Banished veterans - an uncovered story

[will_in_chicago]

One thing that has often disappointed me about this country is that we seem to not keep faith with our veterans. I was horrified by the stories that came out of Walter Reed and angered by it.

I recently learned that some of the people from other countries who sign up for our military with the hope to become citizens have been deported after getting into legal trouble in this country. Like many of our veterans, some of these people suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, get into trouble, and then pay their debt to society. Unlike someone who is a citizen, those who were born in foreign countries can be deported. (There are some who were brought to the U.S. as children by their parents. So, a person who came here as a young child, sought to serve in our military and gets into trouble can be deported to a country with which he has no familiarity and may not even speak the language there.)

A good resource on this topic is http://www.banishedveterans.info/index.html">Banished Veterans and there also is a http://www.facebook.com/pages/Banished-Veterans/113182311221">Banished Veterans Facebook Page. The first site that I linked to has several personal stories.

There has been little coverage of this issue in the media. A few notable exceptions are The Jeff Farias Show, which airs from 6 PM to 9 PM EST weekdays, and http://thedavidlinkshow.com/">The David Link Show which airs on http://wxbh.org/Shows.html">WXBH 92.7 FM in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturdays from 9 PM to 11 PM EST. The banished veterans topic will be featured on the David Link Show tonight.

To my mind, we have an obligation to those who serve our country. I believe that anyone -- whether they are a veteran or not -- has to take responsibility for their actions. Yet, I think that those veterans who are banished from our country after paying their debts to society should be given the right to stay. As I said earlier, some were brought to this country as children and have no ties to the lands where they are sent to after serving their sentences. I think more of them than a former ex-President who got himself into a National Guard unit to avoid service in an unpopular war.

[Arctic Dave]

1. The problem is they actually believed the military bullshit.

Never believe the military.

[will_in_chicago]

2. Not always a choice

For many young people in parts of this country, from the inner city to some rural ares, with few jobs and few long term prospects, the military may be one of the few paths out of their communities. I would argue that we do need to have better education, a living wage, and an economy that serves the interests of the majority of Americans and not the upper one percent of Americans or multinational corporations.

So, I try not to blame those who serve -- as many are desperate. It is the leaders who get us into needless wars and fail to keep their word who should be held accountable for their lies.

[Arctic Dave]

3. Whether they believe in the garbage they are told is their choice though.

It is one thing to join, it is a totally different story when you take pride in subjugating another country for rich people.

[will_in_chicago]

5. Some vets have mixed feelings

I have known some anti-war activists who are veterans. Many regret being sold a line of bull, but let's face it. There were very few news organizations that raised questions in the past decade about the Iraq War.

Sadly, many wars fall under the category of being a rich man's war but a poor man's fight.

[gimama]

4. Thank YOU, so much, for this post!

Yes, it's HUGE issue, & a disgrace..the recruiters make promises of easy citizenship, & once the enlistment(s)is over, the promises are denied.
Another Heart-breaker.. I have done advocacy work for American Soldiers, who are deployed,& their Wives & AMERICAN Children are threatened by deportation.
In the cases I have worked on,I have (so far) been able to find ways (& officials, media, etc)to stop the deportations.. but I worry about Others NO ONE advocates for. I have been told of Soldiers deployed for 3-4 time, & their foreign Citizen Wives & Children HAVE been deported, & while the Soldier is on the front-lines, has NO idea WHERE HIS Familly is, or how They are..the stress is unbelievable. This is a horrific situation, & needs to be in the public's attention.

Another aspect to these trajic situations..
I am sickened at the racist-bigots..they refuse to acknowledge the huge percentages of "other-than-white" PERSONS fighting these immoral, illegal wars..sacrificing Life & Limb, Mental Health & FAMILIES, in OUR Military.

[will_in_chicago]

6. Our soldiers are a diverse lot

Our soldiers come from every ethnicity. I get angry when I hear people question the patriotism of others.

We have Hispanic Americans, Arab Americans, Asian Americans and African Americans in our military. We have people of every faith and none at all in our armed forces.

We need an end to preemptive wars, and a defense policy that is about protecting our country. Our defense budget is bloated and we spend more than the rest of the world combined on our military. Yet a lot of it seems to go into weapons systems designed for previous conflicts.

I believe that we need to offer education and jobs here -- real jobs that strengthen our economy -- and not just needless wars or paper shuffling. While the times are hard and all may seem hopeless, I have learned not to despair. Despair is not a solution, but something that weakens us.

[gimama]

7. YOU said it!

Did You attend Thursday's PEACE rally in Chicago? On DU's homepage is youtube video of it..& Your words share the same Spirit & message as the speakers there.
Welcome to DU..I'm glad YOU are here. I too refuse to empower despair or negativity, it's draining & contagious. Keep sharing Your enLightening perspective..Love & HOPE are contagious,too.:hi:


edit for date of rally:eyes:

[will_in_chicago]

8. I was busy on Thursday

Hi, gimama!

I was busy working on Thursday, but I will check out the video.

I look at despair as a response that can be expected at times, but one that we must overcome. Too many are banking (in more ways than one) on our despair.

[will_in_chicago]

11. Interview on now

Hector Barajas of the Banished Veterans site is now being interviewed on the David Link Show, referrenced in the first post. There should be a podcast of that show in the next day or so.

[upi402]

9. Democrats honor them, Republicans use and exploit them

I don't understand why vets think Republicans are on their side, and Dems are their opponents.

[will_in_chicago]

10. The GOP SPIN Machine

The GOP in the past few decades have tried to monopolize patriotic symbols and present themselves as the party for veterans. Sorry, but the Walter Reed disaster and other problems show that the GOP has not really kept faith with veterans after they serve. As for what happens while our troops are serving, we saw inadequate armor and equipment, contractors who not only treated our soldiers with disrespect but made bathroom showers into death traps, and have sent people to die in needless wars.

However, the spin machine for the GOP is going on always. They have their network, Fox. They have most of the talk radio stations.

We meed to get the word out on veteran's issues and other issues. So, let's get the word out through progressive media and talk to our family, friends and neighbors.

I would also like to recommend a few books on political communication:

Being Right Is Not Enough: What Progressives Must Learn from Conservative Success by Paul Waldman

http://www.thepoliticalbrain.com/videos.php">The Political Brain by Drew Westen. (There are some videos on the site.)

Cracking the Code by Thom Hartmann

Let's get the word out on the issues that we care about and remember that we have more power than we realize to transform the world. It is not easy, but few worthwhile things are easy.