people of America humbles me.
But before we spend too much time rallying around our flag just yet, we have some garbage to clean up. In particular, I refer to how America cares for its veterans, the anti-American “peace” movement and the dangerous cancer we know as the United Nations.
President Bush and others have loudly proclaimed we will not forget what America’s military personnel have done. Indeed. Then why are we treating America’s veterans with contempt even now?
The GI Bill of Rights, also known as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, was made law on June 22, 1944. The public purpose of the GI Bill was to smooth the transition from military to civilian life after war. In reality, benefits such as payment of education expenses, free civilian medical care and home-loan guarantees are offered to prospective recruits as an incentive to join the military.
Thomas DiLorenzo has rightly labeled this law (and its later revisions) as a “budget-busting middle-class entitlement scheme.” But whether you agree with it or not, the fact remains that promises have been made to America’s veterans that are not being kept. For example, the American Legion – the world’s largest veteran’s organization – notes the following:
Getting health care [from] the Department of Veterans Affairs is tough. Most veterans find that entrance into the system is hampered by so many restrictions, exclusions and limitations that only a small number are eligible. Those veterans who do get in often find that [the] VA will not treat all of their ills, just those conditions that “qualify.” There are many reasons for these “Catch 22’s,” but the main reason is lack of money.
I personally know several veterans who confirm this abominable situation.
Additionally, many active-enlisted military families live in poverty and have to resort to applying for welfare and having both parents work in order to survive. Our people are laying their lives on the line for you and me and, in return, our government can’t find the money to make sure they have food on their table.
What’s the solution? Keep the promises we’ve already made and make it easier for our veterans to attain what they’ve been promised. Pay our active military people livable wages, and generous pensions when they return to civilian life. We owe them. But let them control their own education and medical expenses rather than having to beg Uncle Sam for help. Accordingly, dump the GI Bill and its subsequent mutations. Stop promising what bureaucrat-laden programs are unable to deliver – and what the government should never have promised to begin with.
Moving on: Anti-war protesters have recently been whining about being labeled “anti-American.” Too bad. Just as they have the right to voice their opinions, people who support the war have the right to voice theirs too.
Moreover, other pundits have already pointed out this movement is well-funded and organized by groups such as International ANSWER, a shameless pro-Stalinist, communist front group for the International Action Coalition, which is a front group for the neo-Stalinist Workers World Party – whose supporters, incidentally, include the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga.
Stalin, you’ll remember, is Saddam Hussein’s hero and was responsible for the mass murder of tens of millions of innocent people in the USSR. He was no friend to the United States. Need I say more?
Finally, we come to the United Nations. Though they have successfully sidelined themselves in the Iraqi situation, my concern is that rather than being dismantled due to irrelevance, socialists in Congress will use this situation to strengthen the U.N. and give it teeth to bite with the next time it barks.
The truth: The U.N. is extremely dangerous to the citizens of the United States, as Henry Lamb and other writers have thoroughly documented. Getting rid of this malignant beast while it is wounded ought to be the top criterion for every vote citizens cast in the 2004 federal elections.
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