Aten-Hut!!

Is it my imagination, folks, or do veterans (some, I'm saying) sometimes use their veteran status as a means to stifle debate/dialogue? It seems like it to me. I mean, I'd even go as far as to say that it's blatant, at times. One tactic, in particular, that disturbs me is how they use their veteran status as a built-in rationale for why their reasoning/expertise is superior to yours. They were in the military and, so, ergo, they are de-facto more knowledgeable than you - not just on matters related to the military, mind you - but on basically anything that's even tangentially related; foreign policy, history, etc.. And, yes, they use this de-facto advantage/hierarchical superiority constantly - wherever and whenever it's needed.............................................Of course, what I find even more frustrating is how some of these veterans tend to use their status as a shield. I mean, seriously, they can be as demeaning and disrespectful to you as they want to be, but if you even think about responding in kind, boom! They whip out this "you don't respect the veterans (to which, of course, they generalize to include the troops, their service to the country, the military in general)" bromide/silver bullet and, yes, they frigging tar you with it. Never mind, mind you, that your problems with them have absolutely nothing to do with whether they served in the military or not. Nope, you disrespected the veterans, period................................................I mean, I know that this is an extreme example and all, but what about Timothy McVeigh? I absolutely respect the fact that he served his country but, really, was I obligated to continue to respect him? Bottom-line, folks, we are all, all of us, individuals and, while, yes, it would in fact be nice if we eventually could rest upon those laurels, life, damned if that isn't exactly fair, either. This, I'm saying, in case you HADN'T noticed.