[$tinkle]

friday afternoon dump:

Shinseki Resigns as Veterans Affairs Chief Amid Furor Over Hospitals

White House Press Secretary [Carney] Resigns

don't have too much of a rager over shinseki, but carney was almost as bad as scott mcclellan

 

[jackalope]

Can't argue with either dismissal (umm, "resignation"), but I will say White House media czars usually have a surprisingly short stay in the post, even under 2 term presidents. Seems like most of these guys are gone after 2 or 3 years max.

 

[StiHacka]

Seems like most of these guys are gone after 2 or 3 years max.

When you polish turds for a living, you will be eventually punished for producing crap.

 

[jackalope]

No doubt, although I'm not sure how anyone could sell some of the offal coming out the oval orifice over the last 70 or so years. I'm not sympathetic or anything, as my guess is these guys know its a short term gig and plan on parlaying into being a "TV personality" on one of the myriad politico talk shows. Either that or writing self-aggrandizing "insider" books.

 

[StiHacka]

That, plus everyone knows he is better than those before him and his fate will be different.

 

[JohnE]

Shinseki deserved a better fate. He inherited a sh!t sandwich and was inevitably going to have to take a big festering stinky bite...

 

[stevew]

when your best answer is "the president just heard about this today" you end up shoveling sh!t by the ton.

it would be nice if at least one press secretary would throw a president under the bus.....there would be parades in his honor.

 

[Jm_]

I remember when General Shinseki was Chief of Staff of the Army when I was serving.

I also remember when I used my veteran's benefits, all under Bush, and how it was literally a fight EVERY Fall when it came time to get money for school as part of the GI Bill and College Fund. EVERY time I'd have to have my congressman go and kick some veteran's dept a$$ because those MoFos would sit on your stuff, claim they hadn't received anything, claimed too much backlog, threw up roadblocks, etc.

The sad thing is that some of those programs work simply because many people do not utilize their benefits and they expire, or they become discouraged and do not utilize them. If EVERYONE who was eligible did, the system would collapse quick IMO, as it makes no financial sense that you can pay in $800 and get as much as $200,000 back in benefits (65K for myself under the really crappy older programs before 9/11). The way this *should* run IMO is that you can go to any PUBLIC school for free when you get out, but it wouldn't apply to private schools. That seems like a fair solution to me.

The **** with the VA is the way it's always been, playing world police isn't helping.

 

[JohnE]

I had a fun shoot 'em up session with a sword rattling, never served anyone but himself and is now too old to enlist idiot on the FB today. He is bound and determined that we should go after Iran. I asked him who would finance same? Maybe India? What does Bernie Saunders say? If you cant afford to and wont take care of Veterans you cant afford to go to war in the first fvcking place.

As an NCO, part of my job is retention. I cannot, and do not, try to convince anyone to stay in anymore. If someone is on the fence I will offer counseling regarding benefits, retirement and the like. If someone is squared away and wants to stay, I am more then happy to help. BUT...those who say "I am done and getting gone while the getting is good..." I will not any longer try to talk them into staying. I would have jumped a long while back had things in my personal life been a bit more stable.

In the same vein, I will not direct any of my children in any way, shape or form towards any part of the military/industrial complex. An awakening on my part has convinced me that at its heart it is nothing but wrong spirited and misdirected. I initially came in because I hated bullies, and fancied myself defending those who could not defend themselves. (And I needed a job, but that is another story for another day...)
But not unlike Smedley Butler before me, I have had the veil lifted from my eyes and I see the military for what it is, a tool of Big Industry and Big Oil.

I have gone too far to turn back now, and remain devoted to my craft and those who work with and for me, but I will not regret the day I take off the uniform for the last time. The guy who realized that we fight for the guy (Or girl) on our right or left, and decided to take advantage of the altruistic nature of the soldier and channel it into making money for his company was a genius.

 

[jimmydean]

JohnE, the military will suck more without you in it, but I feel your pain. When I transferred from the Navy to the Army NG, it was a rude awakening both from a service standpoint and it was also an interesting time considering the administration in place (2003). Since I was right at 10 years, it made sense to bail before I went too far.

I could have done 20 in the Navy, but I was lucky to survive 3 in the Army. I go out before they tried to get me to go to Iraq. Seeing how this is the 10th anniversary of the start of Iraq, it's much worse than I ever thought it would be the second they chose to go in there.