as we head into the home stretch of memorial weekend 2007- i think we should reflect for a moment on what it actually means for us. no- i am not talking about feeding the oil companies by insisting on driving the suvs 1200 miles for a long weekend- or whether or not to serve veggie burgers at the picnic. as is true with many things here in 'the land of the free and home of the brave', americans have lost sight of what this particular 'holiday' means. i personally think it's insulting to call this a holiday- but hey, i am a screaming common sensist.
no- memorial day is not a day of white sales and picnics- it is a day that we, as a nation, are supposed to honor the souls who fought in our wars- foreign and domestic- and gave their lives to advance our democracy- er, fought for liberty. i have a feeling that they would be more than a wee bit disappointed in us for allowing all of their sacrifice to be in vain. but, what else can you call it? when we willingly ceded our constitution to the neo cons for shredding and we get this in return:
the patriot act
the military commissions act
national security and homeland security presidential directive
and let's not forget the border walls with our southern neighbors and the secret prisons that torture people who haven't been formally charged with any crimes- other than being brown.
yes- i think that our fallen brothers and sisters would be shocked to learn that we, the people, asked so much of them- and have given so little in return.
6 comments:
I'm with you, bet. I took the liberty of "clipping" and retitling THIS from cruelvirgin for Clipmarks and to blog.
Our soldiers bravely fight and die, because they do what we asked them to do. That alone is courage to me.
It is we (the people) who have let them down. It is our responsibility to ensure that our leaders are making the right decisions on how to use our military.
If they died in vain, we can't just blame the man we elected to office. We own part of that mistake.
Bush lied, (just one reason he should have been impeached) but it was a majority of the people of America that backed his war in Iraq.
A good leader would have tempered our thirst for revenge, and led us to better options.
It is another crime, that we allow our representatives to cut benefits to our Veterans, or give them second class treatment of any kind.
The least we can do; is to dig into our pockets and pay for the short and long term needs of these brave troops, who put their lives on the line for us.
I watched 60 minutes this evening. They had the story of a National Guard battalion from Iowa. To see the real lives affected by Bu$h's war and how his "surge" kept them away from spouses, children, & babies (who were no longer babies when they returned, those who made it alive anyway) for months and months longer than expected was just heartbreaking.
All just more "collateral damage" to the PNAC crowd.
Off-topic: Just something I felt like sharing
- With this poem the poet laureate of the Toronto Star retires his verse from their pages -
The Last Poem
Remember, poetry is not
Read.
It is uttered sincerity,
Or your child's eyes
Spoken in what you do.
It is every brick you kiss as you build,
Or a curse in the absence of love.
As for poets, they are all around you
Hidden in bad employment or
Prose. And remember each metaphor is
A house you will have to live in,
And wisdom is knowing when to leave.
You will have to pronounce "sentiment"
As something that is the reason for
Doing anything,
In a country that fears its heart.
This too is a cross,
No greater than the market greed
And the golem of bright ideology.
And then there are the poems that are
Prayers,
That arrive like dew if you have the sense
To grow a garden,
Let no one talk you into languages
You do not know
Beyond feeling
That said, you are a poet, and the world will fear
You and desire you
As a blessing,
And if you are useless for a time
There will be a way to return home,
When your words are needed,
When the dreams are revived,
And the fevers of children
Are ended.
Pier Girogio Di Cicco
PS - I think you'll love my latest post at Les Enragés.org.
We did what we could legally. We voted our representatives into office to stand up to these tyrants that are destroying our country and end this war AND BRING THE LIARS to justice.
They have done neither. They have capitulated. They will do neither.
Celebrate? This is a day to pray my ass off that my niece won't end up in Walter Reed, or in a flag covered coffin.
I take Bush's warmongering personally.
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