{"id":28664,"date":"2012-02-08T07:27:05","date_gmt":"2012-02-08T11:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/?p=28664"},"modified":"2012-02-08T08:25:30","modified_gmt":"2012-02-08T12:25:30","slug":"paulrieckhoff-hows-the-shark-look-from-up-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/?p=28664","title":{"rendered":"@PaulRieckhoff: How’s the shark look from up there?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It seems that everywhere I turn, I see something in the media about Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff pimping for a parade for returning veterans from Iraq. He’s been in the New York Times, the Huffington Post and an unnoticed appearance on Rachel Maddow’s show (yeah, I know, I’m surprised she’s still on the air, too)<\/p>\n

The latest is in the Stars & Stripes<\/a>;<\/p>\n

\u201cThe country wants to come out and thank these veterans,\u201d said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of IAVA. \u201cWe\u2019ve already seen one celebration in St. Louis, and we\u2019re hearing from other communities who want to do more. Rather than have a scattering of parades here and there, we think it should be a coordinated effort.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Really, Paul? This is what you want to hang your hat on? A parade? I get the feeling that with all of the problem facing veterans – unemployment, combat stress and injuries, rising health care costs, DVA backlogs – this parade thing seems less daunting to Paul, and one that he might be able to actually solve if he focuses all of his energy on this. All he has to do is shame someone into promising one, and given that Bloomberg worships symbolic crap, he’ll probably fall for this first.<\/p>\n

But I think this is IAVA jumping the shark. They’ve never done anything for returning veterans, despite their excellent ad. There were a couple of glitzy Hollywood parties to assuage the guilt felt by movie star-types that no veterans could afford to attend. there have been ball game seats – he even invited me to a ballgame in NYC once to influence me to shut my stupid mouth about him.<\/p>\n

I agree with Colby Buzzell in this MSNBC article<\/a> on the subject – Rieckhoff’s relentless obsession with a parade is an embarrassment; <\/p>\n

Former U.S. Army soldier Colby Buzzell, author of My War: Killing Time in Iraq, calls the Rieckhoff and IAVA\u2019s push for the parade embarrassing. \u201cIt\u2019s premature,\u201d he said in a phone interview with msnbc.com. \u201cWe don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen in Iraq and there are still troops in Afghanistan.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The only veteran that IAVA has ever helped is Rieckhoff, and now he won’t shut up about this parade idea…I have to think that there’s something in it for Rieckhoff, call me skeptical. I guess it’s just his way to look like he cares about the troops, and it won’t cost him anything – well unless he crashes into Fonzie over that shark tank.<\/p>\n

“We’re heading for the ramp, Paul, are you sure you want to do it?”<\/p>\n