Military families support Obama
By LAURA DEMPSEY
GUEST COLUMNIST
Veterans and military families received a lot of praise and attention at the recent Democratic National Convention, and for good reason.
After six years of war on two different fronts, perhaps no group of citizens is more directly affected by the decisions and judgment of this administration. Soldiers and Marines in core infantry units are in their second or third deployments, with others heading out for their fourth, fifth or sixth. Our military families are increasingly suffering from their own combat stress, having borne the burden of current conflicts with little shared sacrifice or attention.
There was another reason for the convention's emphasis on military families, though, that should not escape anybody's attention. Sen. Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, recognize that a smart, modern defense strategy includes a plan for taking care of the all-volunteer force that executes it. That's why when you hear the Obamas discuss the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, you are just as likely to hear talk of the Veterans Administration and military families as you are likely to hear them discuss troop movements and vehicle armor.
This is why we founded Blue Star Families for Obama. We are "Pro-Military, Pro-Obama" because we believe that a strong national defense is vital to a healthy democracy. We honor Sen. John McCain's service to his country. But we believe Obama is the candidate who will best protect the health and strength of the country's military families in these challenging times. This includes the 65,615 active duty, reservists and national guard members who live with their families in Washington.
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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/378794_bluestar12.html
McCain is a veteran but he keeps voting against them and their families. We noticed.
Stuart Steinberg: McCain Consistently Works Against Veterans' Best ..
.By Stuart Steinberg(webmaster@huffingtonpost.com) In the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, the average score of the eight Republicans on the Committee in 2005 was a lowly 40.7, while the five Democrats' and the one Independent's average was 92.
My husband did three tours in Iraq, is combat wounded, and suffers from PTSD -- or, rather, as I like to inform people, our whole family suffers from the effects of PTSD. His wartime service has changed our family forever.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this idea that somehow Obama is some sort of Messiah for military families is naive and rather disturbing.
Obama's campaign would have more credibility if before this election, he had advocated and taken strong stances for military and their families. He hasn't.
The only reason Obama is paying lipservice to military families is because VA is a swing state.
I am no fan of McCain, and before Palin was on the ticket, we weren't going to vote.
However, Obama's lack of transparency about his past, his lack of legislative record and lack of courage to take the lead and stand on ANYTHING of substance, means that we will vote on Nov 4th.
We will vote not "for" McCain, but most assuredly "against" Obama.
And this corruption of the use of "Blue Star Families" for political purposes has made me, and many, many MANY other Blue Star Families very angry.
PS: For some reason, this is not letting me login w/my google account so I will have to post this anon I guess.
Please email me about the PTSD issue and I may be able to help on that. I've been doing this for 26 years because of my own husband. He's a Vietnam vet with PTSD. There is much that can be shared privately. PTSD is something I have not only researched all this time but lived with it as well. Namguardianangel@aol.com
ReplyDeleteAs for Obama, I think there is much you are hearing that is false. Obama has been voting for veterans, for their healthcare and for their education.
McCain has voted against them. All service organizations have given him a failing grade for failing veterans. Please look up his record from reputable sources as well as Obama's.
Just to touch on a few issues here, McCain voted against increasing the VA budget when we had veterans being turned away from the VA and committing suicide. He was against the Jim Webb GI bill calling it "too generous" and pushed to squash it. Then he took credit for it once it passed. He wants to privatize the VA and hand out cards for non-combat veterans, no matter what they were promised when they were willing to serve. What galls me the most is that for all his years in the Senate, he decided to not use his status as a Vietnam POW, disabled veteran, who enjoyed all the benefits from health to education to be an advocate for veterans. He can claim what he wants but look up his record and see what is true.
Obama impressed me several times. What really impressed me, aside from his votes the last couple of years on veterans issues, is what he did in Montana. It proved he is paying attention to the wounds of war, especially PTSD.
The Montana National Guard has a fantastic program, Picking Up the Pieces, to address PTSD, the stigma and suicides. Obama kept informed on what they were doing because of Chris Dana, an Iraq veteran who committed suicide. He met quietly with Dana's family and his brother. This program is working and Obama wants to make sure the rest of the military begins to use their work to help veterans.
The other issue that has been a rumor around the net is that Obama wants to cut the military. Again a false rumor. He wants to increase it. What he wants to cut is the waste in DOD spending that has been all over the net and the billions of missing tax payer money.
I suggest anyone who cares about the military and our veterans research what you have been told about both candidates to see what is true and what is not. Go to news sites and not blogs to verify. Take what you hear on talk radio and see if what you have been told is true.
If you only rely on Republican leaning or Democratic leaning sources instead of news, there is nothing to back up what they say. Vote Smart is a great site and also use the congressional sites to find out what their votes have really been. If you are looking for records beyond that, look up what the service organizations have said about the candidates. This election is too important to not invest the time in researching the candidates fully.