I have begun to realize that when I tell people who ask me what my article is going to be about this week and their first comment is along the line of, "Um....I don't think that's a good idea..." I'm usually onto something. With that being stated, starting this past weekend, I have Observed that it has been a very red, white and blue, star spangled, Yankee Doodle, starred and striped, all American, sticking feathers in our caps, patriotic past seven days. At the pinnacle of these parades, wreath laying salute to the troops ceremonies at every sporting event, of course, was last Wednesday's Observance of Veteran's Day. These over the top displays of our gratitude and thanks to our military men and women have become common place from the opening ceremonies to half time shows to 21 gun salutes at the end of the game, but no more so then on American holidays such as Memorial Day, The 4th of July and Veteran's Day. Even Labor Day has gotten in on the devoted "Don't Tread on Me!" Old Glory action. So, go to the game, the race or tune it in on the tube. Have a hot dog, crack open a beer, don your favorite team or driver garb, sit back and enjoy yourself watching the land of the free festivities. You might as well, after all, you paid for it. As a matter of fact.... we all did.
That's right, my fellow Observers, all those field size flags, fervent flyovers, camo team caps, sweatbands and Bose headsets, patriotic paint schemes and field markings, fans in the stands flip cards that spell out Thank You! in a sea of stars and bars. Those moving renditions of The Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful performed by all those well known celebrities. The marching bands playing a melody of Sousa compositions that bring to mind visions of purple mountains and amber waves. Infantry formations at half time that pull on your country loyal heartstrings, compel you to take off your hat, place your hand over your chest and put a lump in your throat larger than an apple in an American pie came out of our collectively taxed pockets.
As early as May of this year it was discovered and brought to light by senators John McCain and Jeff Flake that the Department of Defense has paid over 50 professional sports teams more than 9 million dollars to put on elaborate patriotic displays at their events. Recipients of monies paid out to "honor our troops" included 18 NFL teams, 10 MLB teams, 8 NBA teams, 6 NHL teams, 8 MLS teams, NASCAR, Iron Dog, Indiana and Perdue University. NASCAR had the biggest "freedom isn't free" windfall of close to 1.6 million for 2015 alone. Followed by the Atlanta Falcons, $879,000.00, the New England Patriots, $700,000.00, the Buffalo Bills, $650,000.00 and the Baltimore Ravens, $534,000.00 to round out the top five. However, for whatever amount of egg they can wipe off their faces, the NFL teams mentioned received their funds over a 3 - 4 year period when NASCAR received theirs in just one.
The DOD downplayed the amount spent (the disclosed amount that is, we will never really know how much they actually spent due to classified expenditure policies) on sporting events as just a small portion of the 53 million dollar budget they have spent on marketing and advertising over the past 2 1/2 years. On the NFL sideline, commissioner Roger Goodell, still on the domestic violence hot seat (especially in Dallas) and not wanting another controversial issue or scandal crossing his desk, has claimed publicly that he has given "guidance" on "paid patriotism" to all NFL teams and has promised that all money taken will be paid back to the DOD by the participating teams. On a side note, though, Goodell and the NFL have continually sidestepped, flat out avoided or ignored pointed questions posed about any compensation given to either organization involved during their "No More" campaign, outside of free advertising time during games to run the public service spots.
Flake stated at a news conference with McCain that unveiled their findings, "What is upsetting is when you see activities like this, that people assume when they go to games, are paid for out of the goodness of the heart by the owners and the teams, and then to find out that the taxpayers are paying for it. It kind of cheapens it and is simply not right.". Well said, Jeff, but you know what cheapens it even further? The taxpayer money you and Johnny McDoRight spent on your information marketing campaign titled "Tackling Paid Patriotism" that included press conference posters and advertisements to make yourselves look like our saviors by uncovering our supposed naivete' with a report (that you also spent taxpayer money on) that wasn't even necessary because almost all of us knew already where the money was coming from to begin with. The only people this report shocked were the marketing executives from the sports teams the DOD made deals with. So, in reality, you both just wasted even more money by trying to be whistleblowing hero's. Nice try though. Deals like these are not only brokered with teams by our government, but by charities as well. I explored this side of the issue a couple of weeks ago in The Cost Of Awareness www.priceyribbons.blogspot.com . White House spokesman John Earnest, when asked about the situation, stated, "I'm not aware that the president has weighed in on this and I will acknowledge that I'm not aware of the policies that govern those kinds of relationships.". He added that "I do know that the Department of Defense would likely say that these kinds of relationships enhance their recruiting efforts.". Excuse me? Isn't it part of the president's job to know what the branches of our government and military are spending taxpayer money on? Sounds to me like the White House is playing a 10 million dollar game of pass the "united we stand" buck.
As far as I'm concerned this is just another example of our governments wasteful spending. I examined some of those issues in Somehow... I Lost A Mile www.thelostmile.blogspot.com which involved some of the most ridiculous spending practices our government has been involved in. Although some of them were humorous, what is defiantly not funny is when these practices cost lives or put our service personnel in jeopardy on the battlefield. In 2014 it was discovered that at least 40 armed forces veterans died while waiting for health care at the Phoenix Arizona Veteran's Health Administration Facility. It was also uncovered that more than 120,000 veterans were made to wait months for certain treatments or never received any care at all. At the same time that this was occurring, the Department of Veteran Affairs paid out more than 142 million dollars in payroll bonuses to executives and employees as performance rewards. In regards to the DOD, they have been constantly criticized by every branch of the military as well as the media for shortages our troops have been experiencing throughout our Middle East conflicts since as far back as 2003. But thank you both, Frankie and Johnny for that informative report. It was a real eye opener and I'm sure most people will think was worth every penny you spent.
Unfortunately, our government isn't the only trouble we face in regards to these concerns. Some of our veterans themselves are creating almost as much controversy, if not more, in another arena. I know many of you are probably asking, how could I possibly have a problem with veterans? The fact is, I don't, not with all of them. I said some. Some of our veterans when asked about the money being spent on patriotic displays have stated to the media that it doesn't matter where the money comes from. That the show of thanks is what is important and what matters to them. The problem is, it does matter where the money comes from. I find this difficult to understand, as it is coming from the people who couldn't get our government to spring for bullet proof vests for all our fighting forces at the front a couple of years ago. Along with not getting proper health care or other benefits they deserve. We hear all the time "our veterans need this" or "our military needs that". When did they start needing these extravagant displays of our thanks and support? What bothers me the most about this pro-mentality towards these overblown gratitude shin-digs is that according to some modern day veterans, they don't even want our thanks because they consider it insulting.... unless it's filled with pomp and circumstance.... that's different. If you want to read my thoughts on this, check out When Did Thank You Become An Insult? www.nothanksforservice.blogspot.com
Some of my critics have suggested that I shouldn't be hard on our veterans. That I shouldn't speak ill of their actions or statements because I don't have a point of reference that relates to why they joined or what they've been through and they are absolutely right... I don't. However, I submit that just because some one has served their country gives them no right to hold themselves in any higher regard that someone who hasn't. A true patriot serves with no expectation of gratitude, special treatment or entitlement. I would never belittle or dismiss what any of these people have done for our country, but I will question what they expect from the rest of us for doing so. Our thanks and gratitude? They've got it. Health care benefits? They absolutely deserve them. Compensation for families of fallen, disabled, or missing soldiers? I have no problem with that. Housing assistance? They've defiantly earned it. But taking millions away from those programs or shorting our budget which prevents us from creating new ones that would actually help veterans and their families and at the same time keep our fighting forces equipped with what they need just to throw a couple of excessive, sport centered "every heart beats true" appreciation parties in order to feed a few glory hungry hero's egos or recruit new troops that might one day expect the same is an insult to everyone who serves, have served and don't get enough, if any, of the fore mentioned benefits.
Another complication that is given to us by some veterans is the problem they have with when we celebrate Veteran's Day. In the past, as a nation, we have usually Observed the holiday on the Monday of the week it fell in. The past couple of years we have Observed it on the actual day of November 11th because some veterans felt it was disrespectful to them by moving the day around to make it, in their words, more convenient for us by using their day to create a long weekend. Citing that they deserved a stationary holiday and pointing out that we wouldn't move Christmas or the 4th of July. Really?.... Are these people serious? I guess they were, since the only way we have a Veteran's Day long weekend is if it falls on a Monday or a Friday from now on. Since next year is a leap year, we can all get excited about 2016. Now, don't get me wrong. I fully supported their protests concerning towns and states that considered Veteran's Day an elective holiday and chose not to close schools and local legislative offices. That was disrespectful, not Observing it on an alternate day. I mean, really.... what's the problem? It's not like it's a rare practice. Martin Luther King Day, for example, is a "floating" holiday that's Observed on the Monday of the week it falls on and nobody is complaining about it, although I have to say that I am surprised that some organization or group hasn't decided to make a stink about it by now. Then there's President's Day. We used to celebrate both Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays separately. Not only did we combine them to one day, it floats to the nearest Monday as well. What about Patriot Day? Shouldn't we honor that day and all the citizens we lost on the actual day? Oh... that's right... we don't even recognize that day as a real holiday at all. It's just a gesture on our calendars like Flag Day or Pearl Harbor Day. We consider them "national" holidays, but when it comes to our government, its business as usual. No post offices or schools closed on those days. No one seems to have a problem with the way we recognize these days, do they? Although according to some of our Veteran's way of thinking, we should. When you think about the issue you may realize that it's one thing to complain about people not celebrating the day itself. It's another thing to gripe about it not being good enough to simply Observe the day. That we have to celebrate it only on the day it falls. Sounds a little selfish and self serving to me. Not a very honorable opinion, but I could be wrong.
Maybe we should solve this predicament by making Veteran's Day a permanent "floating" holiday like Memorial Day or Labor Day and have it fall on a particular Monday in November. No one complains about the way we celebrate those holidays. For as much "celebrating" we do on Veteran's Day anyway. Even when we Observed Veteran's Day on a Monday to make a long weekend, I don't recall going to too many Veteran's Day parties or picnics.... do you?
Whether it's wasteful spending on patriotic events or the controversy over what day we should be celebrating our patriotism on, I submit that neither issue addresses the dilemma at hand. Our veterans are praised by our citizens and forgotten by our government. No celebration is going to fix that. No freedom filled display will help a veteran get the medical care he or she needs. No dedicated day of Observance will take a homeless veteran off the street. No flag covered field will buy a hungry veteran food and a closed post office will not deliver enough money to a family that has lost a provider to conflict or war. I guess the sonic boom of the jets flying overhead or the clap of the ceremonial cannons being fired to sound out our freedom has made us forget and the immense glare of the red, white and blue rockets have blinded us into not seeing what is right under our noses. That the ones that have sacrificed the most are receiving the least. Strictly an Observation. If you'll excuse me, the game is on.
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