Class, Wars and Other Fun
Two stories appeared today that were in direct contrast. The first was a story about a Sheriff in Chicago who is now an official hero of MidnightRanter and the other was about Mrs. McCain saying some really dumb things about PTSD. Normally, these two issues wouldn't really intersect, but where they meet right now tells you more about America than any of the so called debates will. Cindy McCain was giving an interview to Marie Claire about all kinds and she made some unfortunate and inappropriate comments about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), click on the link above and do a word search for "POW". The first story is, at the end of the day, a story about a sheriff who, instead of following a Robin Hood like tradition, is actually preventing people from losing their homes and getting outraged on behalf of the little man. The second story is about a woman who insists that those who are properly trained at all the best schools or some such don't get PTSD, even if they are prisoners of war for years on end. So, the rough intersection is the difference between rich and poor, powerful and weak and how those divides are widening as time goes on. Mrs. McCain, an heiress to a beer distributing fortune, has never tasted hungry or desperate. She has done a hell of a lot more than most in that position would to help the poor, including adopting children from all over the world. She has donated time, money and energy for all the right reasons, but has just said something so offensive attention must be paid. Sheriff Thomas J. Dart of Chicago, Illinois has put even more on the line and for that attention must be paid. Either way, someone pays.
First of all, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart is just the kind of man we all need right now. Yeah, this is gonna be a popular opinion, but there's a lot more resting on what he's doing than even he might know. His basic premise for not enforcing eviction notices is that mortgage companies were not identifying tenants they want evicted. The stories that really pushed Sheriff Dart over the edge on this issue were not the people who had defaulted on mortgages, but those people who were renters from people who had defaulted on mortgages. The renters had paid their rent on time, played by the rules and really did everything right. These were not the damn morons who over extended themselves, these were the people who honestly tried, the mortgages companies didn't care enough to know their names and just called for evictions of addresses. Apparently, this is not legal under Illinois law, as they require the names of tenants to be evicted. Sheriff Dart has pointed this out, and the banking industry has responded by calling him both a vigilante and declaring martial law. Sheriff Dart didn't say he would never serve another eviction notice, he just declared that his officers were not going to do the dirty work of investigation for the mortgage holding companies. He said he was tired of evicting good people and wasn't going to do it, and some are talking that his ignoring of court ordered eviction notices is tantamount to contempt of court, a charge often applied to people who tell judges to fuck off or even witness who refuse to testify. Of course, to make the charges stick, it'd have to go to trial. If it goes to trial, it goes before a jury of his peers and good luck finding twelve people who know no one who has been evicted or facing eviction in the city of Chicago.
And on we go to Mrs. McCain's comments. Let's face it, she knows fuck all about being a POW or PTSD. After all, she said herself all that is behind John McCain and never loses a night's sleep over it. It's totally in his past and while it's a part of him but it's not part of his daily experience. . .except when he keeps bringing it up in all his campaign ads and why he has stuff like this for sale. So, anyway, after saying he was past it all, she then said the reason he was past it all was that he was a naval officer and the only people who suffered from PTSD were the 18 year old draftees. She pointed out he went to the Naval academy and that he was a professionally trained soldier and he knew what he was getting into. Bullshit. There was an "I'm sorry" there for a second, but I'm not sorry in any way, shape or form. It's bullshit. Some people who went through the academies and served in combat experienced PTSD, the numbers would bear this out. There were also 18 year old draftees who did not experience PTSD, again, "law" of averages. But, her basic premise is inherently elitist. The military academies are not easy to get into. First off, the only way to get in is to convince your local congresscritter to nominate you, after a very competitive process. If you're the son and grandson of 4 star Admirals, this is pretty easy to do. Admiral John S. McCain, Sr. and then-Captain John. S. McCain, Jr. could have pulled some ropes to get him in. So, he benefited from the connections of his family, and he got the magical training that makes him immune to PTSD, according to Cindy McCain. The right wealth, connections or wherewithal to get him into the academy, which means he got promoted to better assignments if he wanted, he was a ring knocker. And while he wins points for not living off it, it did not grant him immunity from PTSD, only his luck and strength of will did that.
But what is truly offensive about Mrs. McCain's comments is that she perpetuates the old, hurtful myth about PTSD. Real warriors don't get PTSD, apparently. Just the 18 year old draftees who aren't professional soldiers who don't know what they're getting into. Fuck her. Fuck her and the seven cars she drove in on. There are lots and lots of people who are suffering from all kinds of mental issues, many of which are not recognized or covered by the VA, many of which are sidelined by a military who doesn't want to admit that soldiers get PTSD and many are suffering from a culture in denial. To her, this might have been a compliment to her husband, a tribute to the education he received, except that's not what prevents PTSD. The only thing that will guarantee a life free of PTSD is to lead a boring life. Many people can go through the same experience and some come out traumatized and some come out fine. But Cindy's callous comments about men and women who mentally suffering and all their families who are suffering along with all those people are nothing less than unpatriotic. What happens when her son in Iraq comes back with PTSD? Will she blame him? Will she blame herself? Will she blame her husband? Or will she understand that PTSD, like IEDs, does not discriminate based on age, race, gender, income, rank or anything else. Bullets don't care who you are. Pain does not care who your parents were. Some people get lucky enough to go through war and not experience either and some aren't lucky enough to come back at all. I don't think, or rather I'd rather not think, that John McCain himself would agree with this. To think only well bred, well educated and upper-class soldiers don't get PTSD is the epitome of snobbery in its scariest form. The fact she can't comprehend, on some level, that either a) ring knockers get PTSD as well or b) draftees don't all get PTSD is a level of stupidity we would not accept out of just about anyone else, except Sarah Palin.
So, these two stories have collided to create a picture of America where the wealthy and powerful have no concept of pain and honest, decent lawmen have to stand up to companies who want them to enforce their vision of the law. Sheriff Dart decided that mortgage companies can't tell him how to do his job, how to enforce laws and what the laws are. Mrs. McCain decided that reality will not interfere with her life. She has never set foot in Walter Reed, Betheseda or any other military hospital to see how people recovering from PTSD really get along. Sheriff Dart saw all he did and finally hit his breaking point. Mrs. McCain seems to believe that the well educated and well trained don't have breaking points. Sheriff Dart, exposed to real people having real problems, and Mrs. McCain, lucky enough to not see those problems unless she wants to, may end up representing America far too well.
The coming fight between the insulated and the insulted.
So it is written, so do I see it.
First of all, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart is just the kind of man we all need right now. Yeah, this is gonna be a popular opinion, but there's a lot more resting on what he's doing than even he might know. His basic premise for not enforcing eviction notices is that mortgage companies were not identifying tenants they want evicted. The stories that really pushed Sheriff Dart over the edge on this issue were not the people who had defaulted on mortgages, but those people who were renters from people who had defaulted on mortgages. The renters had paid their rent on time, played by the rules and really did everything right. These were not the damn morons who over extended themselves, these were the people who honestly tried, the mortgages companies didn't care enough to know their names and just called for evictions of addresses. Apparently, this is not legal under Illinois law, as they require the names of tenants to be evicted. Sheriff Dart has pointed this out, and the banking industry has responded by calling him both a vigilante and declaring martial law. Sheriff Dart didn't say he would never serve another eviction notice, he just declared that his officers were not going to do the dirty work of investigation for the mortgage holding companies. He said he was tired of evicting good people and wasn't going to do it, and some are talking that his ignoring of court ordered eviction notices is tantamount to contempt of court, a charge often applied to people who tell judges to fuck off or even witness who refuse to testify. Of course, to make the charges stick, it'd have to go to trial. If it goes to trial, it goes before a jury of his peers and good luck finding twelve people who know no one who has been evicted or facing eviction in the city of Chicago.
And on we go to Mrs. McCain's comments. Let's face it, she knows fuck all about being a POW or PTSD. After all, she said herself all that is behind John McCain and never loses a night's sleep over it. It's totally in his past and while it's a part of him but it's not part of his daily experience. . .except when he keeps bringing it up in all his campaign ads and why he has stuff like this for sale. So, anyway, after saying he was past it all, she then said the reason he was past it all was that he was a naval officer and the only people who suffered from PTSD were the 18 year old draftees. She pointed out he went to the Naval academy and that he was a professionally trained soldier and he knew what he was getting into. Bullshit. There was an "I'm sorry" there for a second, but I'm not sorry in any way, shape or form. It's bullshit. Some people who went through the academies and served in combat experienced PTSD, the numbers would bear this out. There were also 18 year old draftees who did not experience PTSD, again, "law" of averages. But, her basic premise is inherently elitist. The military academies are not easy to get into. First off, the only way to get in is to convince your local congresscritter to nominate you, after a very competitive process. If you're the son and grandson of 4 star Admirals, this is pretty easy to do. Admiral John S. McCain, Sr. and then-Captain John. S. McCain, Jr. could have pulled some ropes to get him in. So, he benefited from the connections of his family, and he got the magical training that makes him immune to PTSD, according to Cindy McCain. The right wealth, connections or wherewithal to get him into the academy, which means he got promoted to better assignments if he wanted, he was a ring knocker. And while he wins points for not living off it, it did not grant him immunity from PTSD, only his luck and strength of will did that.
But what is truly offensive about Mrs. McCain's comments is that she perpetuates the old, hurtful myth about PTSD. Real warriors don't get PTSD, apparently. Just the 18 year old draftees who aren't professional soldiers who don't know what they're getting into. Fuck her. Fuck her and the seven cars she drove in on. There are lots and lots of people who are suffering from all kinds of mental issues, many of which are not recognized or covered by the VA, many of which are sidelined by a military who doesn't want to admit that soldiers get PTSD and many are suffering from a culture in denial. To her, this might have been a compliment to her husband, a tribute to the education he received, except that's not what prevents PTSD. The only thing that will guarantee a life free of PTSD is to lead a boring life. Many people can go through the same experience and some come out traumatized and some come out fine. But Cindy's callous comments about men and women who mentally suffering and all their families who are suffering along with all those people are nothing less than unpatriotic. What happens when her son in Iraq comes back with PTSD? Will she blame him? Will she blame herself? Will she blame her husband? Or will she understand that PTSD, like IEDs, does not discriminate based on age, race, gender, income, rank or anything else. Bullets don't care who you are. Pain does not care who your parents were. Some people get lucky enough to go through war and not experience either and some aren't lucky enough to come back at all. I don't think, or rather I'd rather not think, that John McCain himself would agree with this. To think only well bred, well educated and upper-class soldiers don't get PTSD is the epitome of snobbery in its scariest form. The fact she can't comprehend, on some level, that either a) ring knockers get PTSD as well or b) draftees don't all get PTSD is a level of stupidity we would not accept out of just about anyone else, except Sarah Palin.
So, these two stories have collided to create a picture of America where the wealthy and powerful have no concept of pain and honest, decent lawmen have to stand up to companies who want them to enforce their vision of the law. Sheriff Dart decided that mortgage companies can't tell him how to do his job, how to enforce laws and what the laws are. Mrs. McCain decided that reality will not interfere with her life. She has never set foot in Walter Reed, Betheseda or any other military hospital to see how people recovering from PTSD really get along. Sheriff Dart saw all he did and finally hit his breaking point. Mrs. McCain seems to believe that the well educated and well trained don't have breaking points. Sheriff Dart, exposed to real people having real problems, and Mrs. McCain, lucky enough to not see those problems unless she wants to, may end up representing America far too well.
The coming fight between the insulated and the insulted.
So it is written, so do I see it.