For Richard Burr, soldiers are merely tools to be used

Don't ask, don't tell, just do your f**king job:

Burr said he hasn’t seen compelling evidence that "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" has hurt the military’s readiness or the size and strength of the armed services. "Those folks can still fight. They’re fighting today," Burr said.

First of all, Dick, our men and women in uniform are not just assembly-line robots that fight our wars for us, they're people. They hope and dream and love and fear, just like civilians. Second of all, there are about 13,500 of them who are not fighting today because of this stupid regulation.

Just as a Memorial Day weekend refresher to remind people of how little Senator Burr actually cares about those who serve, here's an excerpt from a diary I wrote last year:

As you may know, the Montgomery GI Bill was enhanced last year, to make sure that our returning veterans would be able to afford earning a college degree. Richard Burr voted against this version, because he and Lindsay Graham and John McCain thought it was too good for soldiers, and might entice them into not reenlisting. From the Paralyzed Veterans of America:

"Senators Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Richard Burr (R-NC), and John McCain (R-AZ) have introduced a competing bill, S. 2938, the “Enhancement of Recruitment, Retention, and Readjustment Through
Education Act.” PVA opposes this legislation because we fundamentally disagree with the notion inherent in
this legislation that realigning the GI Bill with the post-World War II benefit would negatively impact retention. It is a shame that honorable service establishing eligibility for GI Bill benefits is no longer sufficient under this legislation. Furthermore, this legislation implies that if a service member is not willing to consider
extended service or a career in the military, then the federal government should have less of an obligation to
provide him or her with an education."

Frankly, this is the kind of attitude towards veterans that I see in a lot of what Richard Burr does. As long as you're an able-bodied soldier ready to go off on numerous combat tours, you Serve A Purpose. Once you're used up, banged up, or, God forbid, have the audacity to decide you don't want a career in the military, then you represent a cost that needs to be trimmed.

I have news for you, Senator Burr. You are a cost that needs to be trimmed. Our veterans deserve a Senator who understands them and cares about them, not someone who smiles in their faces and then tries to lock them out in the cold.