I am ashamed I have to write this about an American Senator and a fellow veteran. Especially an honored POW, but as LT General Gard explained a few days ago in this http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/21/205255/705">diary by LT General Robert Gard he has abused his POW status.
Now he had broken the code of honor expected by an Officer, in the military we lived by a Code of Conduct and Officers are not supposed to lie, their word is their bond as an Officer and gentlemen. So this saddens me but it must be done. He has again slandered Senator Obama and I must call him on it.
Flummoxed By Vietnam Vet, McCain Falsely Claims He ‘Received Every Award From Every Vets Organization’»
MCCAIN: I’ve received every award from every major veteran’s organization in America. I received every organization in America their awards. ... The reason why I have a perfect voting record from organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and all the other veterans service organizations is because of my support of them. [...]
VETERAN: You do not have a perfect voting record by the DAV and the VFW. That’s where these votes were recorded. These votes were proposals by your colleagues in the Senate to increase health care of the VA in 2003, 4, 5, and 6 for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. And you voted against those proposals. [...]
MCCAIN: 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.
I suggest you go to the website and watch the video they have their, it is self explanatory http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/08/mccain-veterans-award-redux/">courtesy of Think Progress
Then in the debate about the new G.I. Bill this exchange on Think Progress from May 2008 shows the truth between Senator Mccains position then and what he is claiming now
From http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/23/mccain-vet-awards/">Think Progress
This video from May 23, 2008 has Senator McCain questioning Senator Obama's judgement on veterans issue's, from my personal experience and checking the voting records of the 2 Senators, Senator Obama is head and shoulders above John McCain on veterans issue's his voting record is excellent and is supported by the Congressional record, while Senator McCains Congressional Record shows he disapproves of legislation that costs money for veterans issue's. (please click on the link and see the short video)
The Senator has taken the ability to lie to new heights, veterans trust other veterans when they say they are taking care of them, very few veterans would question a POW, a war hero, and never question that he was voting against them and their families. It is just unthinkable, he was an Officer, we were taught an Officers word was his bond, Officers did not lie, they are honor bound to tell the truth. You know those silly little three words Duty, Honor and Country?
They mean something to military and veterans, Senator McCain has tossed that trust and honor out of the window and NO veteran or active duty military should ever trust him again. He has been caught lying about his voting record on the benefits of veterans, there is nothing more despicable than that. Then to have the audacity to question Senator Obama's excellent record on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to help this nations veterans, and his votes on the Senate floor, Senator McCain you owe Senator Obama an apology and this nations veterans an apology and quit lying to them and start voting for them and the benefits they have earned.
Now we come to the recent lies about the new G.I. Bill
The G.I Bill squabble:
Here's what Obama said:
I respect sen. John McCain's service to our country. He is one of those heroes of which I speak. But I can't understand why he would line up behind the President in his opposition to this GI bill. I can't believe why he believes it is too generous to our veterans. I could not disagree with him and the President more on this issue. There are many issues that lend themselves to partisan posturing but giving our veterans the chance to go to college should not be one of them.
Here is part of Senator McCains response, you will have to go to this website to read the rest http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php">this is McCains remarks about the GI Bill
"The most important difference between our two approaches is that Senator Webb offers veterans who served one enlistment the same benefits as those offered veterans who have re-enlisted several times. Our bill has a sliding scale that offers generous benefits to all veterans, but increases those benefits according to the veteran's length of service.
I think it is important to do that because, otherwise, we will encourage more people to leave the military after they have completed one enlistment. At a time when the United States military is fighting in two wars, and as we finally are beginning the long overdue and very urgent necessity of increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps, one study estimates that Senator Webb's bill will reduce retention rates by 16%.
The problem with Senator Mccains statements on this issue, is that during the Vietnam War and we all got the old GI Bill benefits we served 3 years active duty and got full education benefits and officers who attended military Academies spent 6 years of active duty to repay the government for their 4 years of college and higher pay as officers.
The new GI Bill will also be used as a recruiting tool to encourage young people into the military to obtain the GI Bill benefits.
You decide who is blowing smoke.
As for the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars — with whom McCain claims to have a “perfect voting record” — both groups vigorously supported Sen. Jim Webb’s (D-VA) GI Bill that McCain tirelessly opposed.
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,” McCain said.
You can read the comments http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/08/mccain-veterans-award-redux/">here or you can go to the VA Watchdog.org http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/PRESIDENTIALCANDIDATES.htm">Obama and McCains veterans voting record see it for yourself and make your own mind up, no twisted words just your own lying eyes.
Senator McCain you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself, as a Senator, as a veteran and as a POW, you have used them all to advance your political career and have tarnished them all.
Sorry not a Joe Biden diary.......Sphere: Related Content
3 comments:
You're leaving out the part about the old GI bill that makes it an apples and oranges argument. The old GI bill was in place during a draft, constantly replacing troops at the time was a matter of drawing more names. Having served in Recruiting Duty for a number of years I can tell you a majority of the people who join don't do it for a college education, whereas it is a benefit that helps the decision, it is not why most walk in the door, keep in mind a lot of states have Hope/lottery type scholarships - students who work hard and stay focused in school usually do well and at very little cost.
Thinkprogress.org is so biased they actually make up news as this example proves - http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/22/mccain-petraeus-vp/
Title 10 of the US Code nor Admiral Mullen's letter (It even states the letter was to "uniformed Soldiers") would apply to either candidate (or any civilian for that matter) when it describes how a military member cannot campaign or even express their world view in public WHILE IN UNIFORM. BTW, "floating names" from generals and admirals for VP or even implying certain admirals and generals have a certain political stance is not new.
When I came to this web site Vets 4 Politics I thought it would be an unbiased view for Vets to seek out the "Vet truth" - I'll keep reading and hope it is so.
R/NCCM USN(ret)
as in all truth there are gray areas in it, like the old line about health care for retireees and their spouses that was told from who knows when WW1 - sometime in the 1980s and then in the early 90s and the first BRAC and they started TRICARE the Montgomery GI Bill only paid a portion of school bills if the service member paid the 100 a month for the first year of service, so the new GI Bill will be a better deal and with transferbility to dependents it is even better, lets be real even the original GI Bill how many vets went to college 10% at the most, the odds are more new vets or their wives or kids will use this new GI Bill as to McCains quotes about the town hall meeting they are the same in all the papers he stated he would not debate his record on veterans issues and if you go to Vote Smart or WAPO political section and look at the voting records of McCain and Obama you can see who really does support veterans, that is the bottom line. I get a lot of my information from Larry Scott at VA Watchdog.org and have his permission to copy stuff from his site, some of the other stuff I add my own comments to occasionally, other times I just post veterans and military related information, I am an independent I really do despise people that lie about their support for disabled veterans and veterans, even if they are one.
I appreciate your dedication. I joined between the old GI bill and the Montgomery one with a program called VEAP. I was offered it, you paid I think $2100 into it and they matched it 2-1 or something like that. I saw it as a total waste of money and didn't enroll - how was I to know a new and better program would come along. Those of us who turned down VEAP (a choice that I thought was fiscally responsible at the time) would never be allowed to sign up for the future GI bills. Thank goodness the VEAP opportunity window was relatively small.
I share your view about the benefits we thought we would get as a disabled or retired member for life. I too thought when I joined we would get free medical and dental and other benefits - I think we should be fighting with our elected officials to ensure we keep them, these are EARNED entitlements. To be fair and honest I will say however I don't remember a government official saying nor can I produce a document making these guarantees for my future - they were benefits that were in place so I assumed they would always be.
Veterans over time have fought hard to achieve the benefits we enjoy today - I'm sure you've read by now the latest QRMC report http://www.navycs.com/blogs/2008/08/05/military-retirement-tricare (a short article in my blog and link to the actual report) where certain people under the guide of better management and fiscal responsibility are supporting reports such as this to modify current benefits. The people joining today are thinking the benefits we have today is what they will be entitled to in the future.
What are our "no kidding" basic benefits we should expect after service? Education? Medical? Dental? Death? Survivor? All of the above?
R/NCCM USN(ret)
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