In the endless parade of governmental bullshit that assaults our senses daily, sometimes a moment arrives that transcends the usual cacophony of political noise. A moment so egregiously offensive, so fundamentally un-American, that it demands our collective rage. White House adviser Alina Habba just delivered exactly that when she suggested veterans affected by recent federal layoffs might not be "fit to have a job at this moment."

Let that sink in. Veterans. Not fit to work. From a White House adviser.

I've written about political incompetence before, a few times, but this is something else entirely. This is a new frontier of governmental contempt, a masterclass in how to shit on the very people who risked everything for this country.

Speaking to reporters with the casual cruelty that has become this administration's hallmark, Habba didn't just double down on defending the DOGE-led cuts that have devastated thousands of federal workers—she decided to take a metaphorical piss on veterans' service while she was at it.

"No sympathy," she declared, regarding those who lost their jobs. No sympathy. For veterans. Let me repeat that one more goddamn time: NO SYMPATHY FOR VETERANS who just lost their livelihoods. Because apparently having "fiscal responsibility" to taxpayers means treating those who served our country like disposable trash.

This sort of callous disregard would be shocking coming from anyone. Coming from a White House adviser, it's not just shocking—it's fucking terrifying. It speaks to a broader attitude that views military service as something to be exploited for political gain during campaign season, then promptly forgotten when it's time to actually care for those who served.

Emily Erroa and Jesus Tony Ruiz aren't just statistics in some bureaucratic spreadsheet. They're veterans who transitioned from military service to continue serving their country in civilian federal positions. They're real people with real lives, real bills, real families depending on them.

When they call Habba's statements "ridiculous" and "insulting," they're being polite. What they should be saying—what we should all be saying—is that her comments are an abomination, a disgrace to the office she holds and the country she supposedly serves.

Especially damning is the callous disregard for veterans with service-related conditions. The implication that these individuals, who bear the physical and psychological scars of their sacrifice, are somehow "unfit" for employment isn't just wrong—it's actively harmful. It reinforces every negative stereotype about veterans that makes their transition to civilian life harder than it already is.

Let's talk about this DOGE-led initiative, shall we? The Department of Government Efficiency—a title so Orwellian it would be comical if it weren't so damn tragic—spearheaded by none other than Elon Musk, a man whose understanding of government seems roughly equivalent to my cat's understanding of quantum physics.

These cuts haven't targeted waste. They've targeted people—specifically, probationary employees who had been in their roles for less than two years. You know who often falls into that category? Veterans transitioning to civilian service. Recent graduates. People trying to build careers in public service.

And why? Because they're easier to fire. Not because they're inefficient. Not because they're unnecessary. Because they lack the protections that would force the administration to actually justify their termination.

This isn't efficiency. This is laziness dressed up as fiscal responsibility. This is taking a chainsaw to government when what's needed is a scalpel. This is destroying people's lives because it's easier than doing the hard work of actual governance.

A federal judge recently ruled that the memo directing agencies to plan for mass layoffs was "illegal." No shit. But that ruling didn't reinstate fired employees. It didn't put food back on their tables or pay their mortgages. It didn't undo the damage already done.

The lawsuits challenging these layoffs will drag on for months, even years. Meanwhile, veterans like Erroa and Ruiz and thousands of others are left to wonder how they'll make ends meet, how they'll explain to their kids why they suddenly can't afford the things they could before, why their service to this country resulted in being told they're "unfit" for employment.

This is government at its most cruel and incompetent. This is what happens when power is divorced from compassion, when fiscal responsibility becomes an excuse for moral irresponsibility.

What makes Habba's comments particularly vile is how they contrast with the way veterans are typically treated in political discourse. During campaign season, there's no group more revered, more frequently invoked as deserving of our respect and gratitude. Politicians of all stripes trip over themselves to be photographed with men and women in uniform, to promise better care, better opportunities, better recognition of their sacrifice.

But when the cameras are off and the hard decisions need to be made? Suddenly, those same veterans become expendable. Suddenly, it's acceptable to suggest they might not be "fit" for employment. Suddenly, their service-related conditions—the very wounds they suffered in service to this country—become reasons to discard them rather than accommodate them.

This disgusting hypocrisy transcends partisan politics. This isn't about Republican or Democrat. This is about basic human decency. This is about the fundamental obligation a nation has to those who have served it.

And at this most basic level, Habba and the administration she represents have failed catastrophically.

These layoffs and Habba's defense of them reveal something profoundly disturbing about the current administration's philosophy of governance: they see government not as a vehicle for serving the American people, but as an enemy to be defeated, an entity to be starved and diminished.

The problem with this worldview is that government isn't some abstract concept. It's people. Real people doing real work that affects real lives. When you declare war on "government waste," what you're really doing is declaring war on public servants—including veterans who chose to continue their service in civilian roles.

And for what? To satisfy the ideological wet dreams of billionaires like Musk who have never had to rely on government services, who have never known what it's like to struggle, who play at being disruptors while others bear the actual disruption to their lives?

The list of people rightfully enraged by Habba's comments and the layoffs they defend is long and growing. Veterans' organizations across the political spectrum have condemned her words. Military families are questioning their support for an administration that would treat their loved ones with such contempt. Current service members are wondering if this is what awaits them when they transition to civilian life.

But the anger extends beyond the military community. Anyone who believes in the basic concept of government as a force for good, anyone who recognizes the value of public service, anyone who thinks that perhaps those who served their country deserve better than to be discarded like trash—all these people are furious.

And they should be. Because this isn't just about veterans, as crucial as that issue is. This is about what kind of country we want to be. Do we want to be a nation that honors sacrifice, that keeps its promises, that treats its citizens—especially those who have served—with dignity and respect? Or do we want to be a nation where "fiscal responsibility" becomes code for cruelty, where public service is devalued, where veterans can be told they're "unfit" for employment and that's somehow acceptable?

So where do we go from here? The first step is obvious: Habba must resign or be fired immediately. Her comments are disqualifying for any government position, let alone one that gives her influence over policy affecting veterans.

But that's just the beginning. The illegal layoffs must be reversed, with affected employees reinstated with back pay. The entire DOGE initiative needs to be scrutinized by Congress, with public hearings where those responsible for this disaster are forced to answer for their actions.

Most importantly, we need a fundamental reassessment of how we treat veterans in this country. Not just with words or symbolic gestures, but with concrete policies that recognize their sacrifice and ensure they have the support they need—including employment opportunities that value their unique skills and accommodate service-related conditions.

In the litany of political outrages that bombard us daily, it's easy to become numb, to let each new offense blur into the background noise of our dysfunctional discourse. We cannot allow that to happen here.

What Alina Habba said, what this administration has done to veterans and other federal workers, must be recognized for what it is: a profound moral failure, a betrayal of core American values, a disgrace that cannot be excused or forgotten.

To veterans like Emily Erroa and Jesus Tony Ruiz, and to all those affected by these cruel and senseless layoffs: your country owes you better than this. Your service deserves better than this. And there are millions of Americans who recognize that fact, who stand with you, who share your outrage, and who demand accountability for those responsible.

This isn't just another political controversy. This is a defining moment that reveals the true character of an administration willing to sacrifice those who sacrificed for us. And it's a moment that demands our collective, sustained fury until justice is done.

Because if we can't even show basic respect and gratitude to those who served this country, what the hell are we even doing as a nation?