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A Call for Healing
by Tom Barnes, Editor in Chief
We are trying very hard to reinvent ourselves here at Veterans Today. It isn’t easy. The past election cycle pushed us all to the very limits of our tolerance for each other. We have centrists, leftists, rightists, and every other conceivable "..ist" as a staff writer that you can imagine on the site. What we all try very hard to do is bring out into the open issues of importance to an audience of veterans who would otherwise not be able to read about such views in the mainstream media.
To be frank, veterans organizations tend to get into bed with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the "government’ rather easily. We try very hard here not to do that. We love our country very much. It is the government many of us do not trust on this site. Many of us have experience enough with "the government" to cast a jaundiced eye on anyone from that group promisng to help us. The promise often rings hollow.
We are asking our readers to be patient with us until we find a sort of levelling off point where the ‘water level’ of reasonable discourse can once again ‘settle in’ on this website. You cannot imagine the hours of conversation, debate and discussion that go into even a single article and its related comments from all of us. We care enough about you and your interests to really put our hearts into this.
Its cathartic for us and hopefully, it is meaningful and useful for you to have this information. We argue over content, tone of the content, ‘hidden agendas" among writers, ultimate usefulness of the information posted and all sorts of things that you would expect a staff to argue about when working on a web site that wants to be taken seriously. We want you to be able to use this web site to be informed about crucial issues involving veterans and topics related to veterans’ world views. We really do not take any of these issues lightly. We want to do this right.
The nation is presently polarized in the political realm. We have a population of roughly 24 million veterans in the country who represent every conceivable point of view possible within American culture. The culture wars that started in the 1960′s are still raging hot and will do so for many years to come. We do not so much want to take sides as we want to be able to use the social tension inherent in this never ending battle for cultural ascendancy among various regional and political interest groups to inform us and guide us toward reasonable actions and group values.
Veterans have served their country under extreme conditions that only another veteran could understand. We will not allow that service to country and the insights that it gives to an individual to be squandered on sophomoric infighting among people who care deeply about this nation. We cannot.
The strength that service to country has given us, the insights that it provides must be used by all of us to bring the nation forward into a healing time. And as veterans, we all know the value of healing. I am asking our readers to help us forge ahead with a new vision of a veterans’ community that puts service to country ahead of all political and regional concerns.
We are the only group in the country who can actually lay claim to having done this over long periods in our lives. Lets take a look at where we are headed as a nation and then recommit ourselves to taking the lead in healing our communities from the cancer of political and social polarization that seems so prevelant today.
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Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=6535
Posted by Veterans Today on May 10 2009, With 0 Reads, Filed under Of Interest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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Roger that. We have had that problem for a while. It comes and goes. We are still attempting to find the source of it.
Please try and get stringers/writers from all 50 states & territories like Puerto & Guam to donate local articles of veterans who are making a difference in their communities and states.
I for one am very glas Veterans Today is here!
Since I found the site, I’ve read many of the articles, commented on some, and for the most part have found it very informative, very useful, and not because you guys have run the press releases from VFC.
But because you are reporting the information thats important to all veterans!
Im not a VSO nor am I an attorney, I am a veterans advocate and personally do not trust the VA system, nor do I trust our members of Congress.
Many of you enlisted long before the early 1970′s and I know you all signed a contract where the military promised you medical care for life not only for yourself, but your spouse and children.
And of course congress never ratified that specific paragraph and have since removed it from the contracts.
But whether or not it’s in your enlistment contract, you chose to enlist, follow orders, and do the job most Americans can’t or won’t do, and our Country owes each and every single one of you more than a “debt of grattitude” as most members of Congress love to quote in reply letters and E-Mails!
We owe you disability benefits, medical care, proper top notch medical facilities and medical staff as well as top of the line medical equipment at your disposal 24/7/365.
I’m quite proud to carry on in my fathers footsteps, and will continue every day until there’s no longer a reason to fight the VA.
If Veterans Today is interested in stories about what the Veterans-For-Change (VFC) is doing, stories about veterans in need and their story, I’d be more than honored to contribute either via press releases or articles.
I agree, there can be debate on many things and issues in todays world, but it’s that diversity in thought and opinion that makes us who we are!
Keep up the great work, and thank our fighting men and woman you still have your first amendment rights!
jdavis90813@hotmail.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VETERANS-FOR-CHANGE/
If we are to have original content, we need writing done. The country has gone thru massive changes in the past few months and many issues from before are dead or at least we hope so.
VeteransToday worked hard to influence some of the changes we may be enjoying. However, any letting up, even one bit, will allow the empty hats that fill our government from the halls of congress to the lowest mail room clerk at the VA putting disability applications into the trash can, to continue their work as before.
Have we made progress?
If we can unite as a voice, maybe.
g
I like this website alot. I feel as though many different thoughts and opinions are presented. Even if I don’t agree with something, I always get some food for thought. I may not be the best informed veteran, but I back veterans 100%. I look forward each day to reading what is posted here. Keep it coming!!