Marines exaggerate deeds of war hero?

To keep people from getting any crazy ideas about actually taking a second look at what the military-industrial complex costs?

 

Armies have been handing out tokens and exaggerating feats of bravery since the time of The Iliad. How you gonna get those kids to enlist otherwise?

 

You have to invent the narrative to save it.

 

"People" ain't the problem. It's the politicians.
Cuts to defense means base closures, factory scaledowns and job losses.
Ain't a politician on the Hill who will allow any significant defense cuts.

 

Evil, you nailed with that last post. I agree completely.

 

I'm afraid the blame does fall to we the, uh, people, since we're the ones supposed to hold the politicians to account.

We're also too selfish and frightened and short-sighted to let go of the postwar defense economy and build something else.

 

And every story on her mentions she's an unwed mother.

 

Nope...
You elect a new official, he does the same thing as the old; fight to stay in office. To get reelected is priority 1. Period.
That's done by protecting your jobs and your slice of the economy.
See the Post Office situation. (hemorrhaging billions a year in losses but politicians want to fight tooth and nail to keep things open).
Most import: They have to keep the military humming. Close the base at Virginia Beach or Parris Island?
Shutter some of the defense contracts from Lockheed, Northrup or Honeywell.
Fuck. No.
Scale down military recruiting - even though we need less infantry and personnel than ever before?
Um, no.
So we need to justify the M-I complex and we do that by constantly raising the spectre of a bad guy and interfering into the affairs of other nations.

The post-war defense economy has been growing since Eisenhower. That's more than 50 years! Ike warned of it in his farwell address. It continues to grow because it's an easy out for politicians to create and point to jobs and growth.

Rather than make tough decisions that will be better for the long-term health of the country, politicians bargain, creating half measures that solve nothing and appease almost no one, but maintain the status quo.

The secret is No One really wants change. Esp. the Baby Boomers (the aged) who outnumber us and vote. Most people are scared shitless of change, good, bad or indifferent as it may be. The rhetoric is a nice idea, but actual, real change? Whoa man. That's crazy talk.

We need leaders. Not politicians.
We need term limits and a better sharing of power within the Congressional structure.
Sorry man, but No vote - by the people anyway - is going to change that.


Sorry. Rant over.

 

The stupid part, to me, is that there have been so, so few Medal of Honors awarded in the last decade, I just can't imagine you'd have to make something up to come up with a worthy story.

 

Point being?

A good bit of time has passed. If she had married, the story would have mentioned it. Family status updates after years is fair. Her update is she's still single and has a child.

 

Unless your congressman's a dog, the answer is still 'people.'