If you enjoy reading my columns almost every day, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Coverage of the PACT Act, a bill before the Congress that would provide money to cover Veterans Affairs funding for veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals and smoke created by burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, has focused on the 25 Senators who changed their votes and opposed passage of the bill last week. A version of the bill had been approved by the Senate on June 16 in a 84-14 vote. But when the bill came up for a second procedural vote last Wednesday, the Senate voted for it 55-42, failing to reach the 60 votes necessary to avoid a filibuster.
Thank you for writing about the important matter. What kind of country are we when we endanger our troops needlessly and then refuse to pay for their medical care? May Pat Toomey, who never served in the military, rot in Hell.
Despite my best efforts, I keep underestimating the stupidity, the callousness, and the short-sightedness of our "leaders," military and otherwise. Thanks for the vivid description. I wasn't entirely clear on what these burn pits were. Now I'm even more outraged at the Republicans for voting against the bill, and I hope they pay through the nose for it in November.
“The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he is on.” “It doesn't make a damned bit of difference who wins the war to someone who's dead.” “[They] agreed that it was neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never questioned anything.” “Insanity is contagious.”
One positive aspect of this story is that some Iraqis actually got some work off the American occupation. Reports I saw from the Green Zone took note of the fact that fear of infiltrators among the kitchen staff, etc., led the occupation authorities to import workers from places like Thailand to clean and maintain the buildings and work in the commissaries and restaurants. This was in contrast to Japan and Korea, where the American forces were to employ local people in all sorts of support functions. Some of the big Korean firms got started as local contractors for the Eighth Army, etc. The Japanese shipbuilding industry began its recovery by repairing American warships during the Korean War.
Of course, the local people in Iraq were also exposed to the burn pits' toxic emissions.....
You hit it out of the park saying the “burn pits were the Agent Orange”. It’s horrendous and shameful that the US, might I say, men, make these harmful decisions. The only goal was to get rid of evidence and not to factor in what soldiers might eventually suffer.
A couple points which we all might want to consider. First, in case we have forgotten the good old days of the Trump Administration particularly the first two years, the GOP in Congress was on a tear to reduce mandatory spending on Veterans Affairs. It was, as are most things benefitting veterans "an unsustainable and unaffordable Federal program." So Toomey's explanation is not new, just a return to to beating the same drum.
What should that mean in a current context? It should mean the Democrats who have been given a gift from the political gods with the Court's Roe reversal and all the mass murders with AR-15s, have been handed a gift to hit EVERY single Republican up for election in 2018 over the head with. Simply put, the Ds should make this Exhibit A in the long list of hypocritical Republican promises to "support our troops and defend American interests here and abroad." How can you do that while you are constantly and consistently stabbing veterans in the back and refusing to clean up the messes created for current active duty personnel. A lot of those burn pit veterans are still on active duty.
And, that brings me to point 2. Why is not the DNC running a national campaign to point out this hypocrisy . Name the 42 Senators who voted against this bill. Run ads both in their home states and nationally. And, most importantly, commit NOW to make permanent mandatory spending for Veterans Affair a plank in the Democratic platform for 2024.
Or maybe we should suggest this to The Lincoln Project; They seem to be a lot more politically astute than the DNC. Wonder why? Most of them are lapsed Republicans. They know how to play the game when they are given an issue to beat the drum about.
Like the Ground Zero fires that burned from the September WTC attack till mid-December—contained everything, are still killing people who breathed the poison. (I thought I'd never forget the stench, but in fact have never been able to recall it although I can remember fragrances I haven't smelled since childhood.) How could Republican Senators be kinder to New Yorkers they hate than to veterans they purport to idolize? I guess being outwitted by Democrats produces fury that knows no limits.
My dearly departed husband, gone 17 years this month, would say ‘typical Republicans cause the mess and leave it for the Dems to cleanup’ -continually, criminally and cruelly as time marches on.
Scrolled fast so as not to get burned, but had to pause at the all-too familiar mantra of every good Nazi, which is repurposed by the US military when explaining why Burn Pits are located near American encampments: “JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS “.
It’s utterly sickening that Good Guys (us) and the Bad Guys (them), use the same unacceptable illogic, over and over again. Why do we keep falling for it? Collective Amnesia!?
Why even have $1 trillion military if they can’t even defeat a few thousand bearded troglodytes armed with pea shooters and Toyotas IN 20 FRICKIN YEARS! I swear to Christ. However it looks as if we might need them soon given Ukraine and Taiwan…I hope we’re up to it…
Thank you, Lucian. If the acronym "FUBAR" isn't applicable to the burn pit situation, then it's not fitting for anything. Ever.
Our service men and women have paid the highest of prices for being exposed to these flaming toxic shitheaps - and so have America's taxpayers! We helped fund this obscenely stupid practice and now we'll foot the bill to clean up the consequences - for decades. Adding insult to injury, I'm sure we continue to pay the wizard, (Or wizards, more likely.) ensconced in the bowels of the Pentagon who crafted this absurdity. I'll bet they even got awarded extra bars or stars for fostering and promoting it! Aren't we entitled to know just who these dunderheads are? I'd sure like to. (After all, when someone who appears to be marginally capable of super-sizing family meals at a drive through is allowed to make decisions like the one that green-lit burn pits... Mind boggling!)
Thank you for writing about the important matter. What kind of country are we when we endanger our troops needlessly and then refuse to pay for their medical care? May Pat Toomey, who never served in the military, rot in Hell.
Despite my best efforts, I keep underestimating the stupidity, the callousness, and the short-sightedness of our "leaders," military and otherwise. Thanks for the vivid description. I wasn't entirely clear on what these burn pits were. Now I'm even more outraged at the Republicans for voting against the bill, and I hope they pay through the nose for it in November.
“The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he is on.” “It doesn't make a damned bit of difference who wins the war to someone who's dead.” “[They] agreed that it was neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never questioned anything.” “Insanity is contagious.”
As expected, you have hit the nail on the head, again. Too bad we can't capture that foulness and pump it into the offices of those degenerates.
One positive aspect of this story is that some Iraqis actually got some work off the American occupation. Reports I saw from the Green Zone took note of the fact that fear of infiltrators among the kitchen staff, etc., led the occupation authorities to import workers from places like Thailand to clean and maintain the buildings and work in the commissaries and restaurants. This was in contrast to Japan and Korea, where the American forces were to employ local people in all sorts of support functions. Some of the big Korean firms got started as local contractors for the Eighth Army, etc. The Japanese shipbuilding industry began its recovery by repairing American warships during the Korean War.
Of course, the local people in Iraq were also exposed to the burn pits' toxic emissions.....
You hit it out of the park saying the “burn pits were the Agent Orange”. It’s horrendous and shameful that the US, might I say, men, make these harmful decisions. The only goal was to get rid of evidence and not to factor in what soldiers might eventually suffer.
Wonder how many jackoffs who changed their votes were veterans?
A couple points which we all might want to consider. First, in case we have forgotten the good old days of the Trump Administration particularly the first two years, the GOP in Congress was on a tear to reduce mandatory spending on Veterans Affairs. It was, as are most things benefitting veterans "an unsustainable and unaffordable Federal program." So Toomey's explanation is not new, just a return to to beating the same drum.
What should that mean in a current context? It should mean the Democrats who have been given a gift from the political gods with the Court's Roe reversal and all the mass murders with AR-15s, have been handed a gift to hit EVERY single Republican up for election in 2018 over the head with. Simply put, the Ds should make this Exhibit A in the long list of hypocritical Republican promises to "support our troops and defend American interests here and abroad." How can you do that while you are constantly and consistently stabbing veterans in the back and refusing to clean up the messes created for current active duty personnel. A lot of those burn pit veterans are still on active duty.
And, that brings me to point 2. Why is not the DNC running a national campaign to point out this hypocrisy . Name the 42 Senators who voted against this bill. Run ads both in their home states and nationally. And, most importantly, commit NOW to make permanent mandatory spending for Veterans Affair a plank in the Democratic platform for 2024.
Or maybe we should suggest this to The Lincoln Project; They seem to be a lot more politically astute than the DNC. Wonder why? Most of them are lapsed Republicans. They know how to play the game when they are given an issue to beat the drum about.
Like the Ground Zero fires that burned from the September WTC attack till mid-December—contained everything, are still killing people who breathed the poison. (I thought I'd never forget the stench, but in fact have never been able to recall it although I can remember fragrances I haven't smelled since childhood.) How could Republican Senators be kinder to New Yorkers they hate than to veterans they purport to idolize? I guess being outwitted by Democrats produces fury that knows no limits.
The ignorance and arrogance of power and an utter disregard for the consequences
More good ones:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/814330-catch-22
My dearly departed husband, gone 17 years this month, would say ‘typical Republicans cause the mess and leave it for the Dems to cleanup’ -continually, criminally and cruelly as time marches on.
Scrolled fast so as not to get burned, but had to pause at the all-too familiar mantra of every good Nazi, which is repurposed by the US military when explaining why Burn Pits are located near American encampments: “JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS “.
It’s utterly sickening that Good Guys (us) and the Bad Guys (them), use the same unacceptable illogic, over and over again. Why do we keep falling for it? Collective Amnesia!?
Why even have $1 trillion military if they can’t even defeat a few thousand bearded troglodytes armed with pea shooters and Toyotas IN 20 FRICKIN YEARS! I swear to Christ. However it looks as if we might need them soon given Ukraine and Taiwan…I hope we’re up to it…
Thank you Lucian for writing this story and for your visit to the war zones to experience another American self inflicted atrocity.
Thank you, Lucian. If the acronym "FUBAR" isn't applicable to the burn pit situation, then it's not fitting for anything. Ever.
Our service men and women have paid the highest of prices for being exposed to these flaming toxic shitheaps - and so have America's taxpayers! We helped fund this obscenely stupid practice and now we'll foot the bill to clean up the consequences - for decades. Adding insult to injury, I'm sure we continue to pay the wizard, (Or wizards, more likely.) ensconced in the bowels of the Pentagon who crafted this absurdity. I'll bet they even got awarded extra bars or stars for fostering and promoting it! Aren't we entitled to know just who these dunderheads are? I'd sure like to. (After all, when someone who appears to be marginally capable of super-sizing family meals at a drive through is allowed to make decisions like the one that green-lit burn pits... Mind boggling!)