That vet is a class act for sure. I hope that other guy is duly ashamed of himself.

to hate on Veterans. I remember reading an article where a prominent Republican said the Veteran (that he was speaking about) Should not have come back from the war, but should have died there. He said he didn't want to pay for some "freeloader" who gets free Veteran Health care, nor did he want his Dollars to even go for a wheel chair... since the guy volunteered to go into the service and was flown over to a war zone, it was own damn fault for getting hurt, and frankly he didn't want his well earned tax money to pay for this guys problems that he alone created.

It was the most disgusting piece of trash I have ever read..and unfortunately there are too many Republicans who feel the same way.

Superbly written!

I hope the recipient was duly ashamed of himself, although I very much doubt it.

K&R

He will probably grumble to himself that he was right and is now getting some cash. People like him are usually conservative and can NEVER admit being wrong or losing. In their mind, their paradigm is the only right one.

I would love a link to share!

J-ckp-n-?

Yes, it was me, and it is a true incident; it happened this past Wednesday.

Normally I just pass off things like that and maybe just feel a little pity for twisted little souls. This time, though, I really overreacted. I felt an upsurge of anger that did not just go away, so I decided to write the letter, thinking maybe once I got it all out and really slammed the guy I would be able to dissipate it. My intention was to go back to the convenience store & talk to the clerk to see if he knows the guy. (The same clerk apparently works most weekdays; he has been in the store on most of my visits.) I'm pretty sure I said enough about my feelings at the time so that he would remember the incident and be able to pass the letter on to the teabagger (as I imagine the complainer to be).

I posted the letter here, partly to get reactions & see if I'm just being an asshole.

My anger did not dissipate as I hoped it might after writing the letter. Since I hate to carry anger for a long time, I went into meditation last night to explore what the hell was going on here.

As I processed my emotional turmoil, I realized that it was not this character I was mad at. Actually, I was mad at everything he seemed to represent--the bigoted, selfish jealousy that keeps people voting against the betterment of the world just so they can see someone else be hurt worse than they are, and so on. I needn't elaborate to this audience.

Then I thought about what effect my letter might have on him. If it worked as intended, I would shame him and make him feel bad. That is clearly what I was hoping to do.

OK, there's something wrong here. I do not see my mission in life as one of going around making people feel miserable. Migod, I spent much of my life trying to help people escape the depths of paralyzing shame so they can get on with their lives. My self-image and my values revolve around healing, not destruction.

Then I thought about the Buddhist teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. I am not fundamentally different from the Teabagger. Given similar life circumstances, I might be him. I then went into a "loving kindness" meditation. I don't know that it did any good for him, but it certainly improved MY internal state. Compassion is a much more comfortable emotion than anger. I've been trying to teach things like this, but I'm not above falling on my face when I trip over my principles.

Once I got past my own emotional crap, I realized that there is no good purpose to be served by delivering that letter to its intended recipient. All it would do is to increase the amount of destructive emotions in the world, and my hope is to play some role in increasing compassion, love, and happiness in the world.

The letter will not be delivered; nevertheless, it has served me well, as has this entire incident. I want to thank everyone for their kind comments, and I am grateful for the opportunity this affair has given me to explore a bit more of the depths within me.

Still, it can be worth briefly pointing out that those benefits are not "free." And that the whiner may also avail himself of them by signing up, serving in combat and scoring a disability.

And anyway, ever since I DEROSed, I've been trying to keep people out of that kind of shit. I used to enclose my DD214 with letters I wrote in support of CO's ("As my enclosed separation papers indicate, I disagree with Joe's philosophy, but the many long discussions I have had with him leave me convinced of his sincerity…&quot .

And, starting with Vietnam, we've never had a war I didn't actively oppose.

While you and I would not advocate others going to war, the point can be made that those "freebies" are not free.

This reminds me of when Vietnam vets suddenly became "popular" after Americans witnessed their reactions at the dedication of the Wall. There was an explosion of wannabes trying to pass themselves off as VN vets. My reaction was, who the fuck would wish to go through THAT to be popular?

and think it through further to decide that sending it wouldn't solve anything.

WE grew up working poor, but, had many advantages due to physical appearance and athletic ability. 12 kids - 8 girls, 4 boys.

As expected my sisters married well. Every now and then one of them or their spouses would make disparaging remarks about welfare recipients. These people have millions, but, I would reach in my pocket and hand them $40.00 because that is about the amount that they had paid that year in taxes that actually went to the social welfare programs they seem to resent so much.

Love you, JackRad.

stopped. Thought about it and decided to take the highroad. And it sounds to me like taking the highroad has worked to take some of the anger away.

Thank you for sharing.

eom

It pains me to see Vets being treated like "leeches" to society. If this country gave a damn, all vets would have access to the best doctors, psychologists and physical therapists around. These guys gave their lives and bodies to serve their country; how dare some smartass talk crap about taxes.

Always in varying degrees of pain.

I understand that this probably isn't the point the tax complainer was making, and so the letter was deserved. I also think "user fees" for public commons are something that should not be necessary.

It's just how the county decides to manage their parks. My county does this as well. It pays for the maintenance of the launch facilities.

... especially for the less well off members of the community.

Tax support for public spaces is more equitable.

afford a $25 annual fee to use the boat ramp. Those fees pay for maintenance of the ramp and other facilities connected to it. Fees for specific uses of public areas are common. You also need a fishing license issued by the state. That has a fee attached to it, as well, although many states provide those licenses free to disabled veterans.

I said "parks," not "boat landings." That includes swimming beaches, playgrounds, picnic facilities, etc.

As it happens, a week or 2 ago I was scouting out some of the county parks to see what I had gotten access to with my new pass, and while I was at one of the parks an old, rust-eaten van pulled in & a young woman got out. She saw the sign about the fees, and a dejected look passed across her face. She said, "All I wanted to do was just sit by the water." She got back in her van and left.

because it is the government taking 'their money'. Ever watch an H&R Block commercial, where they shove pallets of money out of cargo planes, talking about how 'It's your money'. When I was growing up in the 50's and 60's it was unheard of for a school levy or bond issue to fail, or for an increase in property tax for a pool or a park to fail. But now, since 'all taxes are bad', people vote down local taxes just as a matter of principle. So, if the parks want to stay open and pay their maintenance men and maintain the out buildings and the like, they have to charge fees at the gate.

Here where I live a (very small) group of folks are fighting a court battle which, if they win, would result in most of the county's public libraries to either close or severely restrict operating hours and acquisitions, simply because 'they' don't use the library and don't think they should have to pay for something they don's use. (Oh, and the library closest to me has been voted the 'best branch library in the state three years running.)

This makes me as sad as your OP.

& clarify for me how this is really OK.

some land should be open to all. When I lived in Cleveland, I went down to the lakefront often just to sit down a while, listen to the surf, and relax. It is getting to the point where some segments of our population are not allowed this simple little luxury. It is maddening.

I just went hiking today up Mt. Si, and it was beautiful. That cannot be something that is only for those with the means to access it. One more way for the poor to be shamed, for them to be told they're not good enough.

My heart breaks for that woman.

Damn.

The problem is that the counties have been hit by severe budget shortfalls due to reduced state & federal support over the last 15 years or so, so they have to make up for the lost revenue somehow. There are few available sources of funding for them, and the ones they have are regressive, such as property taxes and user fees.

The tragic result of this system is that many poor people are denied access to the parks, and I suppose the rich mostly don't need the parks, so the end result is that the overtaxed middle class carries the financial load.

state parks near us is beautiful, accessible and the fee that we pay is for the car - a yearly sticker that allows entrance to the park by that vehicle as often as you want at any time they are open. They do not charge by persons. I think that there are free stickers for vets also. A good program. The schools often take a bus full of children out there in the spring so that all the children have a chance to see it.

Jackpine,
I am a native cheesehead who escaped Wisconsin a while back. I now live in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, if you are a 100% disabled vet, you get a lot of benefits. Among them are no property taxes on your house(only one, and you must live in it), no excise fee when you purchase a car(one car every three years), free hunting and fishing license, and no sales tax. Oklahoma is indeed doing a fine job of helping the disabled vet. Almost everyone in this state supports these tax breaks. In fact, most of the people go out of their way to treat veterans well. These breaks are not large, but do add up over the year. My disability stretches much further here than it did in Wisconsin. Once in a while when I use my sales tax card I will hear someone saying that they wish that they could have one like that. This happens seldom, but it will happen every couple of months. At first I said nothing, but now I answer almost every time. I turn towards the person who said that and offer to take them, at my own expense, down to the local recruiter, and personally help them enlist for a military job that would guarantee them tours in combat zones. I then point out that disabled vets also qualify for free wheelchairs and free crutches. This is in addition to VA health care, and free military funerals. After explaining all the benefits that they too could earn, I have yet to have one take me up on my offer. The other people in line seem to enjoy watching the person squirm. Come to think of it, I haven't had a chance to make my offer to anyone in a few months. When some one mentions how nice it would be to have a tax card like that, I am ready.
Feel free to use this method whenever you feel it would be appropriate. It works well here, and will probably train a few people in Wisconsin also.

My fishing license cost me $3, in addition to the county park pass I have a free day pass to state parks, and there is a property tax break.

Sacramento publishes a thick handbook of benefits for veterans. Though I think the only state benefit I've used is getting a Purple Heart license plate for the regular plate fee, with no extra affinity plate charge.

I'm suddenly flashing back to a news story from the early '70s: CA offered a payment of $1200 to any VN vet who had been drafted from the state. At the time, I couldn't deal with any reminders of the war so I put it out of mind and never applied. You know how that goes.

At the local level, on our transit system ALL veterans ride the bus for free.

I left Wisconsin in 98. At that time there were few veterans perks. I did qualify for a permit to hunt from a car. Everyone who was disabled got that. It was not just for vets. I had to apply for that every year. (I think that they were worried that my leg would regenerate.) I also had a permit to hunt with a crossbow. I never used it, but did get one. There was also a program for purchasing a home at lower interest. When I checked, the interest was higher than the local bank so I never used that program. I just looked up the property tax that Wisconsin allows disabled vets. It gives an income tax credit to offset your property taxes. This is a fine idea, except, my disability compensation is tax free already. Do they allow one to file and receive a rebate on taxes that were not paid? I had also heard that Wisconsin is giving tuition assistance for the UW system to vets. This is a good idea also. For anyone reading this who is a vet, check out the Mil.com state benefit page.
http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-state-benefits
Most states have some help for vets, and you paid for them with your time in uniform.

As I read the other posts in this thread, I noticed that you too have not supported any "war" that we have been involved in since Viet Nam. I was 18, and believed what our "leaders" told us about the threat of communism. I not only volunteered ( I was RA), I volunteered for Viet Nam. I do not regret my decisions. I do regret that we were fed such a line of BS from people who were supposed to be representing our best interests. We haven't had a reason to invade another country since Korea, and our government has wasted the lives of our soldiers, and spent our children's wealth on wars that benefited only a few people. Perhaps some day there will be a reckoning.

I was so gung-ho that I volunteered for the draft, for Infantry, for Infantry OCS, and for Vietnam--where I served with my little brother, whom I got into the Army.

It was only later that guys like us began to feel we'd been lied to, abused and exploited by our government and our leaders.

We just had another big anniversary of the fall of Saigon. I don't know about you, but for me that's a big PTSD trigger. That was when we knew it was all a waste and the loss of those we knew and loved and lost was all the more tragic.

But as we say, "It don't mean nothin'. Welcome home, brother.

That does top me. I was an engineer, and never considered OCS. Being Infantry would not have bothered me. My dad has a CIB from WWII, and I would have probably been good at it.
While in the service I was starting to think that what we had been told was not entirely the truth. Not even close. There were many draftees who didn't want to be there, but also didn't want to be in jail. They were not bashful about telling the whole world everything that was wrong with our presence in Viet Nam.Some of what they said was pretty lame, but some of it was making sense. And I started to do my own studying on the matter. Remember, this was before the internet. Slowly, one little fact at a time, I came to the realization that the powers that be were lying to us. They had their own reasons for the war, and those reasons had little to do with us little guys. The only part that we were to play was cannon fodder.
I left a leg over there, and more importantly, my blind faith that we could trust those we called leaders. After I got home I went thru the usual "adjustment" that most of us did. My adjustment period involved more alcohol than drugs. It seems as if self-medication was part of returning home. The term PTSD was not in common usage at that time. My belief is that we all had it, just that some had it bad, and some not so bad. We all handled it in our own ways. Some successfully, and some not.
One thing that it did do to me, is it forced me to think for myself. When I see a chicken hawk advocating the use of US military force to change the world, I question it. The scales have fallen from my eyes, and I always ask who will benefit from American blood being shed. The answer is seldom obvious, but it can usually be figured out.
If one positive thing came out of our presence in Viet Nam, it is that it forced many of us to actually pay attention to what is happening, and get political to try to make a change.

Had an asshat grumble that my purple durple plated car was parked in a disabled space didn't rate any special treatment. To totally pisz him off I told him, and when I die I get a free burial at Arlington with the Presidents and Generals, where is your sad carcass going to get planted ?.
.
on edit: and the most moronic statement I ever had leveled at me was 'so you WON a medal' commenting on the Purple Heart plate. The moron actually thinks GIs Win a Purple Heart like a trophy instead of earning it. Sad.

Like it was free.

Not everything costs money, and there are some things money can't buy. In this case, that applies to both of you in that conversation, just in vastly different ways.

K&R for our veterans

You should seriously consider modifying to submit to your local papers as an editorial or letter to the editor. This information needs to be put into the public sphere. Most people just never hear what military service really means and why we need public services.

Your post about the person not being able to afford to go to a park was very distressing and deserves its own thread(and letter to the editor).

Thank you. Take care.

I'll make some good positive use of this material one way or another. I think I might use the whole thing as a teaching story. I'm intending to do some minor-league presentations intended to help people access their positive emotions--awe, compassion, happiness, etc.

you are, imo, a much better person than that guy anyways.

Asshole. Beyond asshole. Probably on the "love our military" bandwagon, until it comes to a point where it actually costs *something*, and a veteran is getting that "for free."

I can't tell you the contempt I have for people like that.

yes INDEED

You know--one of those "special interventions" of yours.

inevitably they are pro-war chickenhawks too

Beautiful! Just beautiful

I sort of wish he hadn't given the jerk the money. I hope it wasn't a hardship for him

You're just an awesome person!

Of you have never heard this, I suggest you watch. I believe you will love Ms. Tammy Duckworth taking this asswipe down. He was trying to gain a government contract (or already had - can't remember for sure) by claiming to be a disabled Veteran, being injured while playing football for some military game. In the States. Was never deployed anywhere.

It's a beautiful take down. Here I give you, the next Senator from Illinois, Ms Tammy Duckworth:

Bazinga!

Absolutely love her! And yeah, great zinger!

And we embrace Tammy as our Sister in arms. We may have our own Hearts and our deficits, but it's hard to match her sacrifice.

As angry as I am at our government for some of the treatment of our Veterans

The guy was drunk, but I still gave him an earful.

My beard covers scars on the bottom of my jaw. I would wear a beard anyway, but this is one additional benefit. Most people do not even know that I have scarring there.

to be getting veterans benefits I have a standard reply. "Who stopped you from going to Vietnam?"

"What're they gonna do--send me back to Vietnam?" You know what I mean, brother. :L)

Limbaugh listener. Ignorant fuck.