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| March 9, 2007 Alaskan in Exile by Neil Zawicki, insurgent49 People got fired at Walter Reed Army Hospital last week. Several staff members and the hospital commander, Maj. Gen. George Weightman. Also, Army Secretary Francis Harvey quit. This is how they attempt to fix things, by lopping off heads. It’s cosmetic and political, in that order. Or maybe the two are identical. Anyway, the move is a predictable tactic from an administration that doesn’t care in the first place. And this is not a new problem. What about the Bonus march after World War I, when hundreds of veterans marched on Washington to demand the benefits they were promised? President Hoover turned the troops on those protesters, and people got killed. These days, Bush calls the veterans benefit system “hurtful” to our security, and has worked to make veterans pay more in co-pay and premiums, limit their health care entitlement to two years, rather than the lifetime it once was, and has moved to cut spending and shut down dozens of hospitals. Meanwhile, he jacks up the cost of waging war in Iraq. The thing is, veterans are screwed when it comes to their already meager health benefits, and when all the major veterans groups have to fight an administration to keep them, there is something seriously wrong. My favorite part of this deplorable situation is the comment from the Pentagon, acknowledging there was neglect at the hospital, but denying they knew about everything that was happening. Of course you didn’t know about everything. That’s because you were negligent. Honestly. “No, officer, I did not see that stop sign, but I also didn’t know it was there.” It is not difficult to recognize what is going on here. In fact, Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s wife recently toured the hospital and wondered aloud if the photo ops her husband had with wounded troops might have been hand-picked to paint a rosy picture. She was told by some that they were, and then the person who invited her to the hospital was fired. These people are fundamentally evil. Really. It is clear that they calculate to avoid giving wounded troops proper care, and commit acts of Machiavellian treachery to keep it concealed. Mr. Bush, I am talking to you. You and your little flight suit PR stunt on the Aircraft Carrier. You and your service-dodging younger years. You and your arrogance. Send your daughters to war. Send yourself to war. Let your daughter lose her leg in some Sadr City back alley and then take her support away. Do it, sir. Get your children killed and then don’t help them. And don’t blame others, don’t fire others for your own deeds. Take responsibility. I almost forgot: Mission Accomplished. You filthy, God-fake little savage. Neil Zawicki, exiled Alaskan, is Editor at Large for Insurgent49, a former reporter for the Alaska Star, and winner of the Alaska Press Club's 'Best Columnist' award. He is now living out the rest of his days in an undisclosed location in Oregon. He can be contacted at hondo23@gmail.com 'Alaskan In Exile' appears on insurgent49.com every Friday. |
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March 2, 2007 February 23, 2007 February 16, 2007 February 9, 2007 February 2, 2007 January 26, 2007 January 19, 2007 January 12, 2007 January 5, 2007 December 29, 2006 December 22, 2006 December 15, 2006 December 8, 2006 December 1, 2006 November 24, 2006 November 17, 2006 November 10, 2006 November 3, 2006 October 27, 2006 October 20, 2006 October 13, 2006 October 6, 2006 September 29, 2006 September 22, 2006 September 15, 2006 September 8, 2006 September 1, 2006 August 25, 2006 August 18, 2006 August 11, 2006 August 4, 2006 July 28, 2006 July 21, 2006 July 14, 2006 June 30, 2006 June 23, 2006 June 16, 2006 June 9, 2006 June 2, 2006 May 26, 2006 May 12, 2006 May 5, 2006 April 28, 2006 April 21, 2006 April 14, 2006 April 7, 2006 March 31, 2006 March 24, 2006 March 17, 2005 March 3, 2006 February 24, 2006 February 17, 2006 February 10, 2006 February 3, 2006 January 27, 2006 January 20, 2006 January 13, 2006 January 6, 2006 December 30, 2005 December 23, 2005 December 16, 2005 December 10, 2005 December 2, 2005 November 25, 2005 November 18, 2005 November 11, 2005 November 4, 2005 October 28, 2005 October 21, 2005 October 14, 2005 October 7, 2005 September 30, 2005 September 23, 2005 September 16, 2005 September 9, 2005 September 2, 2005 August 26, 2005 August 19, 2005 August 12, 2005 August 5, 2005 July 29, 2005 July 22, 2005 July 15, 2005 July 8, 2005 July 1, 2005 June 24, 2005 June 17, 2005 June 10, 2005 June 3, 2005 May 27, 2005 May 20, 2005 May 13, 2005 May 6, 2005 April 29, 2005 April 21, 2005 April 14, 2005 April 7, 2005 April 1, 2005 - also by this
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Reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
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