TODAY IS VETERANS DAY, THAT THEY WERE AMERICA MEMORIALIZES,
IN A SENSE, ALL THE VETERANS OF THEIR ARMED FORCES.
ODYSSEY
MEMORIAL DAY IS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIFE, VETERANS
DAY FOR ALL VETERANS.
HERE AT THE YOUNG TURKS WE ARE GOING TO
LOOK BACK AT HOW OUR COUNTRY HAS TREATED OUR VETERANS.
THE
CURRENT STATE OF OUR VETERANS AS WELL, AND WAYS WE HAVE FAILED
OUR VETERANS ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT FRONTS DESPITE THE
PROGRESS THERE HAS BEEN IN SOME AREAS OVER THE PAST FOUR OR
EIGHT YEARS.
THESE ARE SOME FACTS THAT ARE SAD, TRAGIC IN
MANY WAYS, WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE HUMAN TOLL WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
WHEN WE THROW OUT NUMBERS LIKE THIS --
AS
A PERCENTAGE OF FORMER MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY, 5% IS
LOWER THAN THE POPULATION AT LARGE, THAT IS ITS OWN VIDEO
THAT WE NEED TO DO, THAT THERE ARE STILL 10% WHO DON'T HAVE
HEALTH INSURANCE.
BUT 5% HAVE NO HEALTH INSURANCE.
MANY OF THEM,
20% OF ALL OF THE VETERANS, HAVE SOME SORT OF SERVICE RELATED
DISABILITY.
MANY WILL HAVE PSYCHIATRIC NEEDS THEY HAVE TO
ADDRESS, AND THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO TURN TO, ANY
RESOURCES TO TURN TO.
AND ESPECIALLY THE FACT THAT
REPUBLICANS ENTHUSIASTICALLY IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT STATES, 20
OR 25 STATES, HAVE TURNED DOWN THE FUNDING TO EXPAND MEDICAID
BECAUSE SCREW THEM, THEY DON'T NEED IT --
THAT IS VETERANS IN MANY CASES.
THIS IS SO IRONIC.
WHENEVER YOU TALK ABOUT GOING TO WAR,
REMEMBER, WHEN WE FIRST INVADED IRAQ, IF YOU HAD THE AUDACITY TO
QUESTION THAT WAR OR QUESTION THE REASON OF US BEING THERE,
REPUBLICANS WOULD MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT YOU DON'T RESPECT
THE TROOPS.
NO, YOU DON'T RESPECT THE TROOPS.
YOU USE THE
TROOPS AS AN EXCUSE TO GO TO WAR IN A COUNTRY WHERE WE DON'T
BELONG, AND ON TOP OF THAT YOU DENY THEM INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT
HEALTH BENEFITS SO THEY CAN GET THE TREATMENT THEY NEED WHEN
THEY COME BACK TO THE UNITED STATES.
A LOT OF THESE VETERANS
ARE DEALING WITH SERIOUS PSYCHIATRIC ISSUES, WHETHER IT
IS PTSD OR SOMETHING ELSE.
THE SUICIDE RATE AMONG VETERANS IS
THROUGH THE ROOF, IT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE DEALING WITH THESE
ISSUES WITHOUT APPROPRIATE HEALTHCARE TO COPE WITH IT.
ON THE BACK OF THAT I SAW BEFORE WE CAME ON THE DEPARTMENT
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS -- THE EXECUTIVES HAVE AWARDED
THEMSELVES $142 MILLION IN BONUSES TO ALL OF THEIR
EMPLOYEES FOR 2014, BECAUSE THEY DID SUCH A BANG UP JOB.
THEY PROBABLY HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE.
GOOD FOR THEM.
AND
OBVIOUSLY RELATED TO THE LINGERING DECADES LONG
HEALTHCARE COSTS MANY VETERANS NEED, BERNIE SANDERS
PERIODICALLY SENDS OUT A TWEET TO THE EFFECT OF, THE COST OF
THE WAR DOES NOT END WHEN WE FINALLY PULL THE LAST TROOPS
OUT, IT IS NONETHELESS VETERAN DIES.
BECAUSE THEY NEEDED
HEALTHCARE THEIR ENTIRE LIFE.
WE DON'T FACTOR THAT IN.
ALSO THE
TIME WE DON'T EVEN FACTOR IN THE BOMBING, WE HAVE AN OSO OR
WHATEVER OPERATING FUNDS, WE DON'T PUT THAT IN THE ACTUAL
BUDGET.
BUT WE CERTAINLY DON'T FACTOR IN THE LONG-TERM, DECADES LONG
HEALTHCARE COSTS.
WE ALSO DON'T FACTOR IN THE FACT THAT THE PEOPLE WHO GET
TARGETED TO BE PART OF THE MILITARY, THE PEOPLE WHO GET
RECRUITED, ARE TYPICALLY KIDS WHO COME FROM DISADVANTAGED
BACKGROUNDS.
POOR BACKGROUNDS.
THEY ARE SPECIFICALLY TARGETED
BECAUSE RECRUITERS WILL GO TO THEM AND SAY, HERE IS A CHANCE
FOR YOU TO TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND.
SO ONCE THEY ARE OUT OF
THE MILITARY, OR ONCE THEY COME BACK, THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME
TYPE OF SAFETY NET THAT THE MIDDLE CLASS OR THE UPPER MIDDLE
CLASS HAS.
IF THEY ARE NOT GIVEN CERTAIN OPPORTUNITIES OR CERTAIN
ABILITIES TO KIND OF COME BACK INTO SOCIETY AND BE
PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY, THEY ARE LIKELY TO END UP
HOMELESS AND THAT IS WHY YOU SEE A HUGE POPULATION OF
HOMELESS VETERANS RIGHT NOW.
I HAVE STATS ON THAT REALLY FAST --
A GOOD DROP, BUT STILL A LARGE NUMBER OF HOMELESS VETERANS.
IT IS HORRIFIC, AND THE INNER-CITY HOMELESS PROBLEM IN
THIS COUNTRY OBVIOUSLY -- THE WEALTH DISPARITY IN THIS
COUNTRY, I DON'T WANT TO TURN IT INTO A CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT,
BUT AN INTERESTING POINT THAT YOU MADE, AND I WOULD AGREE, IS
THAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ARE SO STRONG ON WE WILL MAKE OUR
MILITARY THE STRONGEST, THEY HAVE SUCH AN AGGRESSIVE
FOREIGN-POLICY STANCE, DON'T MESS WITH THE UNITED STATES
BECAUSE THE DEMOCRATS ARE SO SOFT AND WISHY-WASHY -- BUT IT
IS AN INSULT AND LOTS OF WAYS, BASED ON HOW YOU FRAME IT.
I HADN'T REALLY SEEN IT FRAMED QUITE LIKE THAT, SO IT IS
INTERESTING TO SEE HOW YOU DID THAT.
THANK YOU.
WHENEVER THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT MAKING THE
MILITARY STRONG, THEY ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT SUPPORTING THE
TROOPS IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY LIVE GOOD
LIVES AFTER THEY SERVE OUR COUNTRY.
WHAT THEY ARE REFERRING
TO IS FUNDING THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT SO AS MUCH MONEY
AS POSSIBLE GOES TO PRIVATE CONTRACTORS AND WEAPONS
MANUFACTURERS WHO STANDS TO PROFIT CONSIDERABLY THROUGH
GOING TO WAR.
THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT.
I STILL REMEMBER IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO, AND THEN AFTER
THE LAUNCH OF THE WARS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ, SEE NO
SIGNS EVERYWHERE.
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.
I WAS MUCH YOUNGER THAN,
AND EVEN THEN IT FELT TO ME LIKE FOR A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE
PEOPLE WHO PUT THAT OUT, IT WAS A WEAPON TO BE USED AGAINST
LIBERALS.
THAT'S ALL IT WAS.
WE KNOW NOW THAT SUPPORT OUR TROOPS
MEANS WHAT IT ALWAYS MEANT, IT MEANS DO NOT QUESTION THE
MILITARY ADVENTURE WE ARE PROPOSING RIGHT NOW.
THAT IS ALL
IT MEANS.
VETERANS, AFTER THEY HAVE SERVED, FOR MOST
POLITICIANS, ESPECIALLY REPUBLICANS BUT SOME DEMOCRATS
AS WELL, SERVE ONE OR TWO LIMITED PURPOSES, YOU PUT THEM
IN BACK OF YOU FOR PHOTO OPS AND SPEECHES, AND MAYBE ONE OR
TWO OF THEM WHO HAVE TOLD YOU IN ADVANCE THAT THEY WILL
LAUNCH THE NEXT SERIES OF WARS, YOU CAN PUT THEM UP AS
POTENTIAL CONGRESSMAN.
HAVING LIVED HERE AS LONG AS I HAVE, I HAVE DISCOVERED THERE IS
ONE INSULT ABOVE ALL ELSE, IS TO CALL SOMEONE UNPATRIOTIC.
THAT
IS ONE OF THE WORST THINGS YOU CAN CALL ANYONE IN THIS COUNTRY.
DESCRIBING IT IN THAT WAY OF, SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, IF YOU DON'T
YOU ARE UNPATRIOTIC -- IT IS UP THERE WITH BEING CALLED A
SOCIALIST.
AND WITH AS LITTLE CONTENT, LARGELY.
I WOULD ARGUE THAT BEING UNPATRIOTIC IS TAKING TAXPAYER
MONEY, FUNDING PRIVATE CONTRACTORS WITH IT, AND THEN
RISKING THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF MEMBERS OF OUR MILITARY JUST
SO YOU CAN GO TO WAR AND COMPANIES CAN PROFIT.
THAT IS THE MOST UNPATRIOTIC THING YOU CAN DO.
MORE STATS --
POSSIBLE POLICY CHANGE THERE COULD HELP WITH THEIR PROBLEMS
GOING FORWARD.
AND TO GO BACK TO SOMETHING YOU MENTIONED EARLIER,
WE HAVE SOME STATISTICS ON THE SUICIDE RATE --
THAT IS AMAZING.
THAT NUMBER IS CONSIDERED A LOW ESTIMATE.
THAT'S WHY THEY GAVE THEMSELVES THAT BONUS.
THEY ARE DOING SUCH A BANG UP JOB.
WE OBVIOUSLY THINK THE
VETERANS FOR WHAT THEY DID, THEIR WILLINGNESS TO GO EVEN
WHEN THEY WERE BEING LIED TO BY THE POLITICIANS AND BY A LARGE
PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION, THEY STILL WENT, THEY STILL
SIGNED UP.
EVEN YEARS INTO THE CONFLICT WHEN I SAW IT WOULD NOT
BE THIS EASY TO WEEK ROLLED INTO BAGHDAD, WHEN THEY SAW IT WAS
GOING TO BE COMBATING AN ENTRENCHED INSURGENCY IN ONE,
AND THEN TWO, AND POSSIBLY THREE COUNTRIES, THEY STILL SIGNED UP.
THEY WERE LIED TO BUT THEY WERE BRAVE REGARDLESS, SO WE HONOR
THEIR SERVICE, THEIR COMMITMENT TO THEIR COUNTRY, AND WE ASK THE
POLITICIANS TO DO THE SAME BY PROVIDING FOR THEM WHEN
THEY COME BACK FROM THE MIDDLE EAST.
AND YOU ARE RIGHT, WHAT IS UNCONSCIONABLE FOR ME IS THE
FACT THAT TONY BLAIR, PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR, AND GEORGE
W. BUSH AGREED, AND IT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED AND THEY DENIED IT
FOR YEARS, THEY AGREED TO 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE INVASION THAT
THEY WERE GOING TO GO IN.
AND BLAIR AND BUSH HAD A GENTLEMAN'S
AGREEMENT, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, TO GO IN.
THEY
KNEW THERE WAS NOTHING THERE BUT THEY WANTED A REASON.
IT IS A
SEARCH FOR PERPETUAL WAR, IT FUNDS THE LOBBYISTS AND THE
INDUSTRY, AND THAT IS THE PATRIOTISM THEY ARE TALKING
ABOUT.
BUT THAT IS NOT THE PATRIOTISM WE ARE SEEKING TO HONOR TODAY.