Finding My Voice

For the longest time, I have neglected this blog, the Unconventional Military Wife; because I wanted it to concentrate on what it is to BE a military wife. I didn’t want it to become part of what I consider to be part of my “political” voice. And the more that I fought against it, the more that it became part of what I have been fighting against. I have become a political nerd and geek, especially in the last few years, and I am reveling in it! And so, gentle readers… the Military Wife is becoming even MORE unconventional… she is about to break free from the chains of what the old establishment of military, when a man’s commander could charge a man with “failure to control his dependent” to loud mouth… I am finding my voice!

So, on that note, I find that there are many things that I want to say. Beginning with the statement that I am what my military spouse calls “a pinkocommieliberal” (all one word).  What does that mean, exactly? Well, it’s kind of half a joke and half serious.

 I am a liberal. I believe in things like a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices. Sure, I would like to see the day when abortion would not be necessary, but I don’t think that that day would ever come.

I believe that HCR didn’t go far enough. I think that we should have looked at Canada, Australia and other countries that have successful nationalized health care models, see what works, why they work, and applied it here. I think that we should have looked at their social services models too.

I think that tax reform is a necessity. The top 3% of the country isn’t paying enough in taxes; capital gains and other tax write off loop holes should be closed. And this crap about not paying taxes on private jets… its bull sh*t.

On the other hand, I can be very conservative.  I obviously support the military. But I don’t support the military actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.

I support the death penalty. And there are things that deserve that severe punishment. But you had better have damned good proof.

I support the right to bear arms. But I don’t support the right to own a semi auto, massive clips or armor piercing rounds for the civilian population. You don’t need it. The military does. The police may. But civilians? Not so much. Go to the range, learn to fire your weapon, learn the best places to put a round, and then learn to get the f*ck out of there.

We have become a nation that creates most of our own problems out of whole cloth. Those on the extreme Right of the political spectrum would have you believe that people like me are the Devil incarnate. I am hardly that. I see, in a way, some of their positions, and how they can work, if they are tempered with some modicum of common sense, but the extremism that they espouse is only going to cause the ruin of this nation. They ran on a platform that they are not preforming on and the moderates of their party are running scared. And the moderate Liberals are just as frightened, it seems.

This nation, this great nation, was once looked up to as the epitome of what to be. We were unconventional. And now…

*Changing Congress*

I found this in my email this morning... and I thought this was too good not to share... 

I am going to send this to my two senators and to my congressman,
including my state congressman. Maybe someday it can be changed. But for
too long we have had the fox guarding the henhouse. Pass it on if you can.
*Changing Congress*
*The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only
3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That
was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc. **
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to
become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.
*
*I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty
people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. **
In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the
message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office
and receives no pay when they are out of office.
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All
funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security
system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system,
and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for
any other purpose.
*
*3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans
do. **
*
*4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay
will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. **
*
*5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the
same health care system as the American people. **
*
*6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American
people. **
*
*7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective
1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.
Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is
an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators,
so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. *
*8. **(This is one I have personally added). *
*Term Limits: Each member of the Senate is limited to 1 term of 6 years.
Each member of the House of Representatives is limited to 1 term of 4 years.
There is no re-election opportunity for them so they are not subject to the
efforts of lobbyists' contributions to their 're-election' efforts--they
can't run for re-election. Our founding fathers did not anticipate
professional politicians and we should not allow for them.**
*
*If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take
three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it
is time. **
*
*THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!*

Cost Cutting - The Army Way

Since the Twin Towers went down on the horrific day, on September eleventh, 2001, American Army Reservists have been answering the call of their country. Unfailing and unstinting in their service, giving up their lives, literally and figuratively to their country, they have served with dignity and honor, both here and in theater. It is through their sacrifices that much of what has been accomplished has been achieved.

In reality, the Reserves are treated like the “ugly red headed buck toothed step children, that no one really likes” of the Army. They must maintain all the Army standards of physical training and education, without the support or money that the regular Army might provide.

In 2004-5 the Warrior in Transition Battalions were originally stood up for use by wounded Reservists, because they were literally be sent home, once they were released from military hospitals with little or no follow up care, little or no access to the VA and little to no compensation from a grateful nation for the pain and suffering that they endured as a result of their injuries. The Warrior in Transition Battalions was supposed to change all of that. And, if they failed, it would not be a big deal; it was just a Reserve program.

Staffed by Reservists for Reservists, the WTBs were a huge success. Their success rate in getting these soldiers through the medical boards and back into the civilian world was phenomenal. It was so good that the Army quickly took it over, and instituted it Army wide.

In the meantime, you have Reservists trying to run this circus, sort of.

But wait… there’s more… Fast forward to 2009. Reservists are still running the WTBs… sort of. They are doing all of the work, but the Army, in the form of 3 different commands are actually running the programs. Each command is very territorial over the program. Congress is putting pressure on everyone about how much money is getting spent on this program. Not on how much money is getting spent on the soldiers in the program. No, that would never do. Too much collective guilt, left over from Vietnam and Gulf I. But these nasty money grubbing Reservists who are getting rich, taking these tours to help take care of the wounded soldiers. You know… the Reservists who are working stateside, who have given up their jobs, voluntarily, usually supporting two households, because their orders don’t include the ability to bring their vehicles, their families or authorize them to “permanently move” to where they are stationed…

Yes, those Reservists – so the Army decided that they are making way too much money. So they cut their per diem pay, in half. OK. It’s still doable. Per diem is actually only authorized for a ninety day TDY, but it was extended for the Reservists, because they were taking these yearlong tours without family and supporting two households.

This year, in a brilliant cost cutting measure, the Army in its infinite wisdom, has decided that Reservists don’t need that pre diem pay at all. After all, it’s a permanent change of station. But they aren’t going to move you and your family. It’s only a yearlong tour.

But the problem is that nothing has changed. The Reservists are still supporting two households and many of them are more than willing to quit taking on the responsibilities of these tours, because they simply can’t afford to continue to do so.

We have been so proud of the care that we have been giving our wounded soldiers. And we have been giving them excellent care. We have done so, thanks to the Reservists who cared enough to give up huge chunks of their lives to work with them. And now we are going to punish those Reservists.

That’s how you save money… the Army way.