US airways gets bad press -attendant wouldn't hang vet's decorated jacket in 1st class closet

[branford]

36. Thankfully almost no Democratic candidates espouse your views

Last edited Sat Oct 11, 2014, 10:18 PM - Edit history (1)

or Democrats in Congress and most state legislatures, no less the presidency and governorships, would be an endangered species.

Member of the military do not choose where to be deployed, those are the decisions of our elected civilian leadership, like our Democratic president. Additionally, not everything they do is violent, and certainly not a "war for profit." For instance, the army has been deployed to Africa to help assist in containing Ebola, and I do not see the profit in the fight against ISIS. Regardless of branch, they perform a very dangerous job, for little pay and few amenities, and willing to risk their lives for yours and mine. What you call a "cult of the warrior," virtually every other American calls simple respect. In many places in Europe or elsewhere, their service members fear to wear their uniforms due to hostility and disdain by much of the population. Maybe you would feel more comfortable overseas.

I would also note that the small discounts and minor preferential treatment sometimes afforded members of our armed forces are generally voluntary, not mandated by law. If a company wants to give a discount to service members or veterans (or the elderly or anyone else), why would you care. Senior citizens often receive discounts, do we have a "cult of the elderly?"

Lastly, how does you disdain for "Cheney and co" and the MIC have anything to do with the issue. It is entirely possible to loathe the views of Cheney and his ilk, and simultaneously have positive feelings about the actual men and women who serve.

You are most certainly free to hold and espouse any position you wish. However, you views about the armed forces are in the extreme minority of all Americans, particularly post-Vietnam, regardless of political party, and are most certainly not helpful for electing Democrats to office.

In this instance, the service member wasn't even the one who complained, it was the other passengers, including those flying first-class. The actions of the flight attendant were foolish and poor publicity for the airline. It's entirely unsurprising that they apologized at their earliest opportunity.