This is approaching a daily dig at McCain for me. He just keeps doing it. While he talks about what we owe veterans, he ducks the fact he's voted against them even chance he had the opportunity to prove what he says. This is ridiculous. I heard his speech at Sturgis too many times and while it was being "sold" as a tribute to veterans, he made it a campaign speech instead. I wonder if any of his staffers let him know they show up every year and none of them were there just to see him? Does he think bikers are dumb or something?
He talked about needing to drill today, but didn't mention the fact most of them are fully aware that will do little for the gas problem today. He talked about giving the oil companies more leases to drill, but never mention the fact they already have a lot of leases they haven't touched or the fact that refineries have not been built. He also poked fun of the fact about inflating tires and tuning up our engines. That even though every expert says that saves gas and bikers, even though they get a lot of mileage on their hogs, they also drive cars and trucks as well. So much for that.
Then McCain went after congress for not being in Washington when we are suffering but forgot he's part of them and hasn't been there much in the last couple of years. Obama has not been there much either but Obama is not chastising them for it.
Now he tries to pass of PTSD as if he has any clue what it is. Fact:100% of people who have been tortured develop PTSD, so either he is in denial or he thinks the way he acts is normal. Maybe he just assumes he's better than all the other POW's who have been tortured through the centuries? They have been wounded and all of them at different levels but what most do not have in common with McCain is that they would not turn their back on other veterans the way he has and they would not then try to claim to be some kind of hero after doing it. Bikers are not stupid and McCain really should know that veterans aren't either.
Bikers roar for McCain at Rally
GOP candidate stops at Sturgis
By Tom Lawrence
Black Hills Pioneer
STURGIS - Politicians are used to hearing the roar of the crowd, but Sen. John McCain heard an entirely different roar Monday night at The Buffalo Chip.
McCain said he was also concerned about health care for veterans and service members. Some veterans and the South Dakota Democratic Party staged a rally in Sturgis Monday to criticize McCain for supposedly “rationing” health care for veterans and service members, but McCain said they were distorting his words. He said he wanted to send uniformed personnel to regular health care facilities with “a plastic card” to cover the costs while Veterans Administration facilities focus on veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and wounds from improvised explosive devices.
“I'd love to have that debate with Democrats and that group,” he said.
McCain, who was a prisoner of war from 1967-73, said he didn't suffer from PTSD. “I never had a problem, believe it or not,” he said, attributing much of that to his age, since he was nearly 30 while many current service members are a decade younger. “It took me 15 minutes to readjust.”
go here for more
http://www.bhpioneer.com/articles/2008/08/06/
breaking_news/doc4898a1fbcc4b0562619741.txt
McCain's Record of Vet Support Just Another Buffalo Chip
ReplyDeleteJohn McCain recently appeared at the annual Sturgis biker rally and spoke with vets at the Buffalo Chip Campground. He could not have picked a more appropriate setting to offer up his wife up for a topless beauty contest or talk about his record of supporting veterans. He failed, however, to give these veterans the full McCain:
Iraq and Afganistan Veterans of America has given John McCain a grade of D for his support of veterans:
www.iava.org/full-ratings-list
Disabled Veterans of America gave him a 20% rating on support while giving Obama an 80% rating:
www.capwiz.com/dav/scorecard.xc
Per Vietnam Veterans of America John McCain has “voted against us” in 15 key votes:
www.vva.capwiz.com/election/home/
John McCain is one of the few veterans running for office that VoteVets.org. has refused to endorse:
www.VoteVets.org
Another veteran group keeps track and offers links to McCain's history of votes against veteran care:
www.veteransforcommonsense.org
To name just a few votes by John McCain against veterans:
McCain voted against an amendment providing $20 billion to the VA’s medical facilities. [5/4/06]
McCain voted against providing $430 million to the VA for outpatient care and treatment for veterans. [4/26/06]
McCain voted against increasing VA funding by $1.5 billion by closing corporate loopholes. [3/14/06]
McCain voted against increasing VA funding by $1.8 billion by ending abusive tax loopholes. [03/10/04]
John McCain even had the gall to not only be rude, but to lie to a vet about his record of endorsements from veteran groups and then had the nerve to refuse further questioning on the issue:
"I’ve been endorsed in every election by every veterans organization that do that, I’ve been supported by them, and I’ve received their highest awards from all of those organizations. So I guess they don’t know something you know."
"Later in the town hall, McCain admitted he does “not have a perfect voting record,” but then declared that questions about veterans issues were off limits: “I will be glad to debate a lot of things, but not that one,”
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/08/mccain-veterans-award-redux/
Not only was John McCain a no show on the GI Bill vote he opposed, which the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars fully supported, he now wants to limit veteran health care to only combat related injury in order to save money. Per retired Army General Robert Gard, McCain's proposal for concentrating health care on just combat injuries would "shortchange those veterans who suffer from non-combat related conditions".
McCain is apparently unconcerned about the number of veterans this would affect, including the 15% of female combat veterans who suffer from military sexual trauma.
This comes as no suprise. When the VA was busted recently for circulating a memo suggesting doctors lower their diagnosis for veterans in order to save money, John McCain replied: "it's not important".
Older veterans remember well how John McCain and John Kerry shut down all further investigation into remaining MIA/POW in order to open up trade with Vietnam. They remember full well how these families were treated and talked to by John McCain. They also remember how John McCain's father-in-law immediately opened up a beer industry in Vietnam.
www.aiipowmia.com/testimony/
One of the newest veteran groups on the block,Union Veterans, has this to say:
"Not only has McCain voted the wrong way on veterans' issues - such as opposing increased funding for veterans' health care the last four years in a row - but he also doesn't support middle class people's issues," Mr. Ayers said. "He wants to tax people's health care benefits, and supports unfair trade deals, including NAFTA."
www.unionveterans.org.
John McCain runs on a platform of being a vet yet he doesn't support veterans needs. Why support a politician who does not support our troops? Surely, our veterans deserve more than just buffalo chips.
Thank you for the comment. I totally agree. What is really interesting is that what he made fun of at Sturgis, like inflating tires and getting tune ups to save gas, is what he ended up saying was a good idea just a couple of days later. The man cannot be trusted. Either he is totally unaware of reality or will say whatever, whenever and hope no one is paying attention.
ReplyDeleteHe's been a big part of the problem in Washington and now wants to pretend he had nothing to do with any of it. On the economy, he keeps talking about doing the same things that have been done to get us where we are today. We're in an economy that produced excitement for a lousy $300 stimulus check. People are losing their jobs and McCain wants to stay on the same course that cost us the jobs. He's a typical politician but it's the way he's treated the veterans that angers me the most about him.