Memorial Day…a holiday that I have a hard
time understanding and one that has become incredibly corrupt in this country.
It is supposed to be a day that we remember the soldiers who gave up their lives for us. Instead many of us throw a party for the purpose of BBQing and drinking and virtually forgetting to remember. We go shopping to get the best sales deals, which exist for no other reason than perpetuating our corporate greed.
At the grocery store yesterday it felt like a “mini 4th of July” was coming up and it felt awkward to me. I understand that we do not need to be moppy and sullen on this day but what is buying a cake that says “God Bless America” and some red-white-and-blue cupcakes really going to do? Nothing.
It is supposed to be a day that we remember the soldiers who gave up their lives for us. Instead many of us throw a party for the purpose of BBQing and drinking and virtually forgetting to remember. We go shopping to get the best sales deals, which exist for no other reason than perpetuating our corporate greed.
At the grocery store yesterday it felt like a “mini 4th of July” was coming up and it felt awkward to me. I understand that we do not need to be moppy and sullen on this day but what is buying a cake that says “God Bless America” and some red-white-and-blue cupcakes really going to do? Nothing.
I should probably clarify that I am NOT a
soldier hater by any means. I know many people who are either involved with the
military right now (husbands, fathers, sisters, etc) or have been in the past
(veteran, or military family). ALL of those people are great people who have
gained at least something from the military whether it was more respect, honor,
or even compassion. To them and all of the others like them who have passed on,
I say THANK YOU.
But where I am torn is the heroism that is
granted to ALL American soldiers, and the wars that they have fought and died
in. Our government sent them there to die, essentially, and those soldiers did
go willing but did they go with the full knowledge of what they were doing? We
complain here about terrorism and terrorists in other countries…but to some
extent aren’t we the same? Aren’t the soldiers that go in and end up killing
innocent people (women, children and men) terrorists to some extent? At
least in those people’s eyes? And how can we say that that feeling is wrong?
To all of the soldiers out there who are truly trying to liberate the oppressed, and
who died in the process, I am forever grateful. There are a lot of amazing men
out there doing the same still.
I also find it interesting that we always claim that soldiers die for our freedoms. Maybe at one point they did but nowadays I’m not so sure. Ron Paul said in 2011, “We're under great threat, because we occupy so many countries. We're in 130 countries. We have 900 bases around the world. We're going broke.” I think this is a HUGE point that we Americans need to think about. At what point is our force in other countries too much? Aren’t we affecting those other people’s freedoms? And how does that help keep me more free? I do not think it does. The problems that we are going to face here in our own country, I’d say in the next 5-10 years or so, are going to require many of us to fight for ourselves. Perhaps there will be military on our side but I am not going to count on that…
I also find it interesting that we always claim that soldiers die for our freedoms. Maybe at one point they did but nowadays I’m not so sure. Ron Paul said in 2011, “We're under great threat, because we occupy so many countries. We're in 130 countries. We have 900 bases around the world. We're going broke.” I think this is a HUGE point that we Americans need to think about. At what point is our force in other countries too much? Aren’t we affecting those other people’s freedoms? And how does that help keep me more free? I do not think it does. The problems that we are going to face here in our own country, I’d say in the next 5-10 years or so, are going to require many of us to fight for ourselves. Perhaps there will be military on our side but I am not going to count on that…
I honestly want to say
that every American soldier has died a hero, but I cannot.
I saw this photo on Facebook with the caption, "The boy had, as a matter of routine, lifted up his shirt to reveal that he was not hiding a suicide bomb vest. That was the moment Morlock, according to a pre-arranged plan, threw a grenade at the boy that exploded while other members of the group who called themselves the "kill team" opened fire."
My feeling is that even if the story that it was paired with it is not true, there is NEVER an OK situation for a soldier to take a photo like that...NEVER. Him and his friends are despicable people in my eyes. I also realize that they are likely the minority…but we still grant soldiers a universal respect and I can’t participate in that..
For the rest of today I will try and focus my energy on those particular men and women who did die for just reasons and who died honorably…but I hope that the men and women currently fighting start thinking about why they are.
I know that many of them had no choice…they were down on their luck and the only option left for them was to sign themselves away to our government and that makes me sad…to the men and women in that position who have died, I give them thanks for at least trying.
If I offended anyone with this… I really am sorry. It is just so conflicting for me to support the troops. I cannot in good conscience support ALL of them, or automatically grant someone in uniform a greater respect than I would a good friend of mine…they are not all good people, and do not all die good people…but at the same time, it does take a lot of courage to join, and so I’m left with this dilemma…
For further reading on a different perspective --->
I saw this photo on Facebook with the caption, "The boy had, as a matter of routine, lifted up his shirt to reveal that he was not hiding a suicide bomb vest. That was the moment Morlock, according to a pre-arranged plan, threw a grenade at the boy that exploded while other members of the group who called themselves the "kill team" opened fire."
My feeling is that even if the story that it was paired with it is not true, there is NEVER an OK situation for a soldier to take a photo like that...NEVER. Him and his friends are despicable people in my eyes. I also realize that they are likely the minority…but we still grant soldiers a universal respect and I can’t participate in that..
For the rest of today I will try and focus my energy on those particular men and women who did die for just reasons and who died honorably…but I hope that the men and women currently fighting start thinking about why they are.
I know that many of them had no choice…they were down on their luck and the only option left for them was to sign themselves away to our government and that makes me sad…to the men and women in that position who have died, I give them thanks for at least trying.
If I offended anyone with this… I really am sorry. It is just so conflicting for me to support the troops. I cannot in good conscience support ALL of them, or automatically grant someone in uniform a greater respect than I would a good friend of mine…they are not all good people, and do not all die good people…but at the same time, it does take a lot of courage to join, and so I’m left with this dilemma…
For further reading on a different perspective --->