Tread lightly on the things of earth

From time to time I give money to the Disabled American Veterans organization (DAV), in part motivated by my perception that vets, especially disabled ones, are among the most honorable — as in well-intentioned and self-sacrificing — but disrespected people in our society.

Like, I just don’t see how “Support our troops” and W (or Bush/Cheney) stickers can coexist on a car bumper. I always think, “C’mon, can’t you decide? Choose one.” I see the two messages as mutually exclusive.

Because U.S. military policies these days seem to me like a soldier’s worst nightmare: that all my training, motivation, and good intentions might be (and are being) carelessly thrown into deadly situations for no compelling reason — or worse, for false reasons — for months and years on end, and then, should I survive, my post-military existence will be treated as a financial burden eager to be gotten rid of.

(Granted, I’ve never been a soldier nor do I know, given my temperament, whether I could ever think like one. But does that matter? Given soldiers’ current treatment as I’ve read about it, the term “cannon fodder” springs immediately to mind. That’s an appalling way to treat anyone.)

Now today I get a thank-you letter from the DAV that begins

Did you know that almost 97% of Americans look the other way when we ask for help?

Any way I slice it, that sucks. That’s dissing veterans. Cheerleading for war, which the 51% who voted for Bush are doing either deliberately or inadvertently, but then looking the other way when war’s military casualties come home, is wrong, wrong, wrong.

Integrity matters.