Where has the respect gone?

I am sure that many of you have heard that recently Dianne Feinstein let out a whopper of a statement, which in short insinuated that all veterans have PTSD (which of course she also eluded was a new phenomenon), and that they pretty much shouldn't be allowed to own firearms. Here we are just weeks later and now there are Veterans that are receiving letters telling them that they need to "justify" their ability to take care of their finances and their right to own/purchase firearms. http://www.wnd.com/2013/03/va-says-routine-is-to-threaten-vets-gun-rights/#s3akxJ1bRxTLJgEC.99

There has been plenty of talk of removing the ability to own a firearm from those who have been diagnosed with PTSD, and honestly I feel that it is all completely absurd. The fact that just one report from a Doctor could completely strip a Veteran of the rights that they fought for and were injured fighting for is a disgraceful move on this countries part.

I have been trying to wrap my head around the reasoning for removing the rights of veterans who have been diagnosed one way or another, and even just flat out saying that every veteran has PTSD. The only reasons that I can possibly come up with sound like conspiracy theories, but to think back just 10 years people would have said that trying to disarm veterans was a conspiracy theory, yet here we stand today and veterans are having to justify their rights that are guaranteed not only by the Bill of Rights but also by God.

I have seen some responses in support of removing these rights from veterans, and I can't help but think that those are the type of people that I always felt were giving me glaring looks of disdain while I was Active Duty and later working as a full time Air National Guard member.

I know that there are still plenty out there that are truly grateful for those who choose to serve this country. I myself have run across quite a few when I was still working with the Air National Guard in California, they always expressed their gratitude and me sure to shake my hand, and honestly I never really knew how to respond other than a smile, a firm handshake, and a "thank you for your support". It was never something that I expected to be recognized for, rather it was something I wanted to do because I felt called to do it.

As a veteran who didn't do it for the recognition but to fulfill the duty to this country that I felt called to do, I say that it is time to question why the rights of veterans are being infringed, why the benefits that they were told they would get are being whittled down to nearly nothing. Where has the respect for those who put themselves in harms way (some more than others), and the families of those who paid the ultimate price by laying their lives down? I don't care if you agree with the war or not, what needs to make a surge forward is the respect for the men and women who are serving or have served in the past.