Saturday, November 7, 2009

There Was No "Pet Goat" Moment

From Don Surber:

Now the liberal editorial board of the Boston Globe has weighed in, noting the lack of empathy from the man who is supposed to be the leader of the free world. In an editorial today, the newspaper’s editorial board stated:

It takes more than scripted eloquence for presidents to connect with their fellow Americans. It requires a visceral ability to grasp the scope of tragedy, calculate its impact on the national psyche, and react swiftly to it. Ronald Reagan did it after the Challenger explosion took the lives of seven crew members on Jan. 28, 1986. So did Bill Clinton, after the Oklahoma City bombings of April 19, 1995, left 168 dead and more than 600 injured.

When a gunman fired those shots at Fort Hood, the country immediately felt the pain. Obama missed the first moment to show he understood just how much it hurt.
It was not a “My Pet Goat” moment for unlike President Bush, President Obama was not first hearing the news. He had hours to prepare his remarks. We saw into his soul. I saw another empty suit.

Worst. President. EVER.

4 comments:

Montana said...

My heart and prayers go out to all the victims, and the victims family and friends.

From all the news reports it appears this Major is a career military man and that in his current position for less than a year and was not going well. He did not want to be deployed and in fact wanted out of the Army, so he paid back his military student loans and hired an attorney.

The reason may have been that he was being harassed and called names like “camel jockey ”. I guess all that sensitivity training for those with bigotry tendencies are all for not. (Can training real change the way you were brought up?)

Another reason is called PTSD by proxy, the stress of treating PTSD in other soldiers make you go a little crazy yourself. Its even more stressful because most of the higher ranks don’t even believe in such thing as PTSD. Their denial prompts them to tell suffering soldiers to “drink it off.” Some civilians in the defense dept feel the same way no doubt IMO, it’s why hardly anything is mentioned of PTSD until one of these violent episodes occurs. These people see PTSD as a cop-out or an excuse. First we need to have an understanding that PTSD actually is real before we can ever hope to help treat it (does anyone believe that being shot at or killing your fellow man is not going to affect you in some way either then or in the future?). I guess with the high soldier suicide rate before and after deployment kinda takes care of the complaints from coming in (so those who said he should have just killed himself, well that’s already happening ). What real pissed me off when I heard that the military was trying to say that some soldiers coming back from this war with PTSD or other psychological disorders had “Pre-Existing Conditions” and that the military would not pay to treat them, I think it has been corrected but what a bunch of asses they break you and don’t want to pay.

The final issue is why does the military want to keep people in their ranks that no longer want to be there is it just sheer number? I mean is it ten percent, twenty percent. Is it that it is the only contract in the US that you can’t get out of unless to kill yourself or kill your fellow soldiers? It does not make any sense to me.

I guess the Major could just be another wacko like Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nicholas, of course McVeigh was executed and apparently because Nicholas became a Christian he received a life sentenced. I real think if he gets that far the Major will get the former and not in a million years the latter.

This is so messed up, hopefully they will make some changes that make sense.

Carol said...

Um, you are wrong on so many points that I don't even know where to begin.

You obviously have no personal knowledge of the military. The PTSD by proxy thing is a crock. Hasan is not a victim, he is a terrorist. Your entire post is mind boggling.

kc said...

Carol, if I may...may I comment to Montana?

I'm from Montana, Montana, I was a Navy Wife for 22 years, with brother, cousins, father, and uncles who all served their Country in the Armed Forces. I don't know where you get your information, but most of it is skewed, incomplete, based on assumptions and personal opinions, or just plain wrong.

No enlisted would refer to a major by any insulting name in his presence. The chain of command is sacrosanct. He would not be 'teased' or bullied - he's a MAJOR.

The military does not give student loans. They give training and experience in return for a paycheck and a period of enlistment.

The 'higher ranks' I know do "believe in" PTSD and they do not advise anyone to 'drink it off.' If that's what your counselors or advisers are telling you, you need new advisers.

My dad had a great saying that I use to this day - don't believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see. When speaking of such things as this Major and the 'reporters' who tell us their version of what's going on, those words are more significant than ever.

Thanks, Carol.
Vote Marco Rubio!

Carol said...

Thank you KC, thank you! Montana's comment was so far out in left field that he accomplished the impossible-I was at a loss for words.

You answered him perfectly.