New leaders needed; 'useless' war must end
I have reached my saturation point with the ineffectiveness of our elected officials and our government and the small, petty babble and senseless rhetoric that they all seem to want to engage in.
Everyone wants to blame the other guy for this mess and not take responsibility for their part. It is time to get over that. All this rhetoric, while the American people are suffering an incredible financial burden, can't find jobs and can't get any health care because they cannot afford it.
We need some real answers, positive direction and leadership that is willing to work together in order to help save our country. Our congressmen and our senators are a public embarrassment. Our nation is in a state of internal collapse.
Instead of pointing fingers and whining about the other guy or the other party, it is time to reach across the table with an open hand, roll up your sleeves, and get to work! People need jobs and you, our political leaders, need to get off your collective butts and do something. There is plenty to do here at home to fix up our country. Start working together. Find a way!
Get us out of this useless war because it serves no real purpose. Did you not learn anything from the Vietnam War? Our military people are going to be suffering the psychological impact of this war for the rest of their lives.
War is not the answer, never has been. We, the American people, are not on the same page as those we are fighting against. We have values that they do not understand and they have values and a way of life that we do not comprehend. We come from a whole different reality. It is not wrong, it is just different.
The only reason we are in the Middle East is because of "greed." Corporate America and the oil companies are making the rules, and self-serving politicians and corporate executives are getting rich off of this war.
A great man once said that "There is no way to Peace, Peace is the Way"! We will never achieve real peace through war.
I am a Vietnam veteran. I served my country with honor in the Marine Corps and the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. I have suffered both physical and mental injuries because of it. It took me over 30 years to get my Service Connected Disability. New veterans are going through the same thing now.
I put it to you, the leaders of our country, to start working together, to restore this country to its greatness. We have one of the worst health care systems in the world. The AMA, the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical corporations have a death grip on us. Their only concern is how much money they can make in as short a time as possible, and you, our political leaders are just as much a part of the problem as the AMA, and the rest.
If you can't do the job, have the courage to step down and maybe we can get someone else in there that can. You've abandoned the veterans; you've turned your backs on everyone but the rich and affluent who can contribute to your financial security and you have neglected your sworn duty. You have tried to hide behind your righteous, self-serving personal interest and forgotten the oath you took to serve this country.
It is time to put party lines aside. It is time to quit being a Democrat or Republican or whatever other political party you acknowledge and time to be an American ... One nation, under God.
Read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights which you have managed to neglect and distort for your own personal gain. Step up to your elected responsibility and fix this mess that you have created. Once a country is divided it will not stand. That is a classic military tactic, a principle that is over 10,000 years old. Only through unity can we hope to survive. We are supposed to be the United States of America, can we return to that principle again?
Russ DeVerniero is a Coeur d'Alene resident.