What happened to all that talk about supporting the troops?

In every war, those who support military action always throw the same argument into the faces of the pacifists. "Support our troops." If we disagree with the war, that will hurt troop morale and endanger the lives of soldiers now fighting.

There are two interesting aspects of the "support our troops" faction. One is that many of them, including all the major decision makers in the White House, failed to fight when their time came. They found excuses or joined local national guard troops, doing whatever they could to prevent being sent overseas.

The other interesting thing about these people is that they don't seem to care about the troops very much after the war. This is why veterans' hospitals are notoriously substandard. And now things are about to get worse.

The Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission is in the process of enacting a plan to reduce the benefits of disabled veterans. This will place many below the poverty level.

Think about it. Someone went to fight in a war and suffered a physical disability. Is he treated like a hero? Or is he considered to be a burden upon society?

Under the current administration, the government has poured billions of dollars into the Iraq war--much of that money did not help either the soldiers or the Iraqi people, but lined the pockets of corporate executives who failed to follow through on their contracts. More now is proposed for a wall along the southern US border. Shades of Berlin. Congress recently extended the tax cuts for the wealthy. The trickle-down theory hasn't worked for twenty-five years, but we keep pouring money into it. And there is always money for a congressperson's pet project. Bridges leading to nowhere. Useless museums.

But education is suffering. Homelessness is increasing. And now the veterans will also be thrown out into the cold.

What kind of a nation fails to serve the people who have served?