If you’ve been paying attention, you may have heard that President Obama has pledged to cut $400 billion out of security spending between now and 2023. But what you may not know is that the $400 billion won’t be a cut as far as Joe and Jane Taxpayer are concerned. Todd Harrison, Washington’s defense-budget wizard, says letting Pentagon …
Veterans
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — On, Off, On Again, Off Again, Back On Again
In a turnabout, apparently initiated by the Obama administration, the ban on gays serving openly in the military — “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — is back on the books. After having been rescinded by Congress in December, gay rights groups celebrated their long-overdue victory. But then it became bogged down by a Defense Department …
Vietnam’s Ghosts: Still Alive in the U.S. Government
There is really nothing new in the war game, as Haunting Legacy: Vietnam and the American Presidency from Ford to Obama by the father-daughter team of Marvin and Deborah Kalb makes clear. It could hardly be more timely, as America and its leaders grapple with the challenges posed by Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya – all at once. The …
Ping-Pong? No, Just The Latest Ruling on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
Late Friday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals bowed to the wishes of the Obama Justice Department and said the Pentagon could continue its all-but-gone enforcement of the ban on gay men and women serving openly in the U.S. military. This on-again, off-again life of the 17-year old “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law has everyone pretty …
Limboland – Day 360
Progress. Yesterday I received a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs about my nearly year-long quest for disability benefits. I was irked to find that it looked suspiciously like the last letter I received from them, on April 21. These letters all begin with a salutation followed by a note that “We are working on your claim …
The Obama Administration’s Split Personality on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
Late Thursday, the Obama Administration decided — even as the Pentagon is on the verge of scrapping the ban on openly gay men and women serving in the military — that it wants the judiciary to steer clear of ordering the 17-year old law unconstitutional. It’s a technical hiccup, but what it means is that the Obama Administration — …
Don’t Ask…About “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell…”
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…because it is getting really confusing, as I tried to detail Wednesday night on the PBS NewsHour, along with Aubrey Sarvis of the Servicemembers Legal Defense …
Military Suicides: The Families Left Behind
In the recent swirl of articles and blogs about the new Presidential policy on honoring those who suicide in combat with a condolence letter, there are some who may be lost: the Families. The controversy seems to be about whether or not you should “honor” the Soldier who died with a letter of condolence. Recently the White House …
Leroy Petry, the Medal of Honor and Intrepidity
This past weekend, I attended the wedding of my Army roommate who’s still on active duty. Among the many conversations of the assembled veterans, all junior officers who fought together in Iraq, was the award of the Medal of Honor to Sgt. First Class Leroy Petry, who sacrificed his hand to save his fellow Rangers in Afghanistan. …
The Slow, and So Far, Quiet Demise of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
So Pentagon enforcement of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” stopped happening Friday. As of Monday morning, the U.S. military seems none the worse off. It appears – and I may yet regret saying this – that the Pentagon’s formal, 17-year ban on gay men and women serving openly in uniform is more likely to end with a whimper than a bang.
For …
Number of Homeless Vets Dropping Sharply :-)
Reports about struggling veterans are usually grim, so it’s always nice to trumpet good news: the number of homeless veterans in this country has been cut nearly in half between 2004 and 2009, according to a new Congressional Research Service report just released by Steven Aftergood at the Federation of American Scientists (such …
Limboland – Day 351
Looks like I goofed. Last week I wrote here that I had submitted my claim for VA benefits ten months ago. That’s not quite right. Mea culpa. To correct the record, I submitted my claim over eleven months ago, on July 21, 2010. My claim has languished in the VA’s Baltimore office for 351 days. I promised to keep readers updated on the …
Why the War Machine Keeps on Running
Villefranche, France.
The United States has always meddled in other people’s affairs. For those readers who think this statement is an exaggeration, I urge them to peruse the chronology of interventions compiled by the Congressional Research Service. This historical predilection for meddling, however, grew enormously in depth and …