You may ask why I, as one who opposes war almost by definition, would want to celebrate the day in which we honor those military service people, who have given their lives in service to America. From my earliest days as an antiwar activist opposing the war in Vietnam, I have believed that it is as important to honor the warriors, as it is to oppose the wars.
They took an oath to obey and honored it. They had nothing to do with the decisions. I have no doubt that, if those who died in our Revolutionary War, for example, can look at today’s wars, they are shedding tears over the senseless waste of life, but honoring their comrades as they fall.
A couple days ago, Rachel Maddow covered Joe Biden going off script with gold star families.
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Usually, when Joe Biden goes off script, I cringe. Not this time.
Now, unlike Veterans day, Memorial Day is not intended as celebration of those who served and survived. Nevertheless, to all veterans who read this, thank you for your service. I thank God that you are not among those whom we honor today.
Happy Memorial Day to all. Please travel safely.
16 Responses to “Memorial Day – 2012”
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I saw this vid the other day – its very emotional. Good on Biden for giving those families something to look forward to. And you can be for the servicemen/women and not for the war. Old men make war and cause younger men to fight it.
Well said, Lisa, but some of us old guys are peacemakers. 🙂
“They took an oath to obey and honored it. They had nothing to do with the decisions. ”
Joe Biden is Awesome…. 😉
Indeed!
Honor the warrior ; Ingrained in me- modeled by a Father who lied about his age to enlist in WW I ;– I held that honor all the while opposing our involvement in Vietnam and all subsequent “wars”–
Well done, Phyllis.
I will honor those who fight responsibly. I will not honor those who follow orders when the “orders” are to mercilessly slaughter innocent people, including women and children. There are sociopaths and psychopaths in our military, a higher percentage there than in the general population. When groups of them get together they do terrible things in our name. There’s nothing honorable about that.
“They took an oath to obey and honored it. They had nothing to do with the decisions.”
An oath to obey is a very dangerous thing. I don’t want robots fighting wars in our name, I want people who can distinguish between wrong and right. There have been way too many accounts of sickening inhumanity for me to give the entire military the benefit of the doubt. If they don’t get themselves under control, then I refuse to blindly honor them.
Plenty of those soldiers make decisions that I hold them responsible for. They decide to murder people instead of being arrested or “dishonorably discharged” or whatever our military does to people who don’t follow orders like robots.
Welcome JJ. 🙂
I agree in principle, but in practice, it’s more complicated. Military training is designed to condition troops to obey as a knee jerk reaction. Also, troops may base their actions on false information from superiors. Evaluation is needed on a case by case basis.
Would that God will grant the caissons’ wheels to be forever silenced, and there be no more need for Monuments to the fallen.
A Big Amen here!
What an incredible speech from the heart! I had to smile a little when Biden mentioned “I know how you feel.” and the audience laughed. All of us use that phrase and most of us use it with sincerity. But as a trained hospice volunteer, I know that it is wrong — I cannot understand how another feels, but I can try to imagine how I might feel in the same circumstances. And if I have been in those same circumstances, I can know my feelings (hopefully), but I can never know another’s.
One does not have to agree with the war in order to honour the soldiers that answered their country’s call, no matter whether a ‘righteous’ war (if there is such a thing!) or an illegal war of aggression such as that in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Often I say that I cannot now how someone feels, but I know how I felt when…
If I’d served under the crackpot Chimpy, it could easily have been me. I am grateful it wasn’t, but I mourn for those who were unfortunate enough to have been used as political game pieces.
True, JR. Republican support for the troops me3ans using them as cannon fodder.
I find it wonderful that Biden speaks from the heart more than going on cue just to make a point. This has to touch alot of people who live this. This just brings tear to my eyes as I listen. How out of touch is it that we become so hard not to give the respect that each and every man and woman and the familes go through to reach that moment.
Biden is a wonderful man and the GOP/Tea Party are trying to destory him for power and greed. Thanks so much TomCat for bringing this here and sharing. I know that like alot of people who may missed this it is something that everyone shuld hear
YVW Mama. I do have to admit, however that Biden has a penchant for foot-in-mouth disease.