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amputee, Christmas, compassion, Congress, conscience, disgrace, giving, GOP, holiday, military, national, politician, poverty, Senate, veterans
This morning I drove by a man with metal legs. He stood in the freezing cold at an intersection, holding a placard stating that he served as a Marine.
I went to the store, did my shopping and readied some folded bills. I don’t usually hand money to panhandlers, but this was different. He was a veteran.
What is wrong with this nation that we let this happen to our service people? I drove home so furious I was teary-eyed. People are so selfishly tuned-in to their own ideas, frantically looking for validation and opinion confirmation sources and opportunities, that few see the travesty standing on our street corners and living beneath freeway underpasses in cardboard boxes. This goes beyond disgrace; it connotes the worst sort of social and moral corrosion.
Not that many years back, the GOP lead Senate proudly passed a tax break of $269 billion for the rich. That is revolting and in every way appalling. Our service people and their families are struggling, while the rich have no sympathy for the have nots, no respect for the courage and sacrifice of our military. Those billions were and are needed for the more deserving.
Holidays can be emotionally destructive to the depressed and oppressed. I ask that you give whatever you can when you see or hear about a veteran in need. I didn’t care if that Marine was panhandling because he was destitute or just looking for extra cash to buy his kids a gift. I have my legs intact and he has metal ones. He’s given more than enough.
historyfanforever 
Damn. This broke my heart. I’m struggling with Republicans right now. I’m trying really hard to be open minded but it’s hard and I’m not always succeeding.
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Judi, the reason for your angst is that Republicans have almost entirely become the party of Trump and have turned a blind eye to moral honesty, which they attack as weakness. Trump has them in the palm of his hand, and they have shamelessly followed his lead into the ugliness of Trump before country.
“Trying really hard to be open minded” is a virtue in normal times, but Trump and his sycophants pounce on it as weakness. There is no reasoning with a bully. My advice is to see Trump for what he is, his lies and demagoguery for what they are, and stop torturing yourself trying to be fair, because Trump isn’t.
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I agree about Trump and Congress, but it’s the people who still support him (and quite a few of my friends do) whom I want to keep an open mind for. I want to respect their right to agree to disagree.
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Far be it for Tubularsock to butt into your kindness toward your “Trump friends”,JL, but Tubularsock would suggest that it may be time to find new friends!
Sure, they have the right to see things differently and you surely have the right to hang out with stupid people BUT what’s in it for you?
Now Tubularsock would not go as far as suggesting you run them over with your
car …………
Well, ahhh ….. do you have a good attorney?
cheers.
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I understand. I also have a few friends like that, including my next door neighbor who says he doesn’t even like Trump but supports his economic policies….which makes me wonder whether, if the economy turns south, he’d vote for Trump again. I get the feeling that, no matter if the economy tanks, most of his supporters will still back him and find another justification to do so. Hopefully I’m wrong, but it seems to me that most of them think character and conscience just don’t matter that much in a President — as long as he’s THEIR President.
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