Monday, August 01, 2022

Republicans Fist Bump Over Screwing Veterans Out Of Healthcare

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democrats, comedian and activist Jon Stewart, a great many Americans, and me, all over Twitter, railed against a group of Senate Republicans who voted against legislation to help veterans suffering from ailments related to toxic burn pits.

The PACT Act, which the House passed earlier this month, would enable additional healthcare coverage for more than three million veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits and Vietnam-era veterans exposed to the deadly herbicide Agent Orange. The House passed the PACT Act by a 342-88 vote about a month after the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 84-14. But this week the Senate had to retake the bill up because the House passed some minor changes in its version, and that’s when Republicans held out their middle finger to our vets..

We send these men and women off to wear to fight and when they come home, we, well, the GOP mostly, turn our back on them, as Jon Stewart pointed out:

"So ain't this a bitch? America's heroes, who fought our wars, outside sweating their asses off, with oxygen battling all kinds of ailments, while these motherf**kers sit in the air conditioning walled off from any of it? They don't have to hear it. They don't have to see it. They don't have to understand that these are human beings. Did you get it yet? [If] this is America First, then America is f**ked. … I'm used to lies. I'm used to hypocrisy. I'm used to their cowardice. I'm not used to the cruelty, the casual cruelty ... a bill they had fought for, for more than a decade."

Stewart lays a great deal of blame at, who else but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who, he says, lied to veterans by saying "we'll get it done" and then voting against the bill. He also criticized Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey, a Republican retiring at the end of his term:

"Pat Toomey didn't lose his job. He's walking away. God knows what kind of pot of gold he's stepping into to lobby this government to shit on more people. I'm used to all of it, but I'm not used to the cruelty. Senator Toomey is not going to hear that because he won't sit down with [Veterans] because he is a f**king coward. You hear me? None of them will hear it. And none of them will care. What just makes the gut punch that much more devastating is that these people all came down here so that they could finally tell the men and”—Stewart started to tear up—"Their constituents are dying. And they're gonna get it done after recess? You don't … tell their cancer to take a recess, tell their cancer to stay home and go visit their families."

Stewart apologized for his foul language, but then outlined what the senators were voting against, with a veteran saying the bill "gives them health care, gives them benefits, lets them live from become an addict, keeps veterans from committing suicide."

It’s that simple.

Pat Toomey declined to comment on Stewart's earlier criticism, saying:

"That's not worth responding to."

Veterans’ healthcare being denied is not worth responding to, because Toomey is leaving his cushy job and literally does not give a fuck; this whole ‘No’ vote was a slap to veterans because the GOP did not want to give Biden, via the Democrats, a win, as you could see when Republicans stood in the Senate chamber and fist-bumped denying healthcare to our veterans; they cheered.


It’s clear, as I Tweeted out over the weekend, remembering the GOIP cheering the end of Roe v Wade, the GOP refusing to acknowledge the heroic efforts by DC and Capitol Police on 1/6, and many in the GOP vowing to end marriage equality:


They spit in the faces of heroes and women and the LGBTQ+ community, and children being slaughtered in schools. What will it take for some of you to see that the GOP doesn’t represent We The People, doesn’t stand for this country?

They represent only their own interests, their own bank accounts, and their own party,

November is coming … CAST A GODDAMNED VOTE.

PS In addition to voting against veterans, women and the LGBTQ+ community, they also voted against codifying same-sex marriage, and interracial marriage, into law, voted against contraception, and voted against sending out Amber Alerts when there's an active shooter. 

25 comments:

  1. I was horrified to read yesterday that a poll showed that 1 in 3 Americans thought it would soon be time to take up arms against the government. Lets hope that they decide to fight the Repugnant party who clearly don't give a shit about the people they are meant to be serving.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. 1 in 3 of the people they asked, which isn't very much. But it's still telling that people think that way.

      Delete
  2. aussieguy11:58 AM

    I’ve always tried to say I voted for the PERSON not the PARTY, even though I’m a registered Democrat, but I no longer can find a single non-fucked up GOPer. It’s truly difficult to be around family or friends that identify as GOP without wanting to scream at them “what is wrong with you?” Oh yeah, voting blue this fall, even though I lived in totally fucked up Indiana.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I have always voted Blue because the GOP never fully represented all of me; sure, the while part, and the male part, but the gay business? Not so much.

      Delete
  3. Our primary is tomorrow. We got a call at 8am
    reminding us... Hoping to see some dramatic
    blue action in this red county.
    xoxo :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fingers crossed things will change.
      xoxo

      Delete
  4. Yes, American is fucked. But I hope they‘re soon fucked out of jobs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From your mouth to their constituents ears!

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  5. Oh, the Repugs will fuck their constituents up and turn around and do it again. And they'll keep voting for them. It's a cult.
    And they'll do anything but give the libs 'a win'. Ugh.
    They need to be voted OUT.

    XOXO

    ReplyDelete
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    1. To call yourselves pro-vet and then fuck vets is as bad as calling yourselves the law and order party but refusing to praise police officers who dealt with the insurrection.
      And yet they don't seem to care.
      xoxo

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  6. How anyone votes republican amazes me

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I mean they continually say one thing and then do another, how can they ever be trusted?

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  7. I know that this is a side issue but what has America really, really done for the innocent Cambodians, Laotians and Vietnamese who still suffer from the effects of "agent orange"? Of course most of them are now dead. The GOP fist bumping was disgusting and offended my eyes.

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    1. And this is from the party that calls themselves pro-veteran.

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  8. I love Jon Stewart. I detest Ted Cruz, Mitch Turtle, and so many other Republicans. How can anyone be against Amber Alerts when there's an active shooter? And contraception? I'm tired and it's only Monday. After all the years Joe Biden spent working with both sides of the aisle, how can those lame ass fucks be against good, sensible points simply because they don't want Joe Biden to be seen in a positive light. They need to have their own little country where they're ruled by their boyfriend trump, but no other part of the world would have them.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They don't wanna make their Little Fascist Leader mad, so they'll sell their souls.

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    2. They have souls?

      Delete
  9. Personally, I think what pisses of Toomey the most is that there is very good possibility he's going to be replaced by a Democrat.

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  10. "Republicans Fist Bump Over Screwing Veterans" When I heard that, my head blew up!!! Fuck them!!! Why anyone would ant to be a part of that party is beyond me. They are insulting and mean to everyone. All the service people should resign and let the refucklings go defend the country...a win win...they will all get killed and we will still have our servicemen to reinstate...and no repuklicans party!!!!!

    I've long thought this country treats its veterans appalling...and shame on either party for letting it happen. This is how they are treated. We pay the big buck for actors and sports figures, but not to people actually saving and defending lives.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. We do treat our veterans horribly, because we care more about the war than the men and women fighting it.
      But the GOP which hails itself as the party of pro-military is lying to us all once again, and so, as you said: Fuck them!!!!!

      Delete
  11. This is very sad to read. My own ex husband is a Vietnam Vet, thankfully Australian, and after many years of therapy finally is able to see how much that war hurt him mentally and emotionally.
    Every member of your GOP should be sent to a war zone and have to live there for at least six months without access to their home benefits.

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    Replies
    1. We should not be sending men and women off to fight for us and then ignoring them when they return home. Ever!

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  12. A travesty, for sure. I don't know how these people live with themselves or why anybody lives with them... terrible people doing terrible things. That's the GOP motto.

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    Replies
    1. They make up their own reasons but the reasons are flimsy and useless like the GOP.

      Delete

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