Anyone who willingly sticks their heads into the public arena, are giving tacit permission to have those heads bashed, by whomever feels the need. There is one area I believe is off limits, as far as bashing is concerned - our fallen warriors and their families. They are used as political tools while serving, but that ends when they fall, and shame on ANYONE who attempts to use them further.................they've served and been t***sferred to a another duty station, placing them off limits.

I know the feeling my kidneys are taking a beating and at my age I'll never get a t***splant,
Which is good as my family seems to drop dead around 78 I'm now 74, I have no regrets except I should of started working smarter instead of harder long ago lol


quote=missinglink]Both my thyroid and pituitary went on the blitz about the same time . The meds I am on for those two issues
caused me to swell up by 60 lbs . Or maybe it was the inactivity period I went thru due to other issues . It's been
one hell of a ride and starting to get a little bumpy . Not complaining . To many friends are gone .

There but for the grace of god goes I.
Edward Bickersteth
1822

I still ride motorcycles at 70 . This past Saturday was about a 300 mi day . My new kidney belt
came in handy . I have very good kidneys and wish to keep them that way . If possible !
Until a few years ago they flushed copious amounts of beer thru themselves without a pee-p .
So far I have been able to circumnavigate most of my physical issues by re-engineering how I do
damned near everything . Ah yes , the 70's . Interesting aren't they . I feel like hammered you know
what most of the time and in particular my evenings . Yet , come riding day , now twice weekly , I
feel great . Funny how that works . Unlike yourself I have a few regrets . Yeah a few , .
But , I am here . Much to many peoples chagrins .

Anyone who willingly sticks their heads into the public arena, are giving tacit permission to have those heads bashed, by whomever feels the need. There is one area I believe is off limits, as far as bashing is concerned - our fallen warriors and their families. They are used as political tools while serving, but that ends when they fall, and shame on ANYONE who attempts to use them further.................they've served and been t***sferred to a another duty station, placing them off limits.

Retired Gen. David Petraeus on Sunday shot down the position that it’s “highly inappropriate” to question a four-star general. Not only are generals “fair game,” but the military is “fiercely protective” of Americans’ right to criticize them, he insisted.

“I think we’re all fair game,” Petraeus said on ABC’s “This Week.” He added: “We, in uniform, protect the rights of others to criticize us … we are fiercely protective of the rights of our Americans to express themselves, even if that includes criticizing us.”

Petraeus’ slam was a response to a warning by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders last week that it’s “highly inappropriate to debate” a four-star Marine general. The press secretary’s comments came after reporters questioned her about the veracity of a statement made by White House chief of staff and retired four-star general John Kelly.

Kelly had insisted that Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson (D) had boasted about obtaining funds for a new FBI building named for two slain agents — and failed to honor their memory. But video of Wilson’s speech at the time revealed that Kelly was wrong on both counts.

Kelly’s false statement was a part of an attempt to attack Wilson, who criticized President Donald Trump’s condolence call to the widow of a fallen soldier as insensitive. According to the congresswoman, Trump said that Army Sgt. La David Johnson “must’ve known what he was getting into.” Trump blasted the account as a “total fabrication,” but Wilson’s version of the call was backed up by Johnson’s mother.

Petraeus noted that he himself has been the target of criticism. “I certainly experienced lots of that in testimony on Capitol Hill during the surge in Iraq and subsequent endeavors in Afghanistan’s central command and so forth,” he said.

Petraeus also called the public spat about the president’s call “unfortunate.”

“We need to unite behind our gold star families to embrace them with compassion and with support — not to d**g them into partisan politics,” he said. “Sadly, this is a bit symptomatic of what I think is afflicting our country right now. Arguably the most important threat the United States faces is not Russia, Iran and North Korea, or even Chinese competition or ISIS. It’s parochialism here at home.”

Petraeus said he suspects Kelly is now “trying to figure out how to turn down the volume [and] move forward.”

The best part of his statement;
We need to unite behind our gold star families to embrace them with compassion and with support — not to d**g them into partisan politics,” he said. “Sadly, this is a bit symptomatic of what I think is afflicting our country right now. Arguably the most important threat the United States faces is not Russia, Iran and North Korea, or even Chinese competition or ISIS. It’s parochialism here at home.”

I hope Wilson heard his speech.. Not that it will educate her to anything, her 5 minutes of fame was more important..

As for the issue itself I’m tired of hearing it and think it’s pathetic to keep it going just for political sentiment..It. completely dishonors our fallen soldiers and that’s enough for me..!