Saturday, October 27, 2012

This is what Turner calls an apology for "good suicides"

This is what Turner calls an apology for good suicides
by Chaplain Kathie
Wounded Times Blog
October 27, 2012

Yesterday I had to ask Did Ted Turner say military suicide "is good" because I thought there had to be some kind of stroke or maybe he was drinking but I read the transcript. It is what he said. What was worse is that Morgan then came back without a followup question.

I would have loved to have heard, "How dare you?" "Do you have a single clue what it is like for them to come home after surviving combat but can't survive being home?" "Have you totally lost your own mind?" But Morgan's next question was about Turner giving money away. Nice way to suck up to the boss and slam all the veterans leaving behind grieving families.
This is what Turner calls an apology.

During my recent interview on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight, I inadvertently used the word ‘good’ when asked for my thoughts on the increasing rate of suicide among U.S. military soldiers in the Middle East. It was certainly not my intent to imply that suicide is ‘good.’ Rather, I was implying that it is good that the public is more aware of these tragedies and is more averse to war and war-related fatalities,” Turner responded.


Excuse me but WTF! Maybe Turner didn't pay attention after Vietnam Veterans came home, suffered in silence with PTSD that, yes, was called PTSD in the 70's, or the fact they were being locked up because they tried anything and everything to stop the pain they had. Maybe he didn't notice when the jails were filling up with those veterans because they used drugs or drank too much to get numb. He sure as hell missed the numbers climbing of Vietnam Veterans committing suicide to the tune of 150,000 to 200,000 along with the fact that by 1978 500,000 Vietnam Veterans had PTSD. Homeless Veterans were walking the streets long before he made his fortune even though they didn't hang out in his neighborhood. He sure as shit didn't notice that everything available for OEF and OIF veterans was established because of the Vietnam veterans coming home and fighting for it!

That's the biggest offense of all in all of this. Turner is a "newsman" and as a newsman he should have given a damn about knowing what was going on even though he finds it reprehensible for this generation of men and women to feel so compassionately courageous they are willing to die to save someone else. Once again he missed that point. They don't join to kill. They join to save. They have to train how to kill because that is exactly what the other side is doing. They don't pick the battles they are sent to fight. Politicians do. Politicians are also the ones that are supposed to know WTF they are sending these men and women to risk their lives for. Just because they drop the ball, don't care to make sure they are 100% right about the necessity, and sure as hell don't bother to plan for any of the wounded coming home, that is not the fault of those who go.

Turner said he's all about peace but never once contemplated how peace was achieved and maintained throughout the history of this country.

Now he says it is good that the American people are aware? It would have been nice if Turner had fought to make sure the American people knew what I was reading everyday. Knew how families grieved because someone they loved came back so changed they no longer wanted to live. Knew what it was like for a Mom to stand by her son's grave and blame herself for not doing enough. Know what it like for them to learn that everything they needed to know was known but no one told them. Knew what it was like to discover the "resiliency" training they were getting was the reason why their sons and daughters thought it was because they were mentally weak and too ashamed to ask for help.

Ya, sure Turner can come out with another boatload of excuses for what he said this time but the truth is, he's had years to prove how he really feels.

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