Some sharp words from San Antonio Spurs Coach (and Air Force veteran) Gregg Popovich about SNAP cuts today:
“In a lot of ways, it’s a joyous day if we all remember to honor people,” Popovich began. “But in some ways, it’s a sad day because (soldiers and veterans) don’t really get honored the way they should be. Some of it is just pablum. When it comes down to the nuts and bolts of what they need, they’re really not getting everything.
“Just like the way it is right now – how many vets might have to do without food stamps because of what’s going on with the government right now? That program is huge to a lot of these families. I mean huge. It gets them through. And it may or may not be there – who knows? – because government is not very functional at this point, as we all know. So it’s a day to reflect, to honor but also to not lose sight of the fact that a whole lot more has to be done with what they’ve done for all of us.”
Weirdly, though, USA Today headlined the story “Spurs’ Gregg Popovich says veterans not honored properly” as if he was complaining about insufficient obeisance being paid toward The Troops. And my wife (a die-hard Spurs fan) pointed out to me that the media generally did this with the headlining. The San Antonio Express went with “Popovich goes to bat for veterans” which, again, makes his remarks sound a lot more banal than they actually were.
