| As most of us know, twenty-two Senate Republicans voted against Senator Jim Webb's new G.I. Bill. The most frequently cited excuse given by these Republicans for trying to shortchange our brave fighting men and women was that Senator Webb's bill would "hurt retention." In other words, these Senate Republicans suggested that our soldiers would bolt the military if the benefits they were given for putting their lives on the line in service to our country were too generous.
Yes, it's both as disgusting and as illogical as it sounds.
Here's Bush-rubber-stamp John Cornyn's take on providing fair benefits for our soldiers:
The updated GI Bill would hurt re-enlistment rates because troops will be eager to take advantage of it.
Ted Stevens joined in on the belittling of the troops:
Sen. Ted Stevens warned of a "mass exodus" from the military Saturday if the so-called 21st Century GI Bill goes into law without major changes. ...
"There are worries that people who are already in for two years will serve one more and leave, and there's really no incentive to stay," Stevens said while speaking at the Disabled American Veterans' 19th Annual Department Convention at the Fairbanks Regency.
Lindsey Graham put it in no uncertain terms:
It will hurt retention.
But to suggest that our soldiers would bolt because their benefits were deemed too generous does not mesh with what Graham said on Meet the Press in July 2007:
SEN. GRAHAM: In conclusion, I think they go back because they see the face of the enemy that we're fighting. They don't want their... ...
SEN. GRAHAM: ...kids to go back, they don't want their grandkids to go back. ...
SEN. GRAHAM: Bin Laden said this is the third world war in Iraq. They go back because they know the consequences of losing. God bless them, and let's make sure they can win, because they can.
Does Senator Graham all of a sudden think that the troops don't want to defeat our enemies? Does Senator Graham all of a sudden think that our troops have forgotten "the consequences of losing"?
Regardless of the benefits they receive (or don't receive), our soldiers still fight because they want to help keep our nation safe against enemies foreign and domestic. Our soldiers still fight because they want to serve their nation. Our soldiers still fight because they are patriots.
To suggest that our soldiers would no longer want to serve because of benefits received is tantamount to these Senate Republicans explicitly calling our troops unpatriotic.
And, by the way, what might actually hurt retention is sending our troops into battle without proper body armor. What might actually hurt retention is forcing our troops to bathe in unsanitary water so that Bush-Cheney's corporate cronies can save a few bucks. What might actually hurt retention is VA medical services that don't adequately serve our veterans.
Following everything Bush-Cheney and the Senate Republicans have done to hurt retention, we need Senator Webb's G.I. Bill and the Senate Democrats to repair these harms in order to retain our troops and recruit new ones.
What we don't need is Senate Republicans calling our troops unpatriotic. |
