Little Nemo in Slumberland

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George W. Bush is Little Nemo, and like Flip's hat says -- "Wake up."

To all the ooorah patriots who would accuse a dissenting voice of not being patriotic, scan some recent articles in your own fraternal organizations' magazines. There is an unusual groundswell of protest afoot.

In the November/December Purple Heart Magazine, a sturdy protest from Dr. Thomas Dimitry against inadequate funding for the medical needs of returning troops. Following is an excerpt:

"For the men and women who have sacrificed so much, more must be given. A nation that has accepted one's service must not neglect those disabled in that service. Every veteran receiving VA compensation at the 100% rating (total and permanent) should receive at least $5,000 per month in compensation, with yearly increases equal to the inflation rate plus one or two percentage points. Perhaps a more equitable payment would be one-half of the salary paid to members of Congress. After all, they are the ones that vote for war and conflict and Veterans benefits.

"Dreams are shattered, lives broken, fear and anxiety rule. Veterans, spouses, children, parents and families pay a horrendous price for the pain and suffering from disease and physical and mental trauma that does not go away and increases with age."

"The issue is not money, because money is available to continue a conflict and to maintain and build weapons systems. The cost of one B-1 Lancer bomber is over $280 million or about the cost of some war games that would pay for 20 years of benefits for the 100% disabled veterans. Billions of dollars are found for foreign aid, and a fraction of the money would provide for a lifetime of benefits."

". . .Freedom is not free. The cost of war is long-term and must never be incurred if those few, those very few, that sacrifice so much for so many are not cared for physically, mentally and financially.

"Freedom would then be but words in the wind."

We are not the only ones. If you feel like critical review is heresy, don't look to your formerly blindly patriotic rags for confirmation. Protest is in the wind there, too.