Veterans have other things on their minds

March 28, 2006

In response to the upcoming vote on a constitutional amendment to ban [tag]flag burning[/tag], Harry Reid’s office has a pretty good response: this is a ridiculous waste of time. “It’s that time of the year to throw a little red meat to the base,” said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). “We need to focus on the American people’s priorities.”

Bill Frist’s office agrees, which is why he’s scheduled a vote on the amendment for June.

Frist spokesman Bob Stevenson said that is exactly what his boss is doing. The flag-protection amendment “is the number-one issue on veterans’ agenda,” Stevenson said yesterday.

The response got me thinking: Is this even remotely true? Do veterans’ groups consider the flag amendment their “number-one issue”? Is it even in their top 10?

I checked the website for the Veterans of Foreign Wars ([tag]VFW[/tag]), one of the nation’s largest veterans’ groups. The site includes a copy of the testimony VFW Commander in Chief James Mueller presented to the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs earlier this month. Mueller’s testimony spanned nearly 6,000 words — not one of which mentioned the flag, even in passing.

Better yet, the VFW also published its “Legislative Priority Goals” for 2005 and 2006. It’s a detailed, 10-point legislative agenda that emphasizes health care, veterans’ benefits, the GI Bill, retirement pay, job training, and community-based homeless programs. There were no references to the flag or the amendment.

It’s not only proof that Frist’s office needs another spin for this nonsense, it’s also a point to keep in mind when the June debate rolls around.

The “veterans” Frist mentions must be all those Republican “war heroes” like George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Tom DeLay, Phil Gramm, and all the other far right “patriots” who were “more interested in all-day pool volleyball parties with ambitious secretaries” (Bush), “had other priorities back then” (Cheney). “wanted to enlist but the minorities took all the openings to get the benefits” (DeLay) or “felt two years out of my life at that point rather than grad school was a waste of time” (Gramm).

And then there was Senator Kitten-Killer – when did he volunteer to serve in a MSAH?????

Oh, right, there’s always Duke Cunningham “the last ace on active duty.” He was a war hero (unless you ask his backseater what really happened on May 10, 1972). I bet he thinks burning the flag is a big issue (right behind not getting burned out of his cell by his fellow inmates).

Oh, forgot – there’s always “Admiral Latch” and the Swift Boat Veterans – they obviously know everything there is to know on what “real” veterans think of things.

All this does is prove Samuel Johnson was right when he said “patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”

  • Of course it is a lot cheaper to ban flag burning that to actually take care of disabled vets health care. Veterans issues my foot, I don’t think this country has really taken care of its veterans since Korea or WWII. And that is a little before my time, so I am not even sure of that. The poor guys comming back from Southeast Asia got very little.

  • So are the VFW and other veteran’s groups going to let the White House and Senate know that Frist is full of swamp gas? Or are they even paying attention?

    Bottom line is, they are the ones whose priorties are being lied about and if they don’t speak up it won’t much matter what anybody else has to say. Maybe we should let them know in case they missed the memo.

  • This would be a good time for the “Fighting Dems” to lift up their voices and say what vets, in particular those that have been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, think are their pressing issues.

    Mr. Frist appears to be doing another of his famous videotape diagnoses, this time about what’s bothering vets.

  • I think Gracious hit it right on the head. At a time when Veterans Administration costs will be going up (more maimed soldiers and marines to take care of thanks to Bush’s optional war) a little distraction over flags (Frist thinks) is just the way to go.

    Really, flag burning should be used to break up the unnatural alliance supporting the Republicanite party. Libertarians should be against it as an unconstitutional imposition against the 1st amendment right to political speech (what’s more political then burning the symbol of a political entity that has upset you?), and the truly Christian voters should have it pointed out to them that the law is paramount to idolatry (elevating a symbol to such status that it takes worship from the true god). That should leave only the Theocratic Reactionaries (who have no true realtionship to Jesus and his God) and the Know-Nothings (who are for building walls along the U.S.-Mexican border).

  • When I enlisted (I’m a Vietnam vet) I took an oath, just like public officials, to “uphold, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America” from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

    I did not, nor would I, swear allegiance to a piece of cloth, however symbolic it may be. So I just can’t get excited about someone expressing themselves by burning our or any other flag.

    This is just more divisive bullshit from Bushco. If it upsets someone, simply ask the burner for his permit to start a fire in public and, absent said permit, arrest them. It’s a SAFETY, not a MORAL issue.

  • “It’s not only proof that Frist’s office needs another spin for this nonsense, it’s also a point to keep in mind when the June debate rolls around.”

    Right now, some sneaky little shit GOP operative is creating a bogus veterans orgranization whose number one (and only) legislative goal is to ban flag burning.

  • I’m sure guys getting ready for their third tour in Iraq are happy to here that:

    1) Bush is turfng to ending the war to the next idiot in the Oval Office.

    2) While dependent family and veteran benefits are vulnerable to future budget cuts, Republicans want to have a constitutional amendent to protect a piece of cloth.

    I’m with Bill. Though it was 18 years ago, I don’t recall my oath saying anything about defending a flag.

    And I’m starting to think the “domestic enemies” are sitting in the White House.

  • how are flags to be disposed of now? I thought the only acceptable way to dispose of the American flag when warranted was burning.

  • United States Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, §8, sub-section k: “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”

  • Well, if we can’t burn Flags any more, then there will be an overabundance of Flags. The Flag market will crash. Flag manufacturers will have to lay off employees. Our society will be inundated with Everest-like stockpiles of Flags. People will become overtly nauseated at the mere sight or mention of Flags. Flags will become a nuisance, and then an obscenity. Landfills will fill up with unwanted Flags, and be forced to close down. The Roto-Rooter Guy will work himself into an early grave, from all the people who try to dispose of Flags by flushing them down toilets. Congress will be forced to ban the production of Flags, just so they can walk from one lobbyist-sponsored luncheon to the next. Evangelicals will associate the Flag with the Anti-Christ. Conservatives will blame the obesity of the Flag population on the poor, and the liberals, and the criminal elements within our nation….

    Sorry, CB—I couldn’t help myself!

  • That’s like proclaiming gays are the number one issue for conservative Christians because um.. there’s no mention of it anywhere in the Ten Commandments.

  • “That’s like proclaiming gays are the number one issue for conservative Christians because um.. there’s no mention of it anywhere in the Ten Commandments.” – Hey

    Try “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.” – Leviticus 20.13

    Of course, the three verses immediately before it cite the death penalty for adultery and insest, so one should be careful about one’s own conduct before pushing 20.13 😉

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