I’m writing this on Sunday November 8th in preparation for a very important day on the calendar. Today, November 11th. Veterans Day. While i’m writing this, the song “Wrong Side of Heaven” is playing in the background and i’m drinking a glass of Jack Daniels. I take this day very seriously because it is very near and dear to my heart. My grandfather was in Burma during WW2, his father was in Europe in WW1, his grandfather was in the Civil War, fighting for the north. My father (different side of the family) was a Navy Veteran. His uncle is a Vietnam Veteran. His grandfather served in the Pacific Theater during WW2. My uncle is a CW5, he has served in the US Army for the better part of 30 years. Including multiple tours to both Iraq and Afghanistan. My uncle on my mom’s side was killed in Al Anbar Province on May 2nd 2004…. These are the facts…
300,000+
The estimated number of homeless veterans in America.
1.4 million
The number of veterans at risk of becoming homeless.
67%
The percentage of homeless veterans that served at least 3 years in the military.
42%
The percentage of increase of divorce rate among military veterans.
460,000+
The estimated number of veterans diagnosed with PTSD.
$5961.46
The amount of money allocated in the federal budget for the VA per 1 veteran in the U.S. (does not take into consideration salary for VA workers or any other costs of running the VA.)
50%
The percentage of veterans with PTSD who do not seek treatment.
19%
The percentage of veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
6 years
The average amount of time a homeless veteran spends homeless.
22
The number of veterans killed every day by suicide.
These are the numbers. There are different estimates from various sources but these are the ones I am going by. In the time it’s taking me to write this post, at least 2 veterans have committed suicide. This is a disgrace. A disgrace to our government and the people of America. Far too many times do I see people claim they support the veterans then turn around and do nothing to help. Your posts on Twitter or Facebook are not helping. Your bumper stickers you buy from Walmart aren’t helping. You truly believe yourselves to be altruistic angels. But your posts on social media only serve as lip service… So you can circumvent any actual sacrifices. You are not helping and we are sick of it. Years ago you probably threw a yellow ribbon on your car. “This will make me look like a good person!” You thought. But it won’t.
There are literally hundreds of charities and organizations out there that help veterans because our government is too busy bailing out other countries or sending future veterans to die in some far corner of the globe. There are millions of people in this country that sacrificed the best years of their lives for your protection…. Oh, and I already know the responses i’ll see. “Veterans didn’t protect us! They went and fought for corporate blah blah.” The term “veterans” includes those who fought in WW2, those who served in the National Guard and assisted in disaster relief. Veterans, all of them, took the same oath.
I,_____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;….”
When we join, we do so knowing and expecting to put our lives on the line in defense of every American. The circumstances of the wars we fight in are irrelevant in that aspect. Our main job is to protect the nation. The military itself acts as a deterrent. The reason why we’re safe is because we have a military.
These veterans do not ask for much. Just your support. Real support. It doesn’t require money or anything special. Find a veteran you know or don’t know, find one who is struggling. Talk to them. Let them know that you care and you are there to help them and support them if they need you. If you CAN donate, please do. If you CAN volunteer your time and effort to help a veteran, please do.
This is not political… this is being human.
The following is a list of veterans organizations. Thank you.
The following is a short list I came up with of veteran owned companies that you may consider supporting. They do a lot of good for the veteran community.
1. How does your character think of their father? What do they hate and love about him? What influence – literal or imagined – did the father have? 2. Their mother? How do they think of her? What do they hate? Love? What influence – literal or imagined – did the mother have? 3. Brothers, sisters? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings? 4. What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient? 5. Were they overprotected as a child? Sheltered? 6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child? 7. What was the economic status of their family? 8. How does your character feel about religion? 9. What about political beliefs? 10. Is your character street-smart, book-smart, intelligent, intellectual, slow-witted? 11. How do they see themselves: as smart, as intelligent, uneducated? 12. How does their education and intelligence – or lack thereof – reflect in their speech pattern, vocabulary, and pronunciations? 13. Did they like school? Teachers? Schoolmates? 14. Were they involved at school? Sports? Clubs? Debate? Were they unconnected? 15. Did they graduate? High-School? College? Do they have a PHD? A GED? 16. What does your character do for a living? How do they see their profession? What do they like about it? Dislike? 17. Did they travel? Where? Why? When? 18. What did they find abroad, and what did they remember? 19. What were your character’s deepest disillusions? In life? What are they now? 20. What were the most deeply impressive political or social, national or international, events that they experienced? 21. What are your character’s manners like? What is their type of hero? Whom do they hate? 22. Who are their friends? Lovers? ‘Type’ or ‘ideal’ partner? 23. What do they want from a partner? What do they think and feel of sex? 24. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually? 25. What are their hobbies and interests? 26. What does your character’s home look like? Personal taste? Clothing? Hair? Appearance? 27. How do they relate to their appearance? How do they wear their clothing? Style? Quality? 28. Who is your character’s mate? How do they relate to him or her? How did they make their choice? 29. What is your character’s weaknesses? Hubris? Pride? Controlling? 30. Are they holding on to something in the past? Can he or she forgive? 31. Does your character have children? How do they feel about their parental role? About the children? How do the children relate? 32. How does your character react to stress situations? Defensively? Aggressively? Evasively? 33. Do they drink? Take drugs? What about their health? 34. Does your character feel self-righteous? Revengeful? Contemptuous? 35. Do they always rationalize errors? How do they accept disasters and failures? 36. Do they like to suffer? Like to see other people suffering? 37. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories? 38. Are they basically negative when facing new things? Suspicious? Hostile? Scared? Enthusiastic? 39. What do they like to ridicule? What do they find stupid? 40. How is their sense of humor? Do they have one? 41. Is your character aware of who they are? Strengths? Weaknesses? Idiosyncrasies? Capable of self-irony? 42. What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain? 43. Does your character have any secrets? If so, are they holding them back? 44. How badly do they want to obtain their life objectives? How do they pursue them? 45. Is your character pragmatic? Think first? Responsible? All action? A visionary? Passionate? Quixotic? 46. Is your character tall? Short? What about size? Weight? Posture? How do they feel about their physical body? 47. Do they want to project an image of a younger, older, more important person? Does they want to be visible or invisible? 48. How are your character’s gestures? Vigorous? Weak? Controlled? Compulsive? Energetic? Sluggish? 49. What about voice? Pitch? Strength? Tempo and rhythm of speech? Pronunciation? Accent? 50. What are the prevailing facial expressions? Sour? Cheerful? Dominating?
as a cumulus cloud containing warm air convects upwards and condenses, a thin layer of humid air containing water vapour is thrust above the cloud, cooling from the lower pressure into droplets, which, when small enough and uniform in size, diffract light from the sun when it’s at least fifty eight degrees above the horizon.
Why the fuck is she cuddling with Tampax at what appears to be a pool that is also the ocean?
I want a tampon commercial where the women are fighting zombies or some shit.
And they’re all beat up and bloody and shoving tampons into bullet wounds to stop the bleeding.
And I want one of the ladies to full-on decapitate a zombie with a machete or maybe a scythe.
And then I want her to look directly into the camera with blood running from an open wound on her forehead and say,
“For the fighting spirit.”
^ That commercial would win all of the Oscars.
That commercial would make more sense that all this faffing about through the fields of daisies and cuddling your fucking tampons bullshit…
What are you talking about?
I sit by the pool/ocean cuddle my tampons all the fucking time.
Who wants to start a tampon company with me just so we can make that commercial?
What would it be called, Tampocalypse? I’d be game if it were called Tampocalypse.
reblogging for the priceless notes
The Tampocalypse
FOR THE FIGHTING SPIRIT.
Well periods aren’t all ‘Let me parade around in my motherfucking white bikini at the beach and shake my ass around in front of the hot boys while snuggling my tampon box”
IT’S LITERALLY A BLOOD BATH!!
IT’S A WAR!
IF YOU GET IN MY WAY, FUCKER I WILL KNOCK YOU THE FUCK OUT!
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