20240920 📧 “military civil rights” to HillVets

I don't want you to hear me asking HillVets to 'weigh in' on anything; my BA is in Nonprofit Management and I know how meek NGOs can be on advocacy because of unnecessary anxiety over losing their tax exempt status. "Getting across the finish line" includes, at the very least, informing the relevant community of what's going on. Something coming from me will get lost in the sauce, but as founder  of a DC nonprofit you have more power than I do to make sure our battle buddies have some situational awareness. If knowledge is power, I wanted to empower you in the way you didn't empower me. 

I don't think it's any secret, so let me state it bluntly; I didn't like my time in HillVets. You were bougie, condescending, and rude. HillVets felt very "shut up and drive on or you won't get your milk and cookies." I was surprised to hear you were enlisted, but I was not surprised you were involved with VFW. Your disdain for human dignity was like the local VFW commander who sicced the cops on me for asking about civil rights. At our Capcon, you tried to shut me up when I was asking Elissa Slotkin a similar question. I hope I'm the only Protege or Fellow you treated like that, but I'll never know. But you deserve to know how I am going to treat you. 

If the dominoes start to fall here in Oregon, journalists may ask how military civil rights escaped public notice for so long. I will not be able to honestly say that HillVets helped. I was expected to fit the mold you set, to only operate within the confines of your political worldview or be shushed away. I won't do the work for you of informing soldiers, veterans, and Dependents you serve how vulnerable they are to bias, harassment, and discrimination. You can hire me to train your people up or you can do the research yourself; I'll treat you the same as I treat anyone else. It's more than you did for me. 

@ 1859 from Justin

Sorry to hear you feel that way Logan, 

I think I have always been a straight shooter with you. I'm sorry you didn't like what I had to say. 

I wish you the best in your endeavors.

-Justin