#GruntGod ch.14 (Jerry and Spitting)
The fourteenth installment of a revolutionary exploration of faith and service.
Second edition work on God Is a Grunt continues, and this chapter gave me more than I could fit. "Spit Shining a Mirror, Dimly" traces what happened to soldiers and veterans in the years the civil rights movement was winding down — and it dragged a legal and historical paper trail behind it that the book chapter just doesn't have room for. So it's getting its own week here instead of getting cut for good.
Here's What's Coming
Monday, 2.14.1: "The B(l)inding of Isaac (Woodard)"
Most people trace modern civil rights law back to a lunch counter or a bus seat. I trace it back to a blinded soldier and a technicality about the exact minute his discharge took effect. Truman took it personally, and the paper trail from that case runs straight through to Title VII.
Tuesday, 2.14.2: "VEVRAA's Empty Promise"
Congress passed VEVRAA after Ron Kovic got spit on in Miami Beach. A federal court has since said, in writing, that the statute "leaves us with no law to apply." I dug into the enforcement data myself and found out exactly how true that is.
Wednesday, 2.14.3: “Documented, Not Remembered — What the 1967 Record Actually Says”
There's a real scholarly argument that the spat-upon-veteran story is a myth with no documented incidents behind it. I'm laying out the dated, sourced 1967 reporting my chapter draws on and naming the argument directly, because this one deserves to be engaged head-on rather than footnoted around.
Thursday, 2.14.4: "The Hate Crime Law Nobody Enforces"
Congress quietly extended federal hate-crimes protection to soldiers and their families back in 2009. The DOJ doesn't mention it on any of its websites. I called them to check. They didn’t like that.
Friday, 2.14.5: "Civil Rights Math — Why Military Families Keep Losing Ground"
Every other protected group in this country is growing. The military community isn't. Here's the uncomfortable arithmetic behind why that matters for who gets taken seriously.
See you Monday at 0800.
Chapter 13 of the #GruntGod Season Pass will include:
📝 A revised chapter exploring Jerry Lembke and spitting on veterans.
🎨 An original digital icon of Jerry the Polarizer—part of the GruntGod Icon Series
🎧 A high-quality, ad-free MP3 download of the podcast episode, featuring exclusive insights from [TBD].
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