Is Anyone Checking The Facts?

Donald Trump throws a grand old party:

No one ever really doubted that Donald Trump could pull off a major counter-programing feat -- even when competing with a GOP debate that was expected to draw millions of viewers.

He did it Thursday night, dazzling a crowd of hundreds of enthusiastic supporters by announcing that he had raised more than $6 million for veterans in one day -- $1 million of it from his own checkbook. "We love our vets," he said.

Isn't this bribery and playing on people's emotions on a grand scale?

The GOP is the reason we have so many disabled vets in the first place.

Whatever happened to "Throwing money at a problem is not a solution", which is one of the typical criticisms of liberals by conservatives. (I do realize that conservatives want charities and churches to be the ones "throwing the money".)

Don't get me wrong, six million to help veterans is a good thing. I just don't trust Trump.

Police Go After Iraq Vets And Other Protesters

“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” George Washington

What happens when you go overseas and serve your country to protect our freedoms, only to come home and find those freedoms evaporating away?

From Protesters face police raids at the Republican Convention:

In developments which have been largely ignored in the US media, police have staged preemptive armed raids targeting protesters and alternative media around the Republican National Convention - including thousands of people demonstrating about war world poverty throughout the week.

Up to ten thousand marchers, many veterans of Iraq and past wars, joined peaceful protests on Monday. Their cause has gone largely unreported, however.

“We joined up with an altruistic vision of promoting freedom and justice around the world,” said Vince Emanuel, a Marine lance corporal who did a tour of duty in Iraq from August 2004 to April 2005, explaining why he was joining the protest.

He added: "What we saw was the killing of innocent people and the destruction of property ... for a lot of us it was very disenfranchising."

The veterans group tried to hand a message to the campaign of Republican White House candidate John McCain calling for a withdrawal from Iraq, reparations for the Iraqi people, and full medical benefits for veterans. No one from Mr McCain’s campaign would received them, Mr Emanuel said.

Read more here.

Michelle at Vital Source has more here.

Also, I’ve noticed several comments on several sites where the writer complains that the “Liberal Media” and the “Liberal Blogs” didn’t cover the demonstrations at the Democratic Convention. (The point being that liberals don't want to acknowledge criticism.) First, I don’t think this is true. Some did write about it. And second, the more important point is that both Conventions had demonstrators. Many Americans are not satisfied with either party. After the 2006 elections, we are still in Iraq and Afghanistan! Can we really trust the Democrats as the party of change?

The Peace Contingent Belongs

From Memorial Day antiwar protests by Eric Ruder:

"What makes this Memorial Day different from the previous ones is that we finally have the official statistics showing that the number of suicides among veterans is astonishing--now at 1,000 attempts a month," said Ray in an interview.

"And the number of successful suicides among Iraq and Afghan veterans is equaling the number of deaths in combat. We are not talking about the elephant standing in the middle of the room. What we are dealing with is the feelings of a person after they've realized they've taken the life of another human being and they've lost the life of their best buddy in a war that never should have been fought."

In past years, support took the form of clapping and thumbs up, but this year there was chanting and joining the contingent. This has also established a precedent that the peace contingent belongs in the Memorial Day parade and that unbridled displays of militarism are not representative of how a majority of Americans feel about the war and supporting the troops.

Read the rest here.

The Best Way To Honor Our Veterans

From Bill Moyers Journal:

Bush And The Bikers

From Motorcycle group presses Bush on veterans benefits by Christine Simmons:

Members of the Rolling Thunder motorcycling group roared into town for a White House visit Sunday, where they presented President Bush with his own cowhide vest jacket and pushed for increased veterans benefits.

"Mr. President, we'd like to make you an honorary member of Rolling Thunder," said Artie Muller, the group's executive director, to a delighted Bush, who shed his suit jacket to don the vest and pose for pictures.

"You've done a lot for the country, and the troops appreciate you, and the veterans appreciate you, and your president appreciates you," Bush told the group.

For 21 years now, Rolling Thunder has led a "Ride for Freedom" along the National Mall during Memorial Day weekend, a full-throttle demonstration in support of soldiers held captive or missing in action. On Sunday, riders began at the Pentagon, rode across the Memorial Bridge and gathered at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Read the rest here.

Giving Up Golf Is Not A Sacrifice

From Bush's golf claims 'a slap in face':

Veterans have said President George Bush's claim that he gave up golf to show solidarity with US soldiers serving in Iraq was a disgraceful "insult to all Americans".

Brandon Friedman, a veteran US infantry officer who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, said Mr Bush's claim that he sacrificed golf for the war was a "slap in the face" for US troops.

The president said he gave up the sport in 2003 out of respect for US soldiers killed in the war, which has now lasted more than five years.

Mr Friedman, who is vice chairman of the US veterans' organization VoteVets, told the Press Association: "Thousands of Americans have given up a lot more than golf for this war.

"For President Bush to imply that he somehow stands in solidarity with families of American soldiers by giving up golf is disgraceful. It's an insult to all Americans and a slap in the face to our troops' families."