Saturday, May 28, 2005

Remembering them....

Memorial Day Weekend

It's not about what a great deal you can get on a new car. It's not about what sales are going on at the stores. It's about paying tribute to the ones that have given their lives to our country.

I wonder how many people will pay tribute or even give it a thought. Here we are at war. We lost over 900 in the past year over in Iraq. Do you know any of them? I do. I wish they weren't sent to Iraq. I wish I didn't have to pay tribute to them this weekend, but I do. I wish they didn't die, but they did.

I must pay tribute to them for their bravery. 1655 in a little more than 2 years. I believe, I know the number is higher than that. Our government doesn't want to give us the truth on the number. They don't want us to see their bodies coming home. I guess to them, if we don't see it or hear about it, it doesn't happen.

This week we have lost so many. Do people think about them? I think about them all the time. Every day, even now as I have the news on I am listening about how many people have been killed last night.  How big will the number be before this is all over? Will we be close to a million people?  I'm not just talking about Americans. The million comes from all that are being killed.

I think about the parents, the spouses, the children that will get the van drive up to their house, the knock on the door, the words saying their family members have died...and all the tears to follow. The tears, the broken heart that will never end.

Think of those who have died this weekend as you are at your BBQ's, while you are swimming in your pools and having your family gathering. Think of them and their families. If you get the chance help the families, then do it. They need so many hugs from all of us.

As a reminder to all that pass my house I have made a little memorial to pay tribute to the ones we lost in this war. 1655 names on 138 pages.  I have given special tribute to Casey Sheehan who's birthday would have been Sunday. His mom misses him so much. Her's is a heart that will never heal. I also made a special memorial for Alex Arredondo. My neighbor. His father blew up the government van when he found out the news of his son. He too has a very heavy heart.

Both Casey's mom and Alex's dad don't want us to ever forget them. They do everything they can to do speakings, talk to news papers and to the TV stations.  Let's not forget them EVER. Let's not forget any of them.

I think the best thing we can do to help heal their hearts is to bring home our troops. BRING THEM HOME NOW! How many more have to die before we realize we have done wrong?

NONE OF THE 1655 SHOULD HAVE DIED! 

END THE INVASION NOW!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I, too, will remember about those that died for our country.  I have been lucky in that I haven't had a friend, loved one or neighbor die for a war.  A war that I'm sad to say brings profit to the rich and devastation to the rest of us. If the families of those wounded in this war find comfort in saying it was for the good of our country than I cannot take away the illusion they need to believe their loved ones died for a meaningful cause.

I can't help but wonder what has happened to our collective memory.  Did we learn nothing from Vietnam?  Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.  So, here we sit, doomed.  Repeating the same mistakes.  Involved in a war based on fiction and lies so that fat cats can get fatter while our children are being maimed and killed.  We wave our banners and flags and proclaim that this is done to maintain freedom and democracy.  In the meantime, our civil rights - that basis of our freedom - are being eroded daily in the name of this same war and on the basis of bringing religious freedom to those less fortunate.  How dare we assume that we are morally superior?  We hide our racism behind our banners of "truth and justice."  Yet we pick our fights.  Only those with something we need (like oil) are deserving of our help.  Those dying daily in African civil wars have nothing we currently need and so languish and die ignored by our mighty country.

Perhaps some of the people who we are ostensibly freeing may be grateful.  However, they are also frightened and trying to protect the tiny houses and little bit of land they call home.  Would we act differently if we were invaded by a country with more weapons and a foreign morality they wanted to oppose on us?

So this weekend take the time to see the larger picture.  Turn off FOX television and listen to the other side.  Learn who the real enemy is and STOP THE WAR NOW!  I