Fearful members of Congress

May 6, 2025
May 6, 2025 Updated May 9, 2025
11

Editor,

Don’t get mad at Trump. Getting mad at Trump is like getting mad at a “special needs” kid that is allowed to run amok in the town square.

(11) comments

Jorg May 6, 2025 7:03am

Thank you for your service, - the service that Trump lied himself out of!

Dirk van Ulden May 6, 2025 8:23am

As did Clinton, Obama, and Biden. The last President with military service was your much derided Bush, a Republican!

Jorg May 7, 2025 7:26am

Dirk: Where in the world did Clinton, Obama, and Biden have to lie themselves out of military service, like Trump, the eternal liar?

Then again, I do understand why Trump didn't want to be sent to VietNam, a war we shouldn't have been involved with, - like so many others, including Iraq and Afghanistan, that Bush jr. got us involved with because of an imaginary god inside his head.

Ray Fowler May 7, 2025 8:11am

Good morning, Dirk... save the keystrokes.

Rel May 7, 2025 10:07am

Dirk, facts, remember them? Obama was too young for Viet Nam so he did not have to lie; Clinton's draft number was in the high 300's so he he was not likely to be drafted so no necessity to lie; and Biden had severe asthma as a college student so he was only eligible to serve in a national emergency which Viet Nam was not declared to be. The case could be made Biden could have served if he waived his deferment. I know, because I had severe hay fever and could have been classified out of service, but because I came from a military family, I waived my deferment and served anyway. Glad I did even though I did not believe in the war then. Trump, had bone spurs, which, poor dear, still plagues him to this day.

Jorg May 7, 2025 11:11am

Rel: I am proud to have been one of the last ones in Norway to serve the 16 months of mandatory service, which I did with boot camp during the Cuban crises back in 1962. I had the feeling they were just waiting for me to finish the 16 before they reduced it to 12 months, as soon as I was done! What an honor!

Ray Fowler May 7, 2025 11:28am

Hi, Rel

How did a severe asthmatic like Joe get an appointment to the Naval Academy?

Just rattling your cage a little...

You are correct. Barry was too young for service during the Vietnam era. However, Joey, Billy, and Donnie all got deferments. It looks like deferments were obtained in those days regardless of political stripe. Do you think there were any similarities about those deferments that might have been absent for other young men who were inducted?

Dirk van Ulden May 6, 2025 7:06am

Peter - do you really believe anything that Mullin has to say? He is a lock-step politician belonging to a party that has been strangled by the types of Pelosi and now AOC. If he opens his mouth, he will be even further removed from any meaningful committee assignments. His only assignment is TDS dissemination.

Ray Fowler May 6, 2025 8:39am

Hey, Dirk!

Local pols who move up cannot break away from the Democratic Party machine and its money. Many years ago, I knew Redwood City mayor, the late Ira Ruskin, very well. He was a regular guy and approachable. That all changed when he moved up to the Assembly. Same with Kevin Mullin. I had a chance to connect with him years ago, and I found him to be a regular guy and approachable. While I lean toward conservative candidates, I supported Kevin. That all changed when he moved up to Congress.

Re: TDS

Years ago, I laughed when I first heard “TDS” applied to left leaning folks. I thought it was just a cutesy political jab at those left leaning “the sky is falling!” gadflies who over and over again label anyone who disagrees with them as fascists or racists or both. I thought use of “TDS” would fade, but ya gotta ask, “Is TDS real?” Well, I don’t expect to see it added to sixth edition of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders,” but it certainly is worth some discussion. Psychiatrists and clinicians will say TDS does not exist, but there is no denying that a fear and/or hatred of all things Trump is disturbing some of those left leaning folks to the point that their fear and hatred are affecting cognition and emotional well-being. We see plenty of examples of TDS… real or not… in these pages.

Mike Caggiano May 6, 2025 7:43pm

Peter, I was in that same cohort as you were. Only I missed out on going to 'Nam, as it hadn't really started up yet ('63 to '65).

The super sad and cynical part of it all was that the government of the North is now the official government of all of the nation. No difference from the "unacceptable domino" that we had to stop from taking over the world. So, we bombed them and died and lost friends for that and now we're best buddies with the very same outfit.

They didn't change but we sure as hell did.

So that brings me to the point that if we challenged the B*ll Sh*t more effectively then, lot's more of us would still be here today (very old unfortunately, but alive)

semper fi good buddy

Dirk van Ulden May 6, 2025 9:03pm

Mike - it is always good to question authority. But, as a draftee, and a recent immigrant, in the Spring of 1966, many of us did not have a choice. The local draft board in Old Saybrook, Conn. picked me over one of their own. After my discharge in 1970, I ran into lots of contemporaries who had found a way to get deferments. The current series on Netflix is quite accurate in describing my sentiment and experience at the time.

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