Veteran Chains Himself Outside White House to Protest Trump and Musk

[Passages]

The 80-year-old veteran said Donald Trump and Elon Musk are “killing veterans.”

An 80-year-old veteran chained himself to a sign near the White House Monday to protest Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s massive cuts to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Richard Hobcraft Allan III, a resident of Charlottesville, Virginia, locked himself to a metal post outside of the presidential building Monday morning, holding a pipe around his hands reading “King Trump and Pres Musk are killing veterans.”

Allan said he and his fellow veterans “are marshaling on [March] 14th at noon and marching all over the country to say one simple thing: Veterans will not stand for this any longer.”

“We believe that an unelected leader is killing our fellow veterans and something must be done. All over our country, people are standing up, making noise in the streets, and stating ‘we cannot go on as usual,’” Allan continued. He later joked with one of the Metropolitan Police officers who responded to the scene.

https://newrepublic.com/post/192559/veteran-chains-white-house-protest-trump-musk

Deep respect.

[BoRaGard]

1. G.O.P. needs to honor America's veterans

instead of cutting funding, and demeaning them as "suckers and losers."

[Passages]

3. That would be a first.

[FalloutShelter]

2. Thank you for your continuing service, Richard Hobcraft Allan III

[BeyondGeography]

4. A quick check of the interwebs says exit polls had the veteran vote 65-34 for Trump

The guy who called you suckers and losers.

I am not gloating. I just want people to stop doing stupid shit.

[Amaryllis]

5. Video

[slightlv]

6. The U.S. no longer does "honor"

First it was the weird kids in the 60's. The first generation (that I know of) who so rattled the status quo they vilified and shot us. So, the kids were no good.

Then, the ageism started (and has never stopped). First it was "don't trust anyone over 30" (remember those days? And the movie?) and then anyone deemed "old" as in their fifties or older just got no respect at all. We still don't. And the older we get, the more obvious it becomes. We're talked down to like we're babies again. Our decisions and our dignity are co-opted by people who are doing it "for our own good." When we walk into or through a store, we might as well be wearing a cloak of invisibility. And any handicap to that old age, and you're really in for a non-existence as the rest of the country sees it. Other countries honor their parents and grandparents, and their ancestors, for pete's sake. Not America! Do you even know who to put on your "ancestor list?"

Handicapped individuals are hidden from sight, either literally or metaphorically. Their handicaps too much to bear witness to for the average "normal" person. Have a hidden handicap, and be accused by anyone and everyone of "faking it." No honor there.

Go into the service at 17 or 18 years of age. Stay your four or six years, or make it a career. It won't make a hill's worth of beans difference to the average person. I got so sick of being told "Thank you for your service" with no action to go along with it, that I now refuse out in public to state I'm a veteran. It's all surface-level hypocritical talk for most people. We're treated as the "other" just like women, the aged, and the handicapped.

No, America doesn't do "honor" any longer... not since they installed nothing but crooks in our government. If I ever hear a repub talk about corruption again, I'm going to slap him upside his head (even if I have to stand on a step stool to reach it!).