Now here is a case of an organization that has taken taxpayer money and gone WAY too damned far out on a limb. This Veteran thinks it may be time to prune that particular limb…
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. �?? Everyone agrees that Ligaya Lagman is a Gold Star mother, part of the long line of mournful women whose sons or daughters gave their lives for their country. Her 27-year-old son, Army Staff Sgt. Anthony Lagman (American Hero), was killed last year in Afghanistan, but American Gold Star Mothers Inc., has rejected Lagman, a Filipino, for membership because �?? though a permanent resident and a taxpayer �?? she is not a U.S. citizen.
“There’s nothing we can do because that’s what our organization says: You have to be an American citizen,” national President Ann Herd said Thursday. “We can’t go changing the rules every time the wind blows.”
That explanation isn’t satisfying the war veterans who sponsored Lagman’s application, some other members of the mothers’ group or several members of Congress.
“It is disheartening that any mother of a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine who has died in the line of duty would be denied membership in an organization that honors the memory of fallen service men and women,” said Rep. Nita Lowey (search), whose district includes Lagman’s home in Yonkers.
Rep. Eliot Engel, who represents an adjoining district, said the group should change its rules immediately.
“Whatever the excuse, American Gold Star Mothers’ decision smacks of xenophobia and is in stark contrast to what Mrs. Lagman’s son fought and died for,” Engel said.
Man, this story pisses me off! Not only has this group of hags dissed the mother of an American Hero, they have forced ‘The Bull‘ to agree with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
I get the sinking feeling that if we look back into the records of this bunch we’ll find many more mothers that have been denied. Oh say, black mothers who lost sons in WWII, Korea, & Vietnam. After all, it isn’t too long a leap from xenophobia to old fashion racism.
This story makes me sick. If you are pissed off as much as I am, then write to this bunch of racist hags and let them know how you feel! their email address is: goldstarmoms@yahoo.com
They dare open their web page with this statement: “American Gold Star Mothers was incorporated in Washington, DC and granted a Federal Charter by the ninety-eighth Congress. That was in 1929, and in the years since, through times of war and times of peace, this organization of American mothers has changed, grown, and always been there when needed.”
Yet they can’t “change” or “grow” enough to honor EVERY mother now can they? Bah! As far as that Federal Charter goes, I submit that without an immediate change in rules and policy, complete with a public apology to Ligaya Lagman, we should demand that that Charter be pulled by Congress immediately.
Write to these so-called “Gold Star Mothers” and demand a change! Then write to your Senators and demand action. American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. took your money, they should then toe the line. The mothers of ALL American Heroes should be – WILL BE – honored equally!
Omar, out.
