Why Not The President?

[Fosk]

Just for that extra boost to get it out of ratings I wrote to the White House, I tried a congressional inquire but its still taking forever even with a hardship. Hey I have nothing to lose and all to gain.

[carlie]

bronco,

You posted "with millions more of homeless Veterans"

That means more that a million.

carlie

[Testvet]

edit: your way more excited than I am. maybe i'll send ya a pm.

The last time veterans marched on Washington was the WW1 veterans who were promised a bonus payable years later during the depression they wanted the govt to pay it sooner so they moved to the mall and Dc and protested I think MacArthur was the Chief of Staff and Eisnehower was a Major and he was in command of the tanks they sent in to tear down the shanty town and run the marchers out of Washington DC and end the "march"

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm203.html

[Fosk]

Maybe a 10 million vet march on a holiday.... Veterans day, Memorial day or the 4th of July. In this day and age the national media would be all ears if the generals sent tanks,as well as an angered population. I would like to meet all of you there, instead of us grumbelly'ing that it wouldn't work.... even if I had to stand alone, but, I'd rather be with my brothers and sisters. Just a thought for now!

Jmho

Fosk

[broncovet]

Carlie...

Very well, as you wish. Please amend my statement from "millions of homeless Veterans" to read "millions of homeless Veterans/their family members" so that I am not "inflating" the numbers. Sadly, the children/spouses and other family members often suffer even more than the homeless Vet.

Edited November 6, 2009 by broncovet

[john999]

Fosk

It would take months of planning to get a 10 million vet march on Washington. Word has to be passed all around the vet community. All the vet actions in the past have failed because vets are all over the place politically. All the Vet Organizations would have to promote it unless it was an underground mass movement like Woodstock or something. Vets are taken out on Veteran's day and put back in the attic the day after even with a war going on 8 years. Vets getting discharged now will have no jobs so maybe there is enough discontent to get something going. If majority of vets really wanted radical change in the way they are treated I think it could happen. In general vets are not radicals or activists. The radicals and acitvists are the people who used to have money and status in our society but have lost it or are in fear of losing it. Poor and downtrodden people don't start revolutions.

[timetowinarace]

I agree with John. Veterans will not march.

They will continue to write letters, pay their VSO, take individual stories to the media. I personally believe that these actions have done little for change. If anything major had changed I would not need to be at Hadit helping each individual veteran.

I believe a march would bring change. Change on the day of the march? Of course not. But real change. Change that would help all veterans, not trying to help each individual but all.

I cannot plan such an event. My brain is broken. But I know it can be done, has been done. And I will go.

So, I will continue to suggest it though I know it will not happen.

Inflated and inflamatory numbers do nothing to help. It actually hurts. Over-exagerating the problem does not bring attention to the problem but turns people off. The VA's underestimated numbers and/or lack of accountability is bad enough. People will and do pay attention to the hard facts. Shreddergate is old news. Bringing it up everyday, at every post, makes people ignore it. When it is ignored, it is of no use to us.