Mayor Pete: If Trump Had Served In The Military, Maybe He'd Understand NFL Player's Right To Kneel

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Mayor Pete Buttigieg is standing up for NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's right to kneel during the national anthem.

“The way I feel about it is the flag that was on my shoulder when I served represented, among other things, our right to free speech,” said Mayor Pete to TMZ while in New York City. “You don’t have to like it, but one of the reasons we serve was to defend that right, the right of peaceful protest and the idea that we can protest what is wrong with our country.”

“If the president had served, maybe he’d feel a little more strongly about some of those freedoms," Pete added. "And, I get that there’s a lot of strong opinions about this, but that’s part of why we served.”

French President Shades Trump: "Nationalism Is A Betrayal Of Patriotism"

French President Emmanuel Macron

At a ceremony on today commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a direct slap at Donald Trump’s “America first” approach to international affairs.

“Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism,” said Macron. “By saying, ‘Our interests first, who cares about the others,’ we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what gives it grace and what is essential: its moral values.”

Trump, along with 80 other world leaders, was sitting just feet away from Macron at the time.

The Trumpster famously declared himself a “nationalist” recently as he campaigned for the midterm elections.

The video below shows the world's leaders gathering for the ceremony, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Trump beamed at seeing, as well as part of Macron's speech.

The Faces of Macron, Merkel and Trump as Putin Approaches#ArmisticeDay100 #VeteransDay #SundayMorning pic.twitter.com/y3ENHsBZNr

— Ron L Pitts™ (@RonLPitts) November 11, 2018

This comes just a day after Trump decided to skip a ceremony at an American cemetery honoring fallen WWI soldiers because of a light fall of rain.

The Twitterverse was more than happy to show off tons of photos of President Obama at past Memorial Day events in the rain.

This is a real leader @realDonaldTrump. The rain...seriously? You have no idea what we go through in war and that's why us Vets should hold a special place in society. Thank you @BarackObama for being a pure class act! #Resist pic.twitter.com/M6uWy7m06c

— Doc T. (@Recon7997) November 10, 2018

Hey @realDonaldTrump here’s a picture of President Obama in the rain supporting his American troops on Memorial Day. Sad to know you’re too much of a gerber baby to go outside to pay homage to our American hero’s. pic.twitter.com/309elqRiXw

— Zach Dendas (@Zdendas1) November 10, 2018

You commemorate wars, not celebrate them. Also, you don’t pull a no-show because of rain. What a joke of leadership and respect. Thank God @BarackObama wasn’t afraid of melting in the rain. pic.twitter.com/mJlvoTEoC0

— Bethany Primrose (@BethanyPrimrose) November 10, 2018

President Obama takes stage on Memorial Day in the rain. pic.twitter.com/6clLHibhmK

— Jeffy "Rainproof" Sessions the Thoyd (@JeffytheThoyd) November 10, 2018

This is what a real leader looks like. pic.twitter.com/5lDDQXxKUb

— Louise Seeley (@liberrygirl65) November 10, 2018

(h/t JoeMyGod)

Virginia Governor's Race: Draft Dodger Criticizes Veteran As Weak On Veterans

Donald Trump

As folks in Virginia head to the polls today to vote for their next governor, Donald Trump took time out during his trip to Asia to criticize the Democrat, Dr. Ralph Northam, as "weak."

Ralph Northam will allow crime to be rampant in Virginia. He’s weak on crime, weak on our GREAT VETS, Anti-Second Amendment....and has been horrible on Virginia economy. Vote @EdWGillespie today!

Trump also went on to note the "high crime" and "poor economic performance" in Virginia.

Ralph Northam will allow crime to be rampant in Virginia. He’s weak on crime, weak on our GREAT VETS, Anti-Second Amendment....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2017

....and has been horrible on Virginia economy. Vote @EdWGillespie today!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2017

.@EdWGillespie will totally turn around the high crime and poor economic performance of VA. MS-13 and crime will be gone. Vote today, ASAP!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2017

The only problem is: Northam actually IS a veteran, thus opening Trump - a draft dodger - up to a game of "glass houses."

Ralph Northam is a veteran. He spent 8 years in the U.S. Army, rose to the rank of Major. https://t.co/CWOgTGKZ4w

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 7, 2017

Man with “bone spurs” calls actual veteran weak on vets https://t.co/gfTlkf42OT

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) November 7, 2017

What @realDonaldTrump is doing here is called swift boating. @RalphNortham is a veteran. Trump is a draft-dodging chickenhawk. Vote Northam. https://t.co/KQl3N7hI1X

— Will Fischer (@will_c_fischer) November 7, 2017

Northam volunteered to serve in the US military. Trump, still an avid golfer, used a medical excuse to avoid the Vietnam draft https://t.co/gBILLPxDnZ

— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) November 7, 2017

Ralph Northam is literally a vet himself.
Donald Trump is a draft dodger.

Stop the BS. Vote Northam. Fuck Trump. https://t.co/oX5Ux2xZLF

— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) November 7, 2017

And others had some "context" for those "high crime" and "poor economic performance" comments:

Whatever the case for or against Gillespie, VA has something like the 6th lowest crime rate and 14th lowest unemployment rate in the nation. https://t.co/kb0nS3M4x8

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) November 7, 2017

Virginia’s crime rate is among the lowest in the nation. For Virginia and the nation, may we choose truth and hope over fear and lies. https://t.co/Bac757hQxi

— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) November 7, 2017

President Trump Blocks Veterans Group On Twitter

This is pretty messed up.

The president's Twitter account has blocked a veteran's group from reading his tweets.

VoteVets, a progressive veteran's group founded in 2006, shared today that they had been blocked by the Donald along with this message:

"The Commander in Chief can block @VoteVets, the voice of 500k military veterans and families, but we will NOT be silenced."

Donald Trump Threatens To Sue Those Responsible For "Nasty" Ads

Campaigning in Nevada today, GOP White House hopeful Donald Trump announced he's going to sue whoever put together a "nasty" campaign ad showing military veterans criticizing his statements about Purple Hearts, sacrifice and more.

“I saw today, I left the room and I saw a commercial where it was really a nasty commercial, totally made up about me with vets. There is nobody that loves the vets more or respects the vets more.

“They’re spending hundreds of millions of dollars on false commercials and it’s a disgrace. So what we’ll do — I guess we’ll sue them. Let’s sue them. Right? Let’s sue them.”

Trump never names the ad or the group running the ad that got his back up.

But he's gonna sue them. Believe me. (sarcasm intended)

(h/t JoeMyGod)

What Do Military Veterans Think Of Donald Trump?

These veterans share their thoughts on Donald Trump, and how he views our military and the Purple Heart.

"Liberal Redneck" Wants You To Support Our Troops

"Liberal Redneck" Trae Crowder talks on the inspiration for the current "22 for 22" pushup challenge: the sad state of affairs for our military vets that, on average, 22 veterans commit suicide each day because they lack the resources to deal with PTSD and more after serving our country.

"First, I'd like someone to explain how it takes an average of three to eight weeks for a vet to get into a VA doctor, but we can fly a robot rocket ship up a camel's asshole from the other side of the god-damn planet in a matter of minutes."

The Fallout From Trump's "Veterans' Charities" Press Conference

Steve Benen, writing for MSNBC's "Maddow Blog," sums up the bits and pieces of Donald Trump's poorly handled press conference yesterday regarding the dispersal of funds to veterans' charities:

So where does that leave us? Trump said he’d raised $6 million for veterans, but that wasn’t true. He later claimed he never used the $6 million figure, but that wasn’t true. His campaign insisted Trump had contributed $1 million himself, but that wasn’t true. Trump said he “didn’t want to have credit” for the fundraising efforts, but that wasn’t true. He said he and his team were vetting groups they’d never heard of four months after the fact, but that wasn’t true.

And as of yesterday, all of this, the Republican candidate insisted, is the media’s fault. Indeed, Trump thinks journalists should be “ashamed” of themselves for scrutinizing his claims that turned out to be wrong.

Not to put too fine a point on this, but in a normal year, in a normal party, with a normal candidate, this is the sort of controversy that could end a campaign. Legitimate presidential hopefuls can get away with some dissembling and the occasional whopper, but Trump was caught telling obvious falsehoods about support for veterans’ charities.

If this happened to Hillary Clinton, is there any doubt it would be the #1 issue in the presidential race between now and Election Day? That every pundit in America would use this as Exhibit A in their takes on why Americans just can’t trust the Democrat?

Donald Trump Rails Against "Sleaze" Media

In what was supposed to be a press conference about his fund-raising for veterans, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump went on an angry rant against the press, calling out reporters as "sleaze" for not giving him enough credit for raising money for veterans.

“Instead of being like, ‘Thank you very much, Mr. Trump,’ or ‘Trump did a good job,’ everyone said: ‘Who got it? Who got it? Who got it?’” Trump said. “And you make me look very bad. I have never received such bad publicity for doing a good job.”

ABC News' Tom Llama earned the badge of "sleaze" for asking how much money Trump raised for veterans.

"What I don’t want is when I raise millions of dollars, have people say this sleazy guy right over here from ABC, he's a sleaze in my book — you're a sleaze because you know the facts and you know the facts well," said Trump pointing to Llama.

Llama took the attack in stride on Twitter:

Trump just called me a "sleaze." Should be an interesting week.

— Tom Llamas (@TomLlamasABC) May 31, 2016

From Talking Points Memo:

During the Trump Tower press conference, Trump announced that he raised $5.6 million for veterans groups, down from the $6 million he originally said that he raised for veterans group at the January fundraiser he held in lieu of attending a Fox News debate.

But since his initial claim, it's been unclear just how much Trump raised, how much he personally donated to veterans groups, and which groups received donations as a result of the fundraiser. Trump on Tuesday characterized the number as "almost $6 million."

Throughout the press conference, Trump railed against the press for looking into the details of his fundraiser.

"The press should be ashamed of themselves," he said, telling reporters, "You make me look very bad."

Trump said that he wanted the donations to veterans groups to be "private" and that he didn't want "credit" for the money he raised, and said he was forced to reveal details about the fundraiser because of the press. He also said that it took time for him to send donations to veterans groups because he had to vet the groups.

"The press is so dishonest and so unfair," he lamented.

PSA: Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Sally Field & More Support Our Veterans

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day, so the timing couldn't be better for this new PSA starring Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Sally Field and more.

Got Your 6 works to bridge the military-civilian divide by empowering veterans as leaders in the community upon their return home.

Veterans return to our communities as trained leaders, team builders and problem solvers with a desire to continue serving here at home.

Head over to GotYour6.org for more info.

And support our veterans.

More Video From The Irreverent Warriors Shirtless March For Veterans

Shirtless Marines are walking for a good cause.

These Marines are walking 22 kilometers without their shirts on for a very good reason

Posted by NowThis on Monday, July 27, 2015

Hunky Service Members Show Their Support With 22KM Shirtless March

This past Saturday, 50 active duty service members and veterans walked 22 kilometers (14 miles) from south Mission Beach to La Jolla, California, wearing nothing but their green silkies and combat boots, to raise awareness for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and suicide prevention.

The muscle hunks who organized the walk call themselves the Irreverent Warriors and the number of kilometers (22) they’ll walk and the weight that they’ll carry represents the 22 service members who die from suicide each day.

From the group's website:

We are combat veterans who choose to tell our stories in the same manner that we’d tell them in a living room with our best bros. We choose to express our dark humor and let our terrible jokes fly like eagles, all in an effort to get combat vets to laugh, get together, and stop fucking killing themselves.

(via Gaily Grind)

Photography: Michael Stokes "Always Loyal" & "Exhibition"

California photographer Michael Stokes has two new large-scale, coffee table, art books in the works. One features wounded US veterans (Always Loyal) and the other explores male figure studies (Exhibition).

Stokes is widely acclaimed not only for his work capturing the male physique, but in celebrating our wounded soldiers.

His Kickstarter campaign has 12 days left but his results there are spectacular. With an original goal of $48,000, he's raised a jaw-dropping $203K.

Donations to his campaign include copies of one or both books.

The images are gorgeous and well-worth  drooling over pursuing. Take a look at some of the images to be included in the projects in the video below.

Veterans Administration Confirms Benefits For Same-Sex Married Couples

Dalan Wells and Sgt. Brandon Morgan

From the Washington Blade:

Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in favor of same-sex marriage across the country, the Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday confirmed it’s set to issue spousal benefits to gay, lesbian and bisexual veterans regardless of their state of residence.

Walinda West, a VA spokesperson, told the Washington Blade the ruling striking down all state bans on same-sex marriage allows the department to “recognize the same-sex marriage of all veterans” anywhere in the United States.

“VA will work quickly to ensure that all offices and employees are provided guidance on implementing this important decision with respect to all programs, statutes, and regulations administered by VA,” West said.

U.S. Senate Republicans Vote With Dems On Equal Federal Benefits For Same-Sex Married Couples

Eleven Senate Republicans crossed the aisle to vote with all of the Democrats last night in approving an amendment to guarantee equal Social Security and veterans benefits to married same-sex couples based on where the marriage was GRANTED, not the state of residence.

Via Buzzfeed:

The amendment, proposed by Sen. Brian Schatz, addressed the fact that both Social Security and some provisions of veterans’ benefits are, by statute, provided to spouses on the basis of whether a couple’s marriage is recognized by the state in which they live. The amendment would provide for benefits for spouses for all married same-sex couples, regardless of where they live.

Schatz praised the bipartisan support the measure received.

“Tonight, eleven Republicans joined Democrats in recognizing that gay couples deserve equal treatment, regardless of where they live,” he said. “We still have work to do to, but this is progress and a win for equal rights.”

Six of the 11 Republicans voting for the measure are up for re-election in 2016. They know where the arc of history will bend.

The 11 Republicans were Ayotte (NH), Burr (NC), Collins (ME), Heller (NV), Johnson (WI), Kirk (IL), Moore Capito (WV), Murkowski (AL), Portman (OH), and Tillis (NC).

USF Kappa Sigma Brothers Bring Margaritas, Massages & "Magic Mike" To Charity Auctin

Down at the University of South Florida, the brothers of Kappa Sigma took their annual fraternity auction in a "Magic Mike" direction with some promo videos to help loosen the purse strings at their event.

The event auctioned off date packages with the brothers, some of which included margaritas, sky diving and massages to help the men raise over $2,700 for Fisher House, which aids wounded veterans and their families in recovering as they come home from war. Along the way, the evening also featured a choreographed routine a la "Magic Mike" to BSB’s “I Want It That Way."

(Ok, so maybe walking the runway and dropping some of their clothes along the way also had SOMETHING to do with the fund-raising...)

Check out one of the videos below.

Happy Veterans Day 2014

Happy Veterans Day to all the men and women who serve to protect our freedoms.

Make sure you thank a veteran today.

An Arizona Love Story

Fred McQuire and George Martinez, both veterans of the US armed forces, were married in California this past July after 45 years together.

In recent years, both Fred and George battled life-threatening illnesses.

Sadly, George passed away on August 28, 2014 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

The state of Arizona, where they lived together, does not recognize their marriage, and wants to issue a death certificate that will read "never married."

Tomorrow, Lambda Legal will ask the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona to order the State of Arizona to provide an accurate death certificate.

GOP-led House Committee on Veterans Affairs votes down equal benefits for same-sex spouses

The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, by a vote of 13-12, rejected an amendment that would update Title 38 of the U.S. Code to ensure that spousal benefits of gay, lesbian and bisexual veterans would be available no matter the state of residence.

Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) said he opposed the amendment because it would interfere with states that have enacted laws related to marriage.

Section 103(c) of Title 38 of the U.S. Code governs veterans benefits. And currently, the code is dictated by the state of residence, not the state of celebration.

 In other words, veterans benefits for spouses are predicated on where you live, not where you got married. So even if you are legally married, if your current state of residence
doesn't recognize same-sex marriage, those same-sex spouses are out of luck in regards to receiving the same benefits afforded heterosexual veterans and their spouses.

Lori Hensic, director of research and policy for the LGBT military group known as the American Military Partner Association, issued this statement:

“The ability of our nation’s veterans, no matter their sexual orientation, to access their earned benefits should be an issue that transcends partisan politics,” Hensic said. “It’s a sad reflection on the state of our Congress when our elected officials cannot put aside their differences to end this discrimination.”

(via Washington Blade)

More VA hypocrisy courtesy of Senate Republicans

Next time you get angry that our veterans are not being taken care of, remember how Senate Republicans voted against a $21 billion plan for  new VA clinics, but FOR a $600 billion corporate tax cut.