Left I on the News

The latest development - a special court just for veterans:

After counting 300 veterans in the local courts last year, the judge tailor-made the treatment court to address not only vets' crimes but their unique mental health issues.
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Russell believes the need for courts like his will only grow, pointing to the 1.6 million troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has been highly praised by the VA and other veterans organizations.

"What I appreciate about this is this isn't letting people off for what they do, it's just getting them the care that they need," said Patrick Campbell, legislative director for Iraq Veterans of America.

"A lot of veterans, when they come home, find the transition difficult and we all turn to different things to get through those times," said Campbell, who served in Iraq in 2004-05. "If we're not lucky enough to have a strong family social network to hold us together in those difficult times, people turn to drugs, turn to alcohol.

"All of a sudden they find themselves in a position where, instead of being the outstanding patriot who's always been the person everyone looks to, they find themselves on the other end of the law," Campbell said. "This is going to get service members back to serving their country again."

People like Lou Dobbs, the Minutemen, and others are constantly ranting about illegal immigrants and crime, even though there's no evidence whatsoever that illegal immigrants contribute to crime in the U.S. in disproportionate numbers. There is evidence that veterans do so, including, as we have discussed on previous occasions, spousal murder. How come we never hear Lou Dobbs ranting about that crime wave?

Incidentally, I'm not opposed to having treatment available for veterans, obviously. I am opposed to the wars which make them veterans in the first place, and teach them antisocial attitudes up to and very much including killing other human beings. And by the way, the notion expressed in the article above that every soldier is an "outstanding patriot" is just so much hooey.