I posted this earlier, but it’s more germane here:

While we’re all wishing a Happy Veterans’ Day to military personnel past and present, may I just say that to the homeless vet whose regular post is the corner of Cold Spring Lane and Roland Avenue in Baltimore, all our prayers and “thank yous” are cold comfort indeed. People, please look into what you can actually do for vets in need, because our vaunted system leaves many in the lurch. Iraq and Afghanistan vets with severe PTSD are being told they really had a “pre-existing condition” before they joined the service so the VA doesn’t have to cover their care. The “nothing’s too good for our men and women in uniform” line is often just that - a fine sentiment with little to back it up.

That the murderous Maj. Hasan, a fourth-rate doctor, could qualify as a military psychiatrist gives you some idea of how bad things are.

And an update on that story: NPR tonight reports that not too long ago the brass at Walter Reed sat around a table worrying what to do with this sick loser. There was speculation out loud that he was psychotic and could possible even be “fratricidal” - milcode for “might kill fellow soldiers”. They decided it was too politically risky to try and fire him. There would be lawsuits (hmm…I wonder what organizations they were worried about?) and so, they just ended up shipping him off to Fort Hood and hoping the problem would disappear.

Heads. Must. Roll.