Retired GEN John Allen spoke at the Democratic National Convention last week. He has since explained that he felt he had to speak up because Donald Trump advocates that the military violate the recognized rules of war. See ABC news report. Yes, there are what we call “rules of war.” One of those rules
Trump Says He has Sacrificed for His Country
Words cannot express how offensive I find Donald Trump’s remarks. He was speaking about Khizr Khan, the father of Capt. Khan. Twenty-seven year old Capt. Khan was killed in Iraq in 2004 while serving in the U.S. Army. The father, Khizr Khan gave an emotional speech about his son at the Democratic National Convention. During
Trump Troubled About Iraq and Afghanistan Money
I find iDonald Trump’s comments about has said about us in Iraq. He has apparently said at least twice that U.S. soldiers were stealing money while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. He even mentioned the soldiers who did indeed travel around the country carrying cash. “How stupid are we,” he joked? See Politico report.
Trump Seeks To Muzzle Military Leaders
One of the frightening things about Donald Trump is his tendency to shoot from the hip. He makes decisions, important policy decisions based on unfounded assumptions. One policy matter with which I am familiar is the military. Some months ago, he said a couple of times that he would insist that the military engage in
Iraqi Man Booted for Speaking Arabic
I am not surprised really. A young Iraqi man was booted from a Southwest Airlines flight after he spoke Arabic on his cell phone. He was talking to his uncle and describing an event earlier that week at which the head of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, had appeared. In closing the phone call with
Bergdahl Tried to Join French Foreign Legion
So, documents have been released about Bowe Begddahl. Those documents shed light on the troubled young man. He tried to join the French Foreign Legion. He grew up in a regimented home. He was home schooled. He had limited contact with girls until he was 16 or 17. His father, not a veteran, but still
Veterans are Asked to Sacrifice Gluten Free MRE’s
I don’t get it, sometimes. People want to play “social engineering” with the veteran community. Yesterday, Sen. Ted Cruz announced his defense policy. One of his policy planks is to deny the military gluten-free meals. Gluten-free MRE’s are “politically correct,” the candidate urged. See Time News report.
The same day, National Public Radio has
Excluding All Moslems will not Protect Us
In times of war or fear, we turn to our baser instincts. Unfortunately, lately that means many Americans blame all Moslems for the acts of a few. As I have mentioned here before, my experience is different than many Americans. I had the privilege of serving in Iraq with some wonderful persons who happened to
Agriculture Department Wants to Nuke All Moslems
Sid Miller, Texas’ new head of the Department of Agriculture, is kind of amusing. At the beginning of his term, he announced with apparent relish that cupcakes were now allowed back onto school menus. He made his announcement while biting into a very tasty looking chocolate cupcake. A few months later, he announced the fryer
Texas Legislature Pulls Back from Reducing Veteran Benefits
Well, the Texas Legislature pulled back from the edge of the precipice. The state legislature came very close to reducing Hazlewood Act benefits for Texas veterans and their children. I previously wrote about that effort to reduce benefits here and here. The Hazlewood Act allows veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to attend