Note: USAA (United Services Automobile Association) is a membership based insurance company begun in the 1920s by a group of Army officers. Over the decades they grew considerably and branched out into financial services. Some type of military association is required to be a member and they have developed a deserved reputation for integrity and service. I’ve been a member for 37 years, and I (along with my wife) use them for our car and house insurance and many of our banking needs. One great plus of USAA is that it has been operated by serious and competent adults who never gave in to societal and political fads and pressures, until now. Below is a letter to Wayne Peacock, the newly installed CEO of USAA and the first who has never served in the military, in response to a position statement he released fully aligning USAA with the woke social justice activism (that statement can be found at the bottom of the page).
Greetings Mr. Peacock:
I had thought to myself with satisfaction that USAA was one of the exceptional companies that had the strength of character and sobriety to not succumb to the coercion and disingenuousness of the popular culture of the moment. That is, until I found your letter of supplicating mea culpa apologetics when I signed on to my USAA account.
I cannot recall in my lifetime a situation in which there has been unanimous agreement on a value- in this case revulsion at the brutal murder of George Floyd- that was so quickly exploited so as to create division and foster hatred and even violence. The underlying premise, that black lives matter (BLM), is fine as far as it goes, because everyone’s life matters, regardless of race, ethnicity, etc. What we know is that the political and cultural movement known as BLM in fact embraces racism by selectively applying worth to black Americans on a commodity basis, and finding marketable value only when the manner of death can be used for profit: if a black American is one of the handful killed by a white cop, for example, there is titillation; if a black American is one of approximately 6,500 killed by intra-racial violence every year there is something between silence and embarrassment: the former must be exploited, the latter ignored.
Carole Ann Milljour
Great response to USAA, Reid. Amazing how everyone seems to think our country is full of racists. It’s okay that the police are being harassed and defunded? It’s okay that people protest, but why does that make it okay to riot, burn buildings, steal, tear down statues, burn our great American Flag, etc. And, within all this chaos, people are getting killed, maimed and injured.
I don’t know anyone who is racist and I’ve lived in various locations around NYS. In fact, I’ve known a few individuals who despised fat people who are now fat themselves…. ironic, I know!
To make more of something that doesn’t even exist to promote hate and dangerous conditions is beyond belief.
But isn’t that part of the trouble, too many are either afraid to speak up or just want someone else to do it for them. Is this nation that full of sheep; easily led and can’t fend for themselves. Good for you Reid, for seeing right through these no-good do-gooders! They want to be admired for standing up for something and yet have no idea of the gravity of it all and, by doing so, the danger their contributing to!
Since the CEO declared the USAA’s standing with the BLM movement, he had to have known the violence against the police, the vandalism, burning of buildings and destruction of monuments.
When a statue of President Washington was toppled over and our Flag draped around his head and burnt, it became even more unfathomable how all that hate and damage could be overlooked. That CEO wrote his notice on 6/30 and that was well into the time of all the aforementioned violence.
This mainly 18 to 30-year-old group of individuals is being led by a terrorist group, organized in the name of BLM, for name sake only, in order to destroy this great nation, bit by bit! That group of US citizens don’t seem to care; and I believe, don’t even understand what’s really going on. They are just enjoying being rebels who are relishing in the destruction of lives and property solely because they now have a cause which gives them an opportunity to rebel against society; a society that they need to exist as well as the rest of us. And, not all protestors are led in by the evil doers, but a good majority have and continue to get caught up in it. So sad!
Blacks have killed more blacks then the police have. Our police force does their best. There are always a few in any walk of live, who don’t end up doing the right thing for whatever reason. Who knows what sets those few off when confronted by the violence around them? There may be video cams, but what about the conversation that’s going on between them and their assailants.
Police lives matter! Who knows what’s been said or done to set the few off that ultimately ends up in the death of a black, or white man for that matter? Day in and day out, they put their lives on the line. No one in life is perfect, we have laws and courts set I place to oversee the nature of such incidents. …and what about the police who go out on calls of domestic violence only for the sole purpose of the caller’s desire to slaughter them. Talk about a job I wouldn’t want! Devasting to go out and not know what the heck you’ll have to face! Not knowing if you’ll ever see your family again and the family not knowing if they’ll ever see their loved ones either.
When Waters’ World went out to various locations throughout the country, some people didn’t even know who George Washington was, or for that matter, who the standing president was. These people are the ones who are ignorant to a point of disgust….and they are no doubt a good portion of the ones who are going full throttle into the riots which now exist in some of our major cities! These people are happy to belong to a hate group because it gives them an opportunity to feel strong and powerful; however, ignorance is not bliss! These same people, pretty much, don’t care to work either! They’d rather be hand fed than to excel and make something of their lives! Tragic or what?!
I don’t know how many people read your post, Reid, but I hope and pray many do! I wonder if you will even get a response from the CEO, but not unlike the rest on the left, he could very well brush it under the carpet in the hopes it will just go away. I noticed on TV today that there are several stations, who support BLM now…. didn’t get the names because it was a quick flash on the screen…how pathetic! They’re just contributing to the chaos!
Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio are all for allowing crimes to go on noticed by one of the newest NYS laws governing over the no bail act so now when crimes are committed, the crooks get arrested and end up back on our streets. ... and now Gov. Cuomo has a huge, bright yellow, BLM sign painted on the street in front of the Trump Towers.
It’s okay though that people are being murdered, injured and property damaged/demolished and ravaged by our city’s BLM support groups, but not okay if a police officer kills a black person in the line of duty to protect himself. …and now, defunding the police force?!!?. We have some crazy people in office and here in the small town where I live, people just love both of those idiots. They have no clue, nor do they want one. You get caught up in a conversation regarding the mention of NYs’ governor and mayor, and their supporters go ballistic in their defense, with no good reason to do so; but they don’t know that! They’re sheep being led by those who want to do this country in! Them is well as the rest of us on the right!
Winston Churchill once said: “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”
We have to be courageous in order to defeat the left in their propaganda, desire for power and the corruption that they now have in place in order for them to secure their goal. … but my question is, how do we do it?!?
I remember hearing awhile ago that there were three solders on the battlefield during WWII; and in order to protect their troop, which was in a targeted area, they had to decide whether to leave their cover of safety to warn them, or to maintain their safe location. Well, two men decided to go, but the third was too afraid of getting killed on the way, so he stayed behind. What happened you ask? The one that stayed behind got hit and killed, the other two made it through and saved their troop. I always felt after hearing that, it is better to be courageous than not. What have we got to lose when we are? We are all going to die someday, better to die trying to help others than not to try at all!
As Edmund Burke once said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”