Helping the Kids of U.S. Military People Killed in the War on Terror

Talking Points | 11-11-05 | Bill O'Reilly

[eagles]

Helping the Kids of U.S. Military People Killed in the War on Terror

Friday, November 11, 2005

By Bill O'Reilly

Helping the kids of U.S. military people killed in the war on terror, that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."

Most Americans appreciate the sacrifice the American military is making in Iraq, Afghanistan, and all over the world. The war on terror is intense, dangerous, and misunderstood, especially misunderstood. Just today, The New York Times editorialized this way: "[The administration doesn't] want a full accounting of how American soldiers and intelligence agents have been turned into torturers."

Well, The Times believes the Bush administration has encouraged the military to abuse, capture prisoners. I don't believe that. I've seen no evidence of that.

The evidence I've seen demonstrates the military is prosecuting people who do abuse prisoners. I could be wrong, but I believe the U.S. military mostly uses restraint in difficult situations.

If The New York Times has proof that high-ranking Bush administration officials have endorsed systematic torture, I'd like to see it.

What is happening in the media is a full-court press to damage the Bush administration by using things like Abu Ghraib, and then taking them 10 steps further without the evidence to back it up. That hurts the military, and it obviously hurts the war effort.

Now fair-minded Americans want truth. As I've said many times, no member of the U.S. military should torture anybody. "Talking Points" believes coerced interrogation methods should be used by presidential order only.

Be that as it may, the issue this evening is helping the children of military people, who have been killed in the war on terror. So far, about 1,100 American children have lost a parent in Iraq, and hundreds of other kids have had parents killed in Afghanistan.

We believe the U.S. government should pay college education costs for those children. At a time when patriotic Americans are volunteering to protect their country against evil, the government should step up and look out for their kids.

So we're asking congressmen and senators to draft legislation and pass a bill providing college tuition to the children of slain military people. We owe it to those who have died in the struggle to help their kids. And "The Factor" urges our federal leaders to directly contact us if they believe that as well.

Remember, the 9/11 families received government assistance. So this is a fair and logical proposition. We also encourage you to contact your congresspeople and senators and urge them to back this proposed legislation.

We'll let you know what happens on Monday. We expect to get big reaction to this. And we expect the bill to be passed quickly. And that's "The Memo."

[eagles]

Good idea. Everyone of these children will now be raised in a single-parent home, facing economic difficulties no one planned on prior to the war. Let's get those phones ringing! We owe it, and the government owes it, to everyone who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

[yoe]

Not to throw cold water on a good idea,I believe children already recieve a certain amount per month until they are 18 or finish college.

Been there, done that........

[Forte Runningrock]

If you go to the swiftboat vets page, there is a link if you want to donate to a fund for the kids of our fallen hero's.

[jwpjr]

Great idea! But you watch, the first time one of these recipients wants to use the scholarship to attend a church sponsored institution the Left and the ACLU will be in court, beating that tired old "separation of church and state" drum. I would hope the legislation would clearly state the intention of Congress that the funds can be used at pleasure of the student and the student's family, even if it's Alabama Christian College or Liberty University.

I don't see how these claims by the Left and the ACLU, and their minions in the MSM, that using funds from a government to attend an institution sponsored by a religious group is violation of their non-constitutional separation of church and state policy. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't millions of WWII veterans use their educational benefits to attend universities and colleges all over America that were church institutions?

[68skylark]

IF private charity can handle this task, I'd rather let them do it. Once we start expanding government, it never seems to stop.

[Hurricane]

Ollie North has been doing this for a couple of years through the Freedom Alliance with little or no administrative cost. Does the Govt need to do it too?
http://www.freedomalliance.org/

[Axhandle]

The life insurance payout increased from $250,000 to $400,000. I think that this is the best system, rather than a tuition system. SGLI, according to all of the safety briefings that I've sat through, does not pay for certain illegitimate causes of death, like drunk driving accidents where the Soldier is not wearing a seatbelt or if a Soldier commits suicide. So long as we can make sure that SGLI upholds standards, I think that this is a better way to help to weed out the undeserving - and some are undeserving (suicides being the most notable). That way, a Soldier serving honorably in the line of duty can know that his kids will be taken care of if he is killed, but the Soldier looking to put his lips around the barrel of his own rifle goes unrewarded.

[my2cent]

"[The administration doesn't] want a full accounting of how American soldiers and intelligence agents have been turned into torturers."

Torture the bastards. Has everyone forgot about 911?