NAMMARINE:
It's difficult to understand your attitude about a fellow vet, but it's obvious you're completely out of touch with the real world.
This man is not a beggar in the traditional sense, and I'll bet he rarely, if ever, begs. He more than likely feeds himself and TJ from garbage which other people throw away.
He is not a con artist like most beggars.
He has simply decided to separate himself from society for his own reasons which we don't know and probably would never understand.
In spite of your implications, we do NOT as a society have an adequate means of caring for these types of individuals.
He doesn't want a job; he doesn't want a house or a car; he doesn't want to be a part of society.
His reasons for defending the memorial are really none of our business.
Just as he has earned the right to live like he does, he has earned the right to support his idea of America in the way he sees fit.
You, sir, would never have made it out of boot camp in one piece in the "old Corps".
Either your attitude would have been adjusted, or you would have found a permanent home in sick bay.
A BTTT bump for those words. Well said.