September 3, 2007
THE PURSUIT OF SLOPPINESS:
Locked, Loaded and Looney (New York Times, 8/30/07)
As the Army’s suicide rate hits record levels in the Iraq war, there’s small wonder practically everyone in Congress wants to deal with the parallel emerging crisis of depressed veterans tempted to take their own lives. Everyone, that is, except Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma. [...]The House has unanimously approved a measure mandating the screening of all veterans for suicide risk, but Senator Coburn worries that veterans’ medical data might be appropriated by other agencies to deny that all-encompassing right to wield arms on the domestic front. [...]
It is an eminently good thing that the anti-suicide measure would require medical specialists to keep track of veterans found to be high risks for suicide. But that’s to care for them as human beings, under that other constitutional right — to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
You have to wonder if there is a conservative mole at the New York Times who inserts these howlers into their editorials just for the fun of it.
Oh no.
This is a complicated issue, nowhere nearly as simple as the glibness in the times article makes it out to be.
There is a world of difference between an adjudication of danger to oneself or others and some shrink taking the CYA position that someone is "high risk," or may be "tempted" to harm himself.
Make no mistake about this, the wish of the gun-grabbers is to pare away, in layers, as it were, successive cohorts of persons to be debarred the use of arms until the remnant may be casually brushed aside.
Posted by: Lou Gots at September 3, 2007 10:12 AM
So, the New York Times agrees that the "right to life" is in the Constitution, eh?
Posted by: John Thacker at September 3, 2007 10:19 AMThe howler aside, the editorial is breathtakingly insulting, patronizing to veterans and the warrior class. To suggest that they are ticking bombs, waiting to go off, because they may have seen combat is a craven, backsided attack, posing as concern and pity. This reminds me of a recent David Ayer's film, Harsh Times, starring Christian Bale. To these people, our soldiers are losers beneath contempt, useful only as political cards to play.
Posted by: Qiao Yang at September 3, 2007 11:13 AMNotice how the article doesn't quote any numbers. The suicide rate for males inside the Army is so small that only a handful of extra deaths can create a "record" number.
The suicide rate for an average young male in the US is considerbly higher than those serving in the Army.
Posted by: Gideon at September 3, 2007 11:50 AM