Veterans

Trump and the GOP Show Their Fear of Veterans By Suing to Make it Harder for Them to Vote

Posted by on July 18, 2024 at 1:40 pm. 3 Comments :

The Republican Party has never been particularly interested in democracy. For decades they have endeavored to suppress voting and place obstacles in front of citizens (primarily Blacks and other minorities, and Democrats in general) who wish to exercise their rights. It was so bad that, until a recent Supreme Court ruling, states with a history of racial discrimination were subject to a “preclearance” requirement in the Voting Rights Act mandating federal approval before changing election policy.

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Donald Trump WTF

The core tactics employed by Republican campaigns have been to obstruct voting by imposing pointless voter ID laws, prohibiting opportunities to vote via early access and mail-in ballots, and challenging election outcomes. All of which were designed shrink the electorate to just the privileged few who Republicans approve of. They justify it by making wholly unsupported allegations of rampant voter fraud for which they have never been able to produce a shred of evidence. Well, except for GOP fraud…

SEE THIS: WARNING: Lara Trump Swears to Track Down and Prosecute Election Cheaters – Like Donald Trump?

This week the Donald Trump campaign, along with the Republican National committee (RNC) that is headed up by his daughter-in-lawlessness, Lara Trump, filed a lawsuit to prohibit voter registration of fully eligible citizens, and specifically veterans. As reported by Talking Points Memo…

“The Republican National Committee and Donald Trump’s campaign have filed a lawsuit in federal court against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over their efforts to make voter registration more accessible. […] More specifically, the legal challenge takes issue with a directive Whitmer issued last year, which, under the National Voter Registration Act, designated local Small Business Administration (SBA) offices as well as the Department of Veteran Affairs offices as voter registration sites.”

What better way for Trump to demonstrate his support for veterans – the folks he regards as “suckers and losers” – than to make it more difficult for them to register and vote? And not only veterans, but small business owners as well. Trump surely doesn’t want hordes of “mom and pop” shop owners getting in the way of the wealthy corporations that fund his campaign and pay his legal bills.

More to the point, this is the MAGA GOP’s effort to keep those they consider “undesirable” from voting. They have also opposed voter registration at the DMV, or at colleges, or at public assistance offices, or anywhere else that ordinary Americans might have cause to go. However, they have never objected to voter registration drives and luxury hotels or country club golf resorts.

The lawsuit is also an attempt by “Trump and his allies [to] set themselves up to cry voter fraud in any state the former president might lose in the fall.” He has already begun his incantations of voter fraud in expectation of his defeat. He and his cult devotees are insisting that the only way he can lose is if Democrats cheat. In other words, Trump and his MAGA disciples have no intention of respecting the election results unless he is the winner. Which means that they might attempt another January 6th style coup to prevent President Biden’s reelection from being certified.

America’s veterans and active military must recognize that Trump is is not on their side. At best he is using them for his own benefit. Which is true about every other voter group in the country. Trump has never cared about anyone but himself. And his actions, such as this lawsuit, continue to confirm that.

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Trump Makes Memorial Day All About Himself, Attacking the Judges in His Cases as ‘Human Scum’

Posted by on May 27, 2024 at 1:22 pm. 5 Comments :

For as long as Donald Trump has been a public figure, he has been known as a compulsive self-promoter. There is virtually no subject that he won’t hijack as an opportunity to shamelessly exalt himself or viciously malign his foes. This is especially notable on holidays when most of the American people are united in paying tribute to people or events that have contributed to them or their country. That includes everything from Independence Day to Mother’s Day.

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Donald Trump, Saving Cadet Bone Spurs

One of the most revered days of remembrance is Memorial Day. It’s a day when Americans honor those who gave everything for the preservation of the gifts of freedom and democracy that are sometimes taken for granted. But true to form, Trump can be relied on to tarnish these tributes in favor of exploiting the occasion to denigrate others. It’s particularly loathsome considering his long held disrespect for the military and those who serve.

SEE THIS: UH-OH: Fox News Confirms that Trump Called Fallen Soldiers Losers and Suckers

On this Memorial Day, Trump behaved exactly as one might expect. He diminished the service of patriots in order to launch attacks on his perceived personal enemies. In a comment posted to his floundering social media scam, Truth Social, Trump hammered out a long, tormented rant that is typical of a malignant narcissist who is obsessed only with his own problems.

It’s predictable that Trump would begin his rancid tirade by wishing the cult followers who patronize his posts a “Happy Memorial Day,” when the day is not an occasion for happiness, but is a day of solemn remembrance for the losses suffered by the sacrifices of patriots. He then continues to extend his wretched wishes to “the Human Scum that is working so hard to destroy our Once Great Country.” Such inspirational holiday thoughts from someone who wants to represent the “Scum” …er… people of the nation.

However, the rest of Trump’s rant doesn’t mention a single person who is supposedly destroying the country, a country that he doesn’t regard as great. It is just an extended tantrum aimed solely at the judges presiding over some of his civil and criminal cases. Those judges, who serve the cause of law and order, are who he believes are the destroyers of America. He assaults them as…

  • The “Trump Hating Federal Judge in New York [Lewis Kaplan] that…awarded a woman [E. Jean Carroll]…91 MILLION DOLLARS.”
  • “Arthur Engoron, the N.Y. State Wacko Judge who fined me almost 500 Million Dollars.”
  • And “Now for [Judge Juan] Merchan!”

That’s Trump’s Memorial Day message. It is wholly devoted to his own personal legal tribulations. He doesn’t mention fallen American soldiers once. And while that is reprehensible, it isn’t surprising.

After all, it was Trump who insulted the late Sen. John McCain for having been captured and enduring a Vietnamese POW camp for seven years; who ripped off his phony veterans charity to enrich himself; and who dodged the draft by getting five fake deferments for alleged bone spurs, while whining that his vulnerability to sexually transmitted diseases was his own personal Vietnam.

For some context, the Daily Show helpfully put together some examples of how Trump really feels about the troops and this holiday…

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Fox News Runs Fake Story About Veterans Being Kicked Out of Hotels to Make Room for Migrants

Posted by on May 19, 2023 at 1:16 pm. 4 Comments :

The discovery that Fox News aired a story that was wholly untrue and manufactured by dishonest partisans isn’t exactly a revelation. In fact, it is what they are best known for. Virtually every day there is a story on Fox News that contains only the scantest bits of reality, if even that.

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Fox News, Fake News

Sometimes, though, even the audacity of Fox’s routine dishonesty exceeds bounds that make it necessary to give it some extra attention. At these times Fox demonstrates that their aversion to the truth is so deliberate and despicable that it can’t be swept into their standard trash heap of untruths.

RELATED: With Lawsuits, Lost Hosts, and Lying Pundits, the Future of Fox News Has Never Been Weaker

Earlier this week the New York Post published a disturbing story about homeless veterans upstate who were allegedly kicked out of their hotel rooms to make way for migrants being bused in from Manhattan. Fox News picked up the story from the New York Post (both are owned by Rupert Murdoch), that was sourced to a local veterans advocate who claimed to have interviewed the displaced veterans. However, as reported by Mediaite…

“…the hotels that veterans were supposedly booted from told Mid-Hudson News they had no idea what the advocate, YIT Foundation Executive Director Sharon Finch, was talking about.”

Subsequent to the Mid-Hudson News disclosures a Republican state assemblyman confirmed that the story was false and got the source to admit that she made it up. It was further reported that several homeless men were offered cash, food, and alcohol to go along with the deception.

In the meantime, the fictional story was spread by the likes of Donald Trump Jr. (who remarked “F**k Democrats”) and Kevin McCarthy (who called it “shameful”). Several Fox News programs amplified the fake news and, bizarrely, blamed it President Biden who, even if it were true, wouldn’t have had anything to do with the local affair.

The New York Post has since updated their story, conceding that the advocate had lied. But no such correction, retraction, or apology has been provided by Fox News.

Which is all the more galling since Fox News has been whining about the journalism awards that other news media have received for their accurate reporting on Donald Trump’s unsavory associations with Russia. This week Fox and Friends complained that the New York Times and the Washington Post have been honored for those stories that Fox says are lies.

The Fox Friends are just highlighting the fact that they and their network have never received such awards. That’s probably because they keep putting out garbage like this veterans/migrants falsehood. Their complaint about the awards was triggered by the recently released Durham Nothingburger Report. Never mind that Durham failed to find any criminal wrongdoing after four years of digging.

SEE THIS: Trump (and Fox News) FREAK OUT After Durham Report Turns Out to Be Another GOP Nothingburger

With Fox News continuing to air blatantly fabricated fictions – and refusing to retract them after finding out that they are false – they might want to refrain from complaining about other news outlets who get awards for doing truthful, principled journalism. But don’t hold your breath. They are modeling themselves after their Dear Leader Trump who who has also been yammering about those awards, demanding that they be revoked, and even suing the Pulitzer Board.

SEE THIS: Trump Sues the Pulitzer Prize Board for Honoring Accurate Stories of His Russian Collusion

UPDATE: Laura Ingraham finally acknowledged that the story was false saying, “Alright, before we go, a little update on a story we brought you this week about homeless vets being displaced from hotels so that illegals could move in. Turns out the group behind the claim made it up. We have no clue as to why anyone would do such a thing, but we’ll bring you any updates should they come.”

Of course Ingraham, who doesn’t bother to apologize, knows exactly “why anyone would do such a thing.” So that people like Don Jr., and McCarthy could get their lying talking points in and smear migrants, Biden, and progressive causes.

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As Usual, Trump’s Veteran’s Day Message is an Anti-America Rant that is All About Himself

Posted by on November 11, 2021 at 10:57 am. 3 Comments :

Donald Trump (aka Cadet Bone Spurs) has a long history of disparaging America’s Armed Forces and the people who serve in them. It goes back to his own record as a five-time draft dodger during the Vietnam War. And it was revealed during his presidential campaign in 2015 with his insulting denial that John McCain, and every POW, were not war heroes, because Trump “likes people who weren’t captured.”

Donald Trump, Saving Cadet Bone Spurs

On this Veteran’s Day Trump posted a video (via his Twitter ban defying spokes-shill) that reaffirms his callous disregard for the people who serve in the U.S. military. In a brief recorded statement the malignant narcissist couldn’t help but turn his message into an anti-America rant with allusions to his deranged belief that he is going to be restored to power (video below):

“On this Veteran’s Day I’d like to pay tribute to all of the incredible people – and you are indeed incredible people – who served so well and so strong and so powerfully in the United States Armed Forces. We love you, our nation respects you, the world respects you, and we will come back. Our country has gone through a lot. The last period of time has been very, very tough, watching what you had to watch. But our country will be back and will be back stronger than ever. Happy Veterans Day.”

So Trump couldn’t just praise veterans on this day set aside to celebrate their service and their sacrifice. He had to add his self-serving criticisms of the current state of the military and his not-so-thinly-veiled references to “coming back” like the wingnut messiah he believes himself to be. Trump can never let anything or anyone steal attention from his assholiness.

For the record, Trump has spent much of his time in political life bashing the military. Just last month he declared that “Everything is falling apart, our military is in shambles [and that] The USA “is very sadly going to hell!” And after a tragic accidental killing of Afghan civilians, Trump blamed “our incompetent Generals,” who were the same generals in charge during his term.

Trump also insinuated that soldiers suffering from PTSD were weak and “couldn’t handle” the hardships of war. And he famously ripped them off with a phony telethon staged as a flimsy excuse to chicken out of a presidential debate.

Perhaps worst of all was his attempt to get out of a visit to the Aisne-Marne cemetery in France where Americans soldiers were laid to rest. “Why should I go to that cemetery?” Trump whined. “It’s filled with losers.” He later added that the 1,800 plus marines who died at Belleau Wood were “suckers” for getting killed. “What’s in it for them?” he asked. “They don’t make any money.”

All of this displays the character – or lack thereof – of Donald Trump. And it establishes his disdain for veterans and service members. The video he posted was utterly disingenuous and exploitative. Like everything else he does, it was intended only to advance his own egomaniacal interests. That’s unfortunate for the veterans he is maligning. They deserve so much more on this Veteran’s Day.

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How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Donald Trump’s Blatantly Racist Spin About a Poll of Veterans Cites Only the White Veterans

Posted by on December 30, 2018 at 11:23 am. 2 Comments :

At this point in the Era of Trump, it isn’t exactly breaking news when Donald Trump tells another lie. It’s really just the natural state of his psychosis to casually pervert the truth in all things great and small. He does it daily on his Twitter feed as well as his hostile encounters with the press. And in most cases the obvious falsehoods are easily spotted and debunked.

Donald Trump, Military Parade

However, every now and then Trump engages in a fit of dishonesty that is so outrageous it’s hard to fathom what’s going through his diseased mind – or if anything is going through it at all. And one of those fits occurred during his regularly scheduled Sunday morning tweetstorm. While languishing forlornly in the White House this holiday season, Trump found some rare solace in an Associated Press poll. So he blurted out on his Twitter machine that:

It’s generally understood that the military is more conservative than the population at large. Although some high profile leaders have been notably disgusted by Trump, including his ex-chief of staff Gen. John Kelly, who called Trump an idiot, and his ex-defense secretary Gen. James Mattis, whose letter of resignation made it clear that Trump is reckless and ignorant. Trump appointed both of these senior officers with glowing accolades, but eventually fired with them unseemly disrespect for their service.

But the problem with Trump’s citation of this poll is that he’s read it horribly wrong. The sixty-two percent figure that Trump cited is just related to border security, not his approval by veterans in this poll. That number is fifty-six percent. The number Trump quoted is, more interestingly, also his job approval by just white veterans. That’s a disturbing coincidence for someone who is so often associated with racists and racism. In all likelihood, this was deliberate on Trump’s part to imply that a larger level of support than he really has. After all, the opinions of his white followers are the only ones that mean anything to him. For the record, the poll shows that only twenty-two percent of African-Americans in the military approve of Trump. And of course, Trump got and twisted this info from his favorite Fox News program, Fox and Friends.

It’s also noteworthy that this poll questioned 115,000 people, of which only 4,000 were veterans. So the numbers reflecting that segment are tiny compared with the overall pool of respondents. And on that matter, Trump didn’t bother to mention the other results in this poll. For instance, overall, 56 percent of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president. And women, the fastest growing demographic group in the military, disapprove of Trump by fifty-eight percent. Only forty-eight percent of vets say that Trump “has the right temperament to serve as president.” Fifty-eight percent of all respondents say he has “tried to impede the Russia investigation.”

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

So as usual, Trump has flagrantly misrepresented reality in order to prop himself up. He has to distort the truth because otherwise there is little he can say that isn’t dreadfully negative about him. But this episode is worse than usual because Trump takes a number that is obviously a specific segment of the veterans community and he tries to pass it off as broader, across the board support. That’s the behavior of a sick and desperate loser who has nothing left but a fantasy world wherein he is universally adored.

Here’s Another Fox News Sleazeball: Is Sexual Misconduct a Job Requirement at Fox?

Posted by on March 29, 2018 at 10:38 am. 6 Comments :

The list of men in powerful positions at Fox News who have engaged in acts of sexual harassment or assault continues to grow. Their legacy of deviants includes their former CEO and founder, the late Roger Ailes, their biggest star, Bill O’Reilly, host Eric Bolling, and Fox Sports President Jamie Horowitz, to name a few. Fox and Freinds co-anchor Ed Henry was suspended for several weeks for having an adulterous affair. And most recently it was discovered that the wife of host Jesse Watters filed for divorce due to his ongoing adulterous affair with a twenty-five year old co-worker

Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth

Now we can add Fox and Friends co-host Pete Hegseth to the list. This case of infidelity was also revealed in divorce papers for the sanctimonious and hypocritical family values advocate and favorite of serial sexual predator Donald Trump. APM Reports found that:

“Hegseth — a telegenic, Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan — is in the process of divorcing his second wife after having an extramarital affair and a child with a producer at Fox News. Hegseth’s second wife filed for divorce roughly a month after the girl was born. […] His first marriage also ended after Hegseth had an affair with a female work colleague.”

The fact that yet another male Fox News employee has been caught behaving badly suggests that there is something about the culture at the conservative propaganda network that encourages it, or at least doesn’t discourage it. The patterns are too consistent to regard it as coincidence.

Hegseth’s past is rife with problems that extend beyond his sexual misadventures. Prior to joining Fox News he was the director of a phony veterans group, Concerned Veterans for America, that was mainly funded by the Koch brothers. That, along with his military background, made him a candidate to replace the now-fired David Shulkin as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Never mind that Hegseth has no experience in managing an organization with a $200 billion budget and 377,000 employees. Note: Trump just announced that his nominee to head the VA is his personal White House physician, Ronny Jackson, who also has none of the management experience required.

The operations Hegseth did head were found to have serious violations of ethics, if not law. At Concerned Veterans for America he hired his brother Philip with a six-figure salary. It was his first job out of college. And the APM Reports investigation also found that:

“In 2012, Hegseth formed MN PAC, an organization aimed at supporting ‘conservative candidates in contested races.’ But an analysis of the organization’s spending — less than $15,000 — shows it spent less than half on behalf of candidates. A third of the PAC’s funds was spent on two Christmas parties and reimbursements to Hegseth.”

Clearly this isn’t a case of a few bad apples. It’s evidence that Fox News is a breeding ground for perverts. They hire and promote men who blatantly demean and abuse women. The environment was described by former Fox News host and victim Andrea Tantaros in her lawsuit as “a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency, and misogyny.” And now Pete Hegseth joins the parade of misogyny that is the distinctive “quality” of working at Fox News and mirrors the depravity of Trump’s White House.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump’s Disgraceful ‘Freedom Celebration’ Speech Just Exalts Himself, Whines About the Media

Posted by on July 2, 2017 at 11:40 am. 2 Comments :

Saturday night Donald Trump took a little time away from lounging at his luxurious golf resort in New Jersey. He flew back to Washington to attend an evangelical concert that supposedly honored veterans in advance of Independence Day.

Donald Trump

As with almost every public appearance he makes, it ends up being entirely about him. He obviously doesn’t care about veterans or the anniversary of America’s founding. If he did, he wouldn’t pollute his speech with self-serving, ego-gratifying bullshit like this (video below):

“The fake media is trying to silence us, but we will not let them. Because the people know the truth. The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House, but I’m president and they’re not. We won and they lost.

The fact is the press has destroyed themselves because they went too far. Instead of being subtle and smart, they used the hatchet and the people saw it right from the beginning. The dishonest media will never keep us from accomplishing our objectives on behalf of the great American people. Will never happen. Their agenda is not your agenda.”

That’s right. In an address intended to celebrate freedom and commemorate the heroes that make it possible, Trump lashed out again at the media. That’s what he considers to be the real “enemy of the American people.” And the context of his attack is, once again, the results of an election that took place eight months ago. His rabid fetish over having lost the popular vote is weighing on him still. And his obsession with blaming the press for all of his own self-destructive behavior persists.

Trump’s preoccupation with these complaints borders on the psychotic. He simply can’t let them go, even at the expense of tributes to heroes. And he wastes time and taxpayer money attending these self-congratulatory rallies because that’s where he gets his validation. These are nothing but political events designed to prop up Trump’s fragile ego.

There has never been a president who was more contemptuous of the press. His words and deeds are explicit incitement to violence. He doesn’t understand the meaning or value of the First Amendment. Otherwise, how could he repeatedly denigrate journalists as “sleazy,” “liars,” and “horrible human beings”? His provocations have resulted in actual physical attacks on reporters. NBC’s Katy Tur had to have security protect her while covering his campaign. Organizations that advance the welfare of journalists have called him “an unprecedented threat” to press freedom. And nothing proves that more than his latest tweet that overtly celebrates violence against the media.

If you thought that Trump had crossed the line before, you underestimated the depth of his hostility and recklessness. This is his juvenile idea of a joke, but it conveys a distinct and abhorrent message. There is no reason to think that he won’t continue to get worse. He wants to discredit and dismantle the media so that he can rule without criticism or accountability. Under his idea of authoritarian leadership there would be only state-run media. All Americans must unite to make sure that he is not successful. It’s a fight that is as consequential as the one for Independence that is being celebrated this week.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

OOPS! Fox News Pushes Starbucks Boycott For Hiring Refugees, Not Veterans – Check Again Fox

Posted by on February 7, 2017 at 1:08 pm. 2 Comments :

Last week Starbucks announced an initiative to hire 10,000 refugees around the world. In a heartfelt post to the Starbucks website, CEO Howard Schultz wrote that the plan was in response to Donald Trump’s attempt to ban immigrants from majority-Muslim countries. “We have all been witness,” he said, “to the confusion, surprise and opposition to the Executive Order President Trump issued.” The statement continued:

“There are more than 65 million citizens of the world recognized as refugees by the United Nations, and we are developing plans to hire 10,000 of them over five years in the 75 countries around the world where Starbucks does business. And we will start this effort here in the U.S. by making the initial focus of our hiring efforts on those individuals who have served with U.S. troops as interpreters and support personnel in the various countries where our military has asked for such support.”

This is a prime example of the sort of social responsibility that all corporations ought to exercise. It demonstrates empathy for people who have suffered greatly and depend on the compassion of others for their survival.

Sadly, there are some who don’t share these values. Immediately following the announcement, conservative groups began organizing boycotts to express their opposition. For the most part they echoed the Trump administration’s fear mongering of terrorists posing as refugees. However, among the justifications was the argument that Starbucks should be providing this assistance to American veterans instead. Good idea!

In fact, it’s such a good idea that Starbucks thought of it three years ago. Also posted on their website was this 2013 announcement that they would hire 10,000 veterans:

“Company to build a pipeline of talent focused on veterans and active duty spouses, including infrastructure to support at least 10,000 hires in five years” […]

“Veterans and military spouses represent one of the most underutilized talent pools in our country and, without the proper career path, will continue to go untapped. Companies like Starbucks recognize this opportunity and are moving swiftly and aggressively to match the jobs they will create in the future with the talent returning to America over the next several years.”

Updates on the program show that Starbucks is ahead of schedule. They currently have 8,800 veterans on the payroll as result of this initiative. But that news hasn’t seeped through to the right-wingers who are determined to punish Starbucks unfairly. Nor has it seeped through to their media of choice: Fox News.

Fox News

Last week Fox News aired a segment that overtly supported the boycott effort. Their story featured graphics that promoted a #BoycottStarbucks hashtag and the message “Refuge Hiring Plan Sparks Online Outrage.” At no time did they point out Starbucks’ program for hiring veterans. And Tuesday morning Fox & Friends continued the Starbucks bashing. They hosted the proprietor of Black Rifle Coffee Company, a wannabe Starbucks competitor. He told the “Curvy Couch” potatoes that he plans to hire 10,000 veterans. That’s an admirable goal, especially for a company that currently has only six employees (according to BuzzFile). He may have overly optimistic growth projections. Or maybe he’s just a con artist looking for a quick buck with Fox’s help.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Once again, Fox News never disclosed that Starbucks implemented a veterans hiring program three years ago that’s actually hiring thousands of veterans. It doesn’t fit their anti-refugee agenda and pro-Trump propaganda. Consequently, they left it out of their broadcast, deceiving their viewers and feeding their hatred. These are lengths to which Fox will go to advance their agenda of bigotry and lies. In the process they are actually hurting an American company that’s helping our vets. Nice work, Fox.

Where’s The Outrage? Trump Maligns Soldiers With PTSD As Weak ‘People [Who] Can’t Handle It’

Posted by on October 3, 2016 at 12:31 pm. 1 Comments :

As if the nation needed another reason to be nauseated by Donald Trump’s ignorance, intolerance, and insensitivity. This morning Trump spoke before a meeting of the Retired American Warriors PAC, a right-wing superPAC created less than two months ago by Trump supporters. Trump delivered some prepared remarks via the TelePrompter he once said was disqualifying, then took some questions from the decidedly friendly audience.

Soldier

One of the questions addressed the problems associated with veteran suicides and mental health issues like PTSD. The gentleman asking the question framed it as an advocacy of faith-based solutions. Trump ignored that and went straight to a tone-deaf and insulting response:

“When you talk about the mental health problems, when people come back from war and combat and they see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over and you’re strong and you can handle it but a lot of people can’t handle it.”

Well, that’s revealing. Apparently Trump believes that veterans suffering from PTSD are too weak to handle the horrific aftermath of their wartime service. In his view soldiers who performed courageously, but who were traumatized by what they experienced aren’t strong enough to handle it.

That is the sort of callous commentary that could only come from someone who evaded military service with four deferments and a medical disqualification. You have to wonder how veterans with PTSD will feel when they hear a candidate for president saying this. It certainly won’t promote their recovery and wellness to know that they are thought of as weak.

In other remarks at the event Trump blatantly dodged a question about what his plan for defeating terrorism would be. He also insulted the whole of the military by characterizing it as “depleted.” This is a theme he has made a staple of his campaign that also regards America as less than great. It’s a theme that includes an aversion to soldiers who were captured (i.e. John McCain). Candidate Trump has belittled American military leaders by claiming that he knows more about ISIS than they do. And he held a phony telethon to raise funds for vets, but ended up stiffing them.

It’s unfathomable that, after all of that, anyone in the military could support Trump for president. His ignorance of, and disdain for, the nation’s armed services ought to be of concern to all veterans and active duty soldiers. What’s more, his utter failure as a businessman should worry anyone who thinks that he might have solutions to problems in the military infrastructure or world affairs.

This new display of contempt is only the latest evidence of his unfitness to serve as president and commander-in-chief. It will be interesting to see if the media bothers to report it and put his candidacy in the proper context.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Billionaire Will Donate $5 Million To Veterans If Trump Releases His Tax Returns

Posted by on September 13, 2016 at 2:39 pm. NO Comments :

Donald Trump’s professed affinity for veterans is being tested today by a fellow billionaire. Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn issued a public challenge to The Donald to release his tax returns before October 19, the date of the final presidential debate. If he does so Reid will donate five million dollars to a veterans charity.

Donald Trump

On the campaign trail Trump has been vocal in his support for veterans despite not actually doing anything on their behalf. He sponsored a fake telethon last year after fleeing a Fox News primary debate for fear of facing Megyn Kelly. According to Trump the telethon raised six million dollars, much of which was still unaccounted for several months after the event.

With this challenge from Hoffman Trump has an opportunity to secure some serious funds for the American heroes he says he loves. The problem is that he has also been steadfast in refusing to release his tax returns until an alleged audit is completed. That excuse has been mocked as ludicrous by tax experts and the IRS has said there is nothing from stopping him from making the data public. What’s more, Trump himself offered to so in a challenge of his own. He recently said that if Hillary Clinton releases email that has been deleted, he will release his taxes. Never mind that Clinton cannot “release” something that doesn’t exist, Trump’s offer is an admission that the audit is a phony excuse.

The challenge issued by Hoffman ought register in Trump’s memory. In 2012 He issued a similar challenge to President Obama (video and transcript here). In exchange for Obama releasing his college and passport records Trump would donate five million dollars to the charity of his choice. This was an extension of his Birther campaign attempting to invalidate Obama’s citizenship and consequently, his presidency. Trump portrayed the offer as “a deal that I do not believe that he can refuse.” In the same context, therefore, how can Trump refuse Hoffman’s offer?

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

If Trump is sincere in his stated concern for the welfare of veterans he has no legitimate reason to reject Hoffman’s offer. The only reason for refusing would be that there is something so damaging in his taxes that he can’t afford to make them public. In other words, he would be protecting his own self-serving interests at the expense of veterans. Given his lifetime of mercenary greed and stinginess, it’s easy to predict how Trump will respond to this challenge. It isn’t for nothing that he has been deemed the least charitable billionaire.