government dishonesty

Hey, how's that for a start?

This is an old story, just being replayed. First, the government drafts, or nowadays entices, young people to join the service. To join one must pass a strict physical exam and background check, and must also be verified to be in good mental health (no comments from me on that one right now).

So, military service, especially, say, in a sandy hot country where everyone is shooting at you all of the time might be a tad stressful, eh? But never fear, the government is looking out for these fine soldiers.

Now check this out, from the Colorado Springs Independent:

The Independent also found soldiers were discharged at a rate three times higher than before start of the Iraq war for "personality disorder," which experts consider a rare condition. A soldier diagnosed with a personality disorder receives no medical retirement benefits from the military.

Now, a personality disorder is something that a person is supposedly born with. Hmm, presumably the military wouldn't be taking in people with personality disorders, right (no laughter here)? Personality disorders are not compensable under the veterans benefits system though, so they are a cheaper out.

On the other hand, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is compensable, and it results from things like being exposed to stress, like people trying to kill you.

Now this is something I have a bit of experience with, having been diagnosed by the military (unbeknownst to me) with something called "Transient Situational Personality Disorder." That diagnosis was used to prevent me from receiving veterans benefits. It's a ficticious diagnosis: one which has never existed, according to the American Psychiatric Association, and it's amusing to consider, since a personality disorder cannot by definition be transient, or situational.

What's not so funny is that the government is still doing this to military personnel today. Isn't it bad enough that that soldiers are being shot at by other soldiers in a place they don't belong? Does our own government have to shoot at them too?