<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Mar 21, 2009

I couldn't make this $&!% up if I tried 

Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, was presented this week with the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award. The award, granted by the Secretary of the Navy, is the highest form of public service recognition bestowed by the Department of the Navy for a non-employee. It consists of a gold medal, miniature medal, lapel bar, rosette, and a certificate signed by the Secretary.

According to the Department, “nominations for this award will be limited to those extraordinary cases where individuals have demonstrated exceptionally outstanding service of substantial and long term benefit to the Navy, Marine Corps, or as Department of the Navy as a whole.” Murtha was presented with the award in appreciation of his distinguished public service to the Department of the Navy.
Unbefreakinglievable. I don't typically go in for pushing around those online petitions, but in this case... go here. My entry (#21319): "The man willingly sold fellow Marines down the river with no regard for facts or due process. That he was given an award for "selfless devotion to the Nation's Sailors and Marines" is unconscionable. He has broken the faith and is worthy by any measure of the title "EX-Marine" and all that entails."
----------------
hat tip to commenter adagioforstrings
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 06:37
|

Mar 16, 2009

"deeply disappointed and concerned" 

"There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran's personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable."
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 16:19
|

Mar 12, 2009

Classy 

I know I'm not the only one who remembers hearing for years about how President Bush wasn't doing enough for veterans and how his support to the VA was lacking. I also remember that same claim made about John McCain on the campaign trail. A quick Googling of "Bush, Veterans Administration" and "McCain, Veterans Administration" bears out my memories with story after story about their supposed inaction and overall loathing of the VA.

So what happens when the new POTUS is subjected to the same Googling? Story after story about getting some of that Change and all the sweet love that will rain down on the VA... which don't square with THIS at all, now does it?
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed Tuesday that the Obama administration is considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance. …

No official proposal to create such a program has been announced publicly, but veterans groups wrote a pre-emptive letter last week to President Obama voicing their opposition to the idea after hearing the plan was under consideration.

The groups also cited an increase in “third-party collections” estimated in the 2010 budget proposal — something they said could be achieved only if the Veterans Administration started billing for service-related injuries.

Asked about the proposal, Shinseki said it was under “consideration.”
Well I guess if that's what it takes to be patriotic, we just oughta suck it up and get on board then...

Pop quiz time. Whaddya think: will it be (a) mass accusations and venom directed at Mr Obama, (b) a public statement from the administration saying Shinseki "misspoke," or (c) the good retired General being the next one to get a look at the undercarriage of 'Greyhound One'? Or we could always go with (d) "none of the above."

UPDATE: And the hits just keep on comin'. That's just about as freakin' classy as ya can get, idn't it?
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 13:07
|

Mar 1, 2009

Public service announcement 

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us ... except when we don't...

Just because you're "trying," doesn't mean you're "working," you tools.

I will never rent another car through Avis, ever. Or maybe it's just their Florida shops that are entirely peopled with idiots, because I never had this problem in California. See, in Cali, I lived about 2 blocks from an Avis and it was cheaper to rent a car for a trip to the airport than to take a cab. Never an issue. Not once. The people holding down the Florida locations however, are completely retarded.

I am still to this day in possession of a Washington State driver's license. Quasi-socialists though they may be, they are still cool enough up there to give you a license with a "military" expiry. That is, up to 90 days past whenever I get out, I still have a valid license. I've been driving on the same one for 10 years.

This does not compute for Avis. They would not rent me a car (a minivan, in point of fact, because I wanted to haul around a great multitude of visiting family today) because they THINK I have an expired license. I explained to the woman at the counter. I explained to the woman on the phone who was the closest thing to a supervisor there was. No dice. "Well the system says..." "What system? Your system? Because the DMV hasn't said a damn thing to me, so your system is worthless." "Well, sir, uh..." "Yeah - UHHHH... you're useless. Kill my order, cancel it. I'm done with you."

This would be the second time Avis has screwed me on a car. There will not be a third. The first was mid-2007 when The Wif and I came down here house-hunting, only to have the jackass behind the counter incorrectly enter my license ID number, say that the license was invalid and then scurry off back to her hole before I realized what she'd done. This was at the airport at around 1 in the morning with my 7+ months preggo Wif in tow. And like Jerry Seinfeld, I had a reservation...

So, to any readers out there across the fruited plain who may be in possession of a driver's license like mine, be advised that Avis will likely screw you and they are a waste of time, space, and effort. In short, they are oxygen bandits, stealing perfectly good air from the rest of the people and contributing to global stupidity.

And to Avis, I hope you get bought out by Enterprise and that they keep the cars but fire all the employees.
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 08:02
|

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Weblog Commenting by HaloScan.com