I see my country and I no longer recognize it.  I see fellow Americans elected to public office who   somehow remain untouched by the wars destroying my country and its economy. I see fear, but more and more I see rage. The rage is fed by the callous indifference of the media and local elected officials who fail to acknowledge the daily casualties and growing injured and wounded veterans clogging the VA and living in Hartford shelters. The rage is fed by assault on the public institutions by corporate hit men who seek to hijack taxpayer ownership. Sycophantic administrators pad supervisor positions and excise in house  line workers – too many generals and too few grunts. I had a sitting re-elected Board of Ed member tell me that the reason Veterans Day was taken away was because no one turned out to protest, like they did for Three Kings Day. We die for you, we kill for you and no one cares enough to give us one day with our families and our memories.

Here is what you may do to alleviate the pain and perhaps re-focus the rage. Post for real working jobs in Public works, the public schools and public libraries. Cut your supervisors and have crew leaders and classified staff lead on site. Cut all outside vendors and contractors, in house snow removal of all city property by Facilities staff is cost saving. Listen to us and the rage will abate.

I ask that a weekly reading by one of the council of all the names of the casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan be done publicly and broadcast by the media. Call a press conference every Friday and read the names, shame them into covering it. Men and women we know are dying and killing for us every day.  The one who went off to war is not the same one coming home.  Some one else is coming home.