The below is from a dear hockey friend.

Two Tragic Americas Dept.

America #1: Fatcat chickenhawks making billions in war profiteering while speechifying about our great military heroes and our glorious victories in Iraq.

America #2: Santa Cruz fire depts. this month will have a barrel out front. I know most you don’t live near there. But these barrels are for sweatpants. The program is called Sweats for Vets started by a Nice Lady.
This Nice Lady from Santa Cruz was up at the veterans’ division of Ronald McDonald House in the head trauma center. She asked why a lot of the permanent and serious trauma victims were being wheeled around in ill-fitting, oddly-colored ladies sweatpants which in some cases only came down to their knees.

She was told that the men and women patients had to have sweatpants because they were paralyzed and the workers needed to put on and remove them easily. But there was no money for sweatpants, so they had to use whatever they could find. They couldn’t afford sweatpants. Because Bush had cut the VA funding.

Now let’s back up a bit here. These are Americans. They fought for their country. They weren’t provided by Donald Rumsfeld with adequate armoring for their vehicles, or their bodies. They got blowed up…good. They have severe brain damage. Permanent brain damage. They have little or no control of bodily functions. Many can’t talk, and never will. They are in pain, emotional and physical.

And George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld, who dine in luxury, who sip champagne, who sleep on silk sheets…they deny these fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for the corporate war profiteering schemes of these war criminals, they deny these good people the dignity of sweatpants.

So fellow poor Americans who might have an extra pair of old pants have to contribute a tiny scrap of dignity to these fallen heroes. It’s on the poorest souls to help the other poor souls. Same as it ever was.

While the criminals in Washington drink and live it up at another gala ball tonight.

That’s two Americas too many. I say we go back to one America. One in which George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld and Richard Cheney wear donated orange jumpsuits. The barrels will be overflowing for that cause.

If you want to mail sweatpants for our disabled vets, the address is:

Santa Cruz Fire Department
230 Walnut Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Attn:  Sweats For Vets

FD information # for Santa Cruz: (831) 420-5280