I wasn’t going to attend the Milblog Conference for a couple of reasons. They scheduled it for Mothers’ Day weekend for one reason, not that it matters much to me, but when people started raising objections, the folks at Military.com in essence said “Tough shit”. So that pissed me off. And last year they scheduled the reception in the bowels of DC, miles from the hotel where the conference was being held and I didn’t like the logistics of traveling to see the friends I’d come to spend time with. But, I’m an old man and I don’t like change.<\/p>\n
But, anyway, my editors at Business Insiders wanted to go, so I acquiesced for their benefit. And now I’m so glad I did, but there are going to be some unhappy people when they find out my reason. They released the list of panels<\/a> today, and this one caught my eye;<\/p>\n Benefits: Promises Delivered, Delayed or Dismissed?<\/strong><\/p>\n After a decade plus of combat operations the issue of how we care for our veterans is taking center stage. From changing retirement time frames to medical care and wounded warrior programs, this panel will examine if the promises made to our fighting forces are being delivered, delayed or dismissed. Yeah, Rick Maze is the head cheerleader for Obama at Military Times, he hates the VSOs and got so mad at me when I caught him manufacturing quotes and trying to start a war<\/a> between the VFW and The American Legion that he blocked my email address.<\/p>\n And then there’s Brandon Friedman, known to my readers as Beeker<\/a> from the days he worked at VoteVets. I caught Friedman making excuses for the Obama Administration<\/a> when the president was trying to force service-connected veterans to buy insurance and he told us not to worry that the Obama Administration didn’t intend to screw veterans. Well, we all know how that worked out, don’t we? Oh, and now Friedman, for his loyalty to the Obama Administration was rewarded with a job at the VA.<\/p>\n And finally, I’m so happy that IAVA will be there. Maybe I can finally get some answers as to how they can live with themselves after telling veterans that one of the guys (McDermott) who stood on Saddam Hussein’s palace roof and declared that Hussein was more trustworthy than President Bush rated higher on their veterans scorecard<\/a> than John McCain.<\/p>\n Yeah, I’m a dick on the internet, but the whole (Milblog) world is about to find out how much of a dick I can be in person. You should go and bring a bucket of popcorn. And since I know that some of those guys monitor the blog, I guess I’m showing my hand, but they can sweat for a week or so, or they can pull out at the last minute (…that’s what she said). But I think they all owe veterans an answer as to why they perpetrated their malfeasance on the veteran community and what they plan to do in this election year to rectify it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\nModerator: Rick Maze (Military Times Newspapers)
\nPanelists: VADM Norbert R. Ryan, Jr., USN-Ret (MOAA), Tom Tarantino (IAVA), Brandon Friedman (VA), Terry Howell (Military.com), Kristle Helmuth (Author: The Story of a True American Hero, His Princess, and their Struggle with TBI\/PTSD), Chazz Pratt (USAA), Mike Brinck (House Veterans Affairs Committee for the Economic Opportunity subcommittee)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n