Forget ribbons, lets worry about vets

Jim Erwin

Three cheers for Debbie Cook for having the courage to vote against

the yellow ribbon ordinance at last week’s Huntington Beach City

Council meeting.

Tying yellow ribbons does not help support the troops in Iraq,

Afghanistan, Korea, Europe or here in the United States. In fact, the

ribbons merely act as a pseudo-patriotic blindfold that encourages

people to ignore the real issues facing our troops and the real

support they need. In the current budget presented by President Bush,

benefits for veterans have been cut. The cut is needed to pay for a

tax cut for the wealthy. It’s ironic that many people join the

military as a way to empower themselves and escape poverty, only to

have their benefits cut by people whose sons and daughters will never

wear a military uniform. It’s also ironic that the wealthy

individuals and corporations who will make windfall profits from war

reconstruction projects are being offered tax breaks at the expense

of the men and women who risked their lives fighting the war.

Tying ribbons is just an easy way to say you support the troops,

while actually doing nothing to support them. People who truly

support the troops will line up against the president’s budget and

say no to cutting benefits for the brave men and women that have

served our country. Yellow ribbons don’t protect medical care, job

training, or other benefits we’ve promised to people who serve in the

military. The reason that the ribbons are yellow is that the people

who tie them are too cowardly to take any real action.

* JIM ERWIN is a Huntington Beach resident. To contribute to

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