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Brandon Friedman: The deeper damage done by Sarah Palin
nydailynews.com ^ | january 22, 2016 | brandon friedman

Posted on 01/22/2016 5:26:58 AM PST by lowbridge

Sarah Palin decided to make a political issue of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder.

"My son, like so many others," she said at a rally endorsing Donald Trump for President, "came back a bit different."

Normally, veterans like me would view this positively - as a needed discussion after two wars that have impacted nearly 2.5 million U.S. service members.

But we're talking about Palin here, and that's not where she took it. Instead, she used PTSD to excuse - or at least shift blame away from - her son's arrest on domestic violence charges the night before. According to police reports, Track Palin "allegedly punched and kicked his girlfriend." Police found her "hiding under a bed" and "crying."

Palin then took it further, attributing her family's situation to America’s supposed lack of care for veterans. "It starts from the top," she said — implying that President Obama was somehow responsible. Ironically and outrageously, Palin never mentioned the actual victim of this apparent crime: her son's girlfriend.

And while her unfair smear of Obama is getting most of the attention, there's a bigger tragedy here.

Palin's implicit assertion that it's normal or standard for a PTSD diagnosis to lead to physical violence is simply not accurate. And peddling in that kind of misinformation sets back the progress post-9/11 veterans have made in re-integrating after war, whether it's in school or at work.

Contrary to caricature, those with PTSD - veterans and non-veterans alike - are simply not ticking bombs who could snap at any moment. Research has shown this time and again.

(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: palin; pds; ptsd; sarahpalin
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To: MNJohnnie

The only thing enemy islamist soebarakah wants for veterans is for them to die faster. Or at least label them as insane so as to preclude their access to weapons.


21 posted on 01/22/2016 6:53:26 AM PST by onedoug
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To: randita

I’m not a fan of Palin’s for other reasons, but it’s entirely wrong to blame parents for actions of adult children.

<><><>

I do agree with that for the most part.

But if your 26 year old son is in any kind of dire straits, where will you be? Iowa or home?

Very glad I don’t have to make that kind of decision.


22 posted on 01/22/2016 6:53:37 AM PST by dmz
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To: Bruce Campbells Chin

“I took it exactly as the author did - she was trying to slip in an excuse for her son beating up his girlfriend”

Of course she was blaming her sons PTSD. But the author was trying to accuse her of accusing obama of her sons behavior. Thats what I’m seeing from the author.


23 posted on 01/22/2016 7:07:00 AM PST by lowbridge
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To: dmz
Being treated for PTSD? Not that I know of, but she's still linking his most recent behavior..."the elephant in the room" were her exact words, to PTSD:

"So when my own son is going through what he goes through, coming back, I can certainly relate with other families who kind of feel these ramifications of some PTSD and some of the woundedness that our soldiers do return with".

24 posted on 01/22/2016 7:17:28 AM PST by Wolfie
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To: Resettozero

This guy has the gull to complain about Sarah Palin politicizing the trauma of PTSD while the democrats go and politicize everything else on the planet including the weather. FU Brandon Friedman.


25 posted on 01/22/2016 7:18:17 AM PST by Flavious_Maximus
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To: iontheball

Your the pretentious jerk. Maybe you should research before you disparage ...

Friedman began his career as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division. In March 2002, he led a rifle platoon into Afghanistan’s Shah-e-Kot Valley to engage Taliban and al Qaeda fighters as part of Operation Anaconda


26 posted on 01/22/2016 9:56:25 AM PST by sjsnj08
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To: sjsnj08

The jackals are out again.

What Sarah said was that it didn’t help a vet, specially one with PTSD, the lack of respect that a soldier feels towards himself, the arm forces or the country, and that the tone and feeling of respect was set from the top, from the President on down.

And I fully agree with her, there is no reason for any apology


27 posted on 01/22/2016 10:59:14 AM PST by Toughluck_freeper
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To: dowcaet

“Her kids are a mess”


All of them?
The few in the news are adults. There is only so much you can do to help an adult.


28 posted on 01/22/2016 11:04:00 AM PST by moehoward
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To: Toughluck_freeper

Your thoughts are as incoherent as Sarah Palin’s!!

The lack of perceived respect caused him to beat a woman and that the tone from the top played a role? Huh?


29 posted on 01/22/2016 1:49:43 PM PST by sjsnj08
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To: randita

but it’s entirely wrong to blame parents for actions of adult children.

I think your analysis hits the mark...


30 posted on 01/24/2016 8:33:00 AM PST by IrishBrigade
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