Again I have to agree with the Major. While defending the flag for my 20 years and serving it for 36 years, it seemed that I only learned this fact recently. It is not so much in the rhetoric of politics or national pride that really means anything, it is too obvious that FoxNews is attempting to wrench up this rhetoric for conservative voters in support of John McCain and the Republican Party.

While most of you in America count yourself as intelligent and free-thinking, the White House, DOD, and many of the media on both sides spin almost every piece of news in the publics' eye. But to be really smart, we must remain steadfastly stoic, rational, and focused. It is not really about whose spin you like better, or what side of the political "tracks" you reside, it is really about the purpose of the spin.

So what is that purpose? To ramp up the rhetoric? To demand we pass a flag desecration amendment? Or is it really to take our focus off the really important issues of the day. Let me see if I can explain...We entered a war; good, bad, or indifferent, in which we were doing extremely poorly until recently: maybe or maybe not, and we have passed certain benchmarks of 4,000 killed and 75,000 wounded, small by some other wars standards but large enough. So what is important here? Divided, it is about why we got in, a now unimportant reason, or the effects of the war on America's statue in the world, really unimportant in the big scheme, or the injustices of the government in torturing some...we can debate all this for hours, days, weeks.

What is important then? Is it possible that the war is draining our financial, mental, and human resources in a way that united or divided we will again FAIL to take care of our veterans health, education, family, and financial needs? The answer is YES, YES, YES.

I chose not to join any organization, because I believe in my heart, and by my actions I am already a member of all. I served in foreign wars, am a disabled American veteran, and I have a son who has been in Iraq and supported the Afghanistan war from Kyrghistan.

I have discovered the use of herbicides in Thailand through requesting and obtaining the documents detailing it and I have been on many veterans sites to speak of how these documents can be downloaded from my site. I have sent these documents to both the House and Senate, who have sent them to Disability and Pension so they may be included and veterans not be denied when they submit claims. I received no response or support from the VFW, DAV, American Legion, or any other major veterans groups. Most of them can only quote the VA standard line, "herbicides were never used outside of Vietnam".

I support military, military retirees, military family, veteran, disabled veterans, disabled veteran widows and families by supporting pro-veteran legislation, such as mandatory funding of both healthcare and disability payments and pensions, DIC, GI Bill increases, and incremental VA home loan increases. I am in contact with veterans across this country. I do not need anyone at the Post's bar to tell me what to do or how to think.

Do not waste your breath, what you say means little, it is only what you do that might. I chose like the Major to lead rather than to be lead. I will not let the attempts of others to divide, because no matter what you might think, the purpose of all this is to divide us and conquer by inaction. Those mentioned above are seeking to do exactly what our forefathers warned us against and it leaves those affected most to die, to commit suicide, to live without hope or home, to struggle spiritually, financially, mentally without support and I will not live knowing that through division they will have won. Don't talk about support, NIKE! Just do it!