I feel the need to repeat myself sometimes

I wrote the following in my old blog back in November of 2004, after having seen the proof of the old addage, "You can fool most of the people some of the time."

I'm somewhere in the process of teetering between resigned skeptcism and bitter cyncicism today. You wanna see the worst of it? The worst of it is this is my feeling today, right now:

If this is who the country wants...fuck 'em. Let their children burn and bleed and die for the man they chose. I'm done feeling heartsick for the poor, understaffed, under funded, undersupplied troops. The people who re-elected Bush clearly have no empathy for "my people", so I'll be damned if I'm gonna waste any more of what Barbara Bush so rightly called "my beautiful mind" on their Nascar-spawn.

As I said, that was written at a time when I was feeling very skeptical (even more so than is my default position), bitter and cynical. I know perfectly well that it is not just "their children" who are burning and bleeding for this insignifigant scrap of a man.

But, when I read things like this, it is all too easy to return momentarily to that state of toxic rage.

First it was the linguists, now we learn that sorely-needed medics have been discharged simply for being gay. With all the severe injuries and rehab needed for all the men and women fighting in Iraq, and an admitted shortage of qualified personnel to treat them, this Don't Ask Don't Tell policy makes absolutely no sense.

The Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military reports that 244 medical specialists were kicked out between 1994 to 2003. The Pentagon information was obtained by Rep. Marty Meehan (D-MA), a member of the House Armed Services Committee. (The Advocate):

According to a Senate report issued in 2003 by senators Christopher Bond and Patrick Leahy, hundreds of injured Guard and Army Reserve soldiers "have been receiving inadequate medical attention" while housed at Fort Stewart because of a lack of preparedness that includes "an insufficient number of medical clinicians and specialists, which has caused excessive delays in the delivery of care." The situation created the perception among soldiers that they were receiving care that was inferior to that received by active duty personnel, which had a "devastating and negative impact on morale." (Advocate.com)