It’s impossible to think of modern satire without bringing up the name Jon Stewart. He’s been a part of many different films, such as Half Baked, Big Daddy, Evan Almighty, and even Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Stewart has won two Grammys for his comedy albums and has also helped launch multiple successful television shows, accumulating 22 Emmys in the process. Most notably, his satirical take on major news networks/talk shows is where he gained most of his notoriety while working on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, now hosted by Trevor Noah on Comedy Central. But political parties, satire, and all jokes aside, he is working to continue advocacy for the Veterans that have served our country and were affected by burn pits. Read next:The Dangers of Exposure to Burn Pits & New Policies To Mitigate Them

Jon Stewart Advocates for the Passing of the PACT Act

Jon Stewart’s new show The Problem With Jon Stewart dives into a range of social issues affecting Americans today. Episode 1, however, is as far as you need to get when looking for Jon Stewart’s opinion on the treatment of Veterans. Nobody is perfect. We don’t have to paint him as a saint, but it’s been an ongoing battle by Stewart to help Veterans gain the benefits they deserve from the PACT Act. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siJwHVsHN7U The PACT Act has something to do with cigarette regulation?? Yeah… anyways, as with any bill in this country, there are multiple things going into convoluted legislation that the average person just isn’t going to read. But the benefits for Veterans affected by burn pits are part of this bill and should be something we can all agree on. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert worked for years as somewhat of a satirical dynamic duo poking fun at both major political parties. Overall, I believe they showed that no matter where you stand, both parties have a lot of work to do when it comes to putting the needs of the common person at the forefront. While fun, there were many admirable efforts made during that time, and we continue to see these themes spill out from entertainment into real life with Jon Stewart’s burn pit advocacy. No matter if you are left, right, or forward, we should all be able to agree that those who served this country deserve better than what they are receiving for their efforts.

Understanding the Health Risks of Burn Pits

The reason that many Veterans are facing problems from burn pits is that they unleash dioxins into the air. There is no doubt that dioxins are harmful chemicals, even in low amounts. They can cause health problems, including heart, lung, and skin cancer. Veterans who breathe in these harmful chemicals are at risk of these very adverse health effects. To dispose of waste during the various wars and conflicts in the Middle East, burn pits were widely used. This is why, after decades of involvement in the region, we are seeing more and more cases of burn pit illnesses come to light.

Jon Stewart Helped Firefighters After 9/11

The aftermath of 9/11 was complete chaos on America’s darkest day in history, yet some of the best parts of being an American still came shining through. In those traits was the willingness to serve our fellow man through bravery, even when it meant putting our lives on the line. But nobody exuded such bravery quite like the various firefighters all across New York City and various other places who went in to help get people out. Every kind of chemical and risk one can think of was in the air and all around the impacted area, and 343 firefighters from NYC would lose their lives assisting in rescues. This is a terribly high number that was amplified higher by the fact that another 200 firefighters would pass from illnesses related to their service on 9/11. It would make sense that these brave individuals would need help and benefits for their efforts. It would make zero sense at all that the government would treat them so poorly by denying this assistance. That’s how Jon Stewart became a fierce advocate for 9/11 responders delivering an impassionate, moving speech on Capitol Hill after advocating well beforehand on his show and in other places for better treatment of these heroes. His efforts would not go unnoticed and eventually would help see the bill for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund pass. “It’s an embarrassment to this country,” said Stewart, portraying a much more somber demeanor than he's known for. Sadly, he’s right because the fact that it took so much to help these heroes is still mind-boggling today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uYpDC3SRpM If it takes Jon Stewart laying insults and outbursts into whoever is next to get in the way of getting our Veterans the assistance they deserve, then so be it. But we should really look at ourselves as a country if we can so boldly send our heroes to defend our country without a plan to support them when they come home.

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