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Posted on 04/23/2008 9:42:47 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The Press: When it comes to smearing John McCain, the mainstream media don't sleep. Now it's "raising questions" about the disability pension he got for torture injuries as a prisoner of war. Where's the shame?
Hard to believe, but true. The industrious beavers who "raise questions" about McCain's fitness for the presidency, citing his $58,000 disability pension, are this time from the Los Angeles Times.
First, the Times' April 22 hit piece implied that, since McCain is in good enough shape to walk across the Grand Canyon, there's something dishonest about his tax-free disability pension. Second, it implied that McCain must be too handicapped to be president at all.
Did they do any research on this? Like, oh, noticing the aforementioned McCain Grand Canyon crossing? In a word, no.
This follows another piece from the New York Times that raised questions about McCain's qualifications for the presidency because he was born at a U.S. military base in Panama.
See a pattern? It's as if McCain's years of honorable military service to our country have been reduced to merely a digging ground for the media's bid to discredit him. Not surprising — ever since the Vietnam War itself, the media have held the military in contempt.
Let's go over again why McCain got that pension in the first place.
McCain was a Navy fighter pilot. He was seriously injured after being shot down over Hanoi in 1966 and spent 5 1/2 years in a hellish communist prison.
The Vietnamese communists twisted his broken arms behind his back and denied him medical treatment. They tried to force him to sign statements betraying his country. He also had to endure forced visits from traitorous anti-war peaceniks.(continued)
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
I agree.
John F. Kennedy would have qualified for a disability pension for his back injury suffered during the PT-109 incident. I guess that he was unfit for POTUS also.
As a veteran (who served in a combat zone in Desert Storm), I disagree. The service should not become a shell game to avoid taxes. In my opinion, service members serve in order to preserve the status of all of us as free Americans. I would feel profoundly guilty if I paid no taxes, as my duties as a citizen include supporting the government monetarily (although I do like it when I pay less ;-P).
I'm sure that other vets would disagree with me. I appreciate the sentiment you have expressed, as well. But I think it wiser to reserve tax exemption for those who were "disabled" as a result of their service (in quotes because I mean the legal definition under the laws regarding service related disability). For those of us who left the service unmarred by disability, I think we should be no better and no worse than our fellow citizens.
Amen to that. He deserves it. I don’t care what his income is now. That is not the point. He earned those payments nuff said. By the way it’s regardless not irregardless. :), sorry it’s a pet peeve of mine ;)
I agree with you, but he still has not released his medical records. They have been asking him for awhile now. If he would just release them then the medical question would stop, just like Obama quit asking the Clintons to submit their tax returns since they submitted them and nothing really came about it. McCain should just release them as everyone else has for decades. What is the big deal really.
The way military disability is determined, and the percentages assigned can’t stand the scrutiny of the light of day in many cases.
It’s looked at as an entitlement by many retiring military members - some do deserve it, some maybe not. That is the uncomfortable thing here...many military members are declared fractionally disabled upon retirement.
In McCain’s case, it’s hard to argue that he is 100% disabled - and the media is rightfully skeptical over the definition that the military uses for “disabled”. It is looked at as a “freebie” by some retiring military. I know many of them.
Again, some deserve it, some don’t, but the definition of “disabled” used by the military is a fair question to ask, but it is not one that is specific to McCain.
I agree and thats why I have no problems with the democrats wanting to raise the taxes on the "rich". They don't need that extra money......... /sar
How dare you question the sainted Max Cleland! Unlike McCain, he’s a genuine war hero. He dropped a grenade when he was drunk. Unlike the racist McCain who was killing people of color with his bombs.
McCain was a fighter pilot and will receive a better pension.
Why hasn't the MSM complained about X42’s government pension after only 8 years of “service”?
Why hasn't anyone complained about the FOBs and FOHs that were granted 100% vesting into military and government pensions immediately after being appointed to the job?
IIRC, Molly Grunwald was listed as a civil servant, but immediately vested into the military retirement system. The same for many, many members of X42’s staff who were appointed for short times in the 90’s.
If there is any shame it should be directed to those DNC favorites.
No different than when local politicians hire relatives for no-work jobs.
Copying costs?
Can you imagine how thick that file must be?
VETS PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME TO OUR ROLL CALL ROSTER AT:
http://Vets4McCain.com
I've always wondered at their choice of words. Why in the world would a bunch of pro abortion liberals call US "Baby Killers"?
The folks at the LATimes seem to not understand "disabled".
Things can be arranged ~ and I'd be more than willing to help out ~ but only with a willing volunteer.
The anti-AmeriKKKan presstitutes and their democrat clients are trying to accomplish something John McCain never could: Making me to vote for him in November. What say you?
The only thing that could allow me to vote for that backstabbing POS would be a hard-line conservative VP pick.
And then hope for the best.
They are disability payments, based on a scale of disability, meant to compensate the soldier for lack of ability incurred during service. It's not just about future earning potential, but also about quality of life. A computer programmer who gets his leg blown off in a war is still 100% capable of continuing his profession, but he'll get disability too.
When it comes to smearing John McCain, the mainstream media don't sleep. Now it's "raising questions" about the disability pension he got for torture injuries as a prisoner of war. Where's the shame? Hard to believe, but true.Plus, he had that professional relationship with that one woman, but it could easily have turned into an affair. /sarc
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