veteran

Trump, Veterans, and The Atlantic

We’ve been neck-deep in propaganda season most of the year. Not only is it getting harder to tell fact from fiction from spin from nuanced interpretation — and it was never easy — it’s actually becoming a topic people no longer care about. Fake news is the new normal; as a nation, we’re growing accustomed to believing what we choose to and disregarding anything that doesn’t fit our preconceptions. The alternative would be to do our own fact-checking — and who has time for that?

(Present company excluded, of course.)

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F&L: Buttigieg — the Saga of Mayor Pete

And what does the mayor of South Bend, Indiana have to offer in his bid for president?  Sure, he’s smart — brilliant, even; Mayor Pete’s a Rhodes Scholar who speaks at least eight languages — but what does the openly gay mayor of a podunk Indiana town really have to offer the country?  Quite a lot, as it happens; read on and I’ll tell you. (more…)

And It’s Not About A Wall Either

The present situation has almost nothing to do with a border wall.

I submit that Mr. Trump is attempting to (more…)

Talks Break Down Over Color Of Wall

Tonight, angry Democrats stormed out of a meeting with the President on border security after failing to reach an agreement over the color of the new wall panels presently under construction in the Sonora Desert.

“This is an unprecedented abuse of power,” said Minority Leader Schumer.  “No president should hold the government hostage.” (more…)

It’s Not About The Migrants

Whether it’s the news sites or more interactive social media, we keep running into the same effect.  I know you’ve seen it, but I’ll remind you anyway.  There’s this picture of a ragged guy on the sidewalk wearing his old army jacket.  The caption reads “Take care of homeless vets before feeding refugees!”

To some this makes perfect sense; to others it’s horribly offensive.  To me it’s an obvious trick, a false dichotomy — don’t fall for it. (more…)

On Reform

There’s tons of articles about Trump’s character, how he won the election, obstructionism then and now, and so on.  Yesterday the media message was all about fake news; right now the big thing is his cabinet confirmation process, and tomorrow there’ll be something else, depending on what people choose to be scandalized about.  But in the mean while, things will be happening, and we shouldn’t lose sight of them amid all the hype.

So let’s boil it down to essentials:  We’ve got a brand new president coming in, and his platform was Reform. (more…)