Memorial Day 2006

First, thank you to the troops who died in the service of our country. Your sacrifices will truly never be forgotten.

On to my reasoning for the "Memorial" day posting.

While everyone is enjoying their cook-outs and day off, I would like to draw a bit of attention to the issues surrounding why we celebrate "Memorial" day.

The idea is to remember those of us who choose to dedicate their lives to protecting freedom. Historically, there have only been two wars to protect American freedoms and both occurred on American soil about 100 years apart from one another. I am referring to the American Revolution (1775-1783) and the American Civil War (1861-1865.)

The American Revolution was fought by a group of rag wearing ex-patriot Englishmen against the King of England's armed forces. It lasted about seven years and resulted in the freedoms you and I enjoy today.

The American Civil War was fought by the northern part of the United States, (at this time, referred to as the Union,) and the southern part of the United States, (at this time, the Confederacy.) It lasted about four years and reunited a country after a long period of perceived inequality, (rich white southerners felt that rich white northerners didn't know anything about being rich or white in the south and being a rich white slave owner.)

Ultimately, the other wars that have been fought in this country have been largely cosmetic. We were trying to appeal to immigrants, (WWI and WWII,) we were trying to stop the drug trade (Operation Just Cause,) we were trying to expand our borders because we had a mandate from God, (Spanish-American War and Mexican-American War,) we believed that communism was wrong, (Cold War, Vietnam War, Korean War,) or, we were just bored and needed a way to take the heat off of our own corruption, (Operation Iraqi Freedom, Desert Storm, War on Terrorism, War on Drugs, War on Homelessness.)

I realize that not all of the last few were armed conflicts between our nation and another but, perhaps it is time to make the following point: our nation could be more than a war based economy. Millions upon millions of men and women have decided to go into the military over the years; some for family pride, some for patriotism, others because there were no other options available. Many times, the reason is because there isn't anything else available to the person and the Army or Marines make a good pitch about school. If there was a way to make school funding available to those students who are super-intelligent, yet lacking the funds to attend school, how many wars could we fight then? If not all high school seniors in this country had to decide on whether to make money or go to school after graduation, where would all of the jobs be? If some companies took the time to invest in children who posses amazing text book skills, rather than kids that have amazing factory skills, OUR COUNTRY MIGHT NOT BE WAR BASED.

I am not insinuating that we no longer need a military force. I am saying that we might want to rethink how we consider the men and women who have given their lives "In protecting Freedom." Or, more specifically, how "Freedom isn't really free."

If the people who had died since the end of the Civil War in 1865 saw what we were doing to the other countries over the last 141 years, many of them would wonder what they fought for. The south wanted to be its own country and keep slavery legal, because the Christian bible said it was OK. The North wanted to have the South back because that's where all of the raw materials for their industries came from and because they wanted to punish the rich white slave owners for mis-using the text in the Christian bible

We are trying to level the playing field for people in other countries. I do not question our country's desire to help those in need however, I do question our referencing to the military as "Protectors of Freedom." The military goes wherever its Commander in Chief tells them, does whatever is asked of them for however long it takes, and does it all with the knowledge that we will consider them heroes, whether they come back to us with on a commercial airliner or a military one. That is a truly amazing sacrifice.

What about sending them into a hornet's nest to "defend" a freedom that wasn't even wanted? What about sending them after one person to avenge 3,000 deaths, just to turn around and send them after another? What about invoking the name of the Christian god whilst destroying another Muslim country's people and mosques? What about killing innocent civilians? What about running our country into the ground while trying to prove a point about American military strength? What about...I could go on forever.

Our men and women, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, children and grandchildren, uncles and aunts, nephews and nieces should be revered, not reposed. They should be able to serve their country without the fear of never coming home again. They should be able to serve the entire republic, not just the rich white ones.

As I wrote the above diatribe, images floated into my mind of the countless times in our country's history when a mother has lain her son or daughter to rest while fighting a war that only a select few believe in. A distraught father, retired from many years of service to his country, laying a rose on top of a casket that should hold him, not his son. A wife, shattered by the appearance of an army chaplain at her job, forcing herself to believe that she needs to work more than grieve.

I know that we are going through a period of indifference in this country, I just don't understand why. I feel pain whenever someone has to be told that their loved one or friend won't ever say hello to them, walk on the beach with them, drive them to school, be at another wedding, drink a beer at a barbecue, celebrate another birthday, or just breathe ever again.

The things that we ask our men and women in the service to carry out in the name of our country need to be questioned by someone. We are a bunch of ignorant, self-centered fucks content on driving to the end of our mile long driveway in our SUV to check our mail, leaving all of the lights on in a home when we aren't there because it makes us "safe" from the bad black men living across town who are waiting for us to go on vacation and rob the place, sitting our children in front of the TV rather than in front of a bookshelf, drinking our lattes and eating our burgers while talking on our cell phones and driving back to work. We also drink cases of beer at family gatherings, talk about how church is the only place to go and socialize when we should be asking our collective God to watch over our family while they are off fighting a war that no one quite knows why we are fighting, sitting in our trailers watching wrestling, out back building a shed or repairing one of the 50 cars in the front yard, going to the lake to fish or swim or drink, telling the kids to shut up while driving that Chevy Suburban to Wal-Mart at 2:00am, or wishing that our kids would become rich while they are too busy eating fast food and lapping up the bullshit that is fed to them everyday by their parents who think they can actually do something that no one in their family has ever done before.

The military does what it is told to do and never speaks a word otherwise.

Who does that leave to speak up for them?

Thank you veterans and current servicemen and servicewoman for your undaunted and amazing resilience to our imaginary crises as they have arisen over the last 141 years. Your service to our country, while not truly needed, is very much admired.

To the rest of us that believe that we are in serious shit now more than ever on the world stage: remember the words of one of the greatest civil rights leaders ever, Mahatma Gandhi, who said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

This is the only way to turn things around.

Happy day off, everyone.

Much Love to you all,