This is almost identical to last the last three years’ Memorial Day articles. I did not see how I could express my position more clearly. 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 Republican wars for hate and greed, they are shedding tears over the senseless waste of life, but honoring their comrades as they fall. 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. Finally, if you are in the service now, I consider your lives far too precious to spend defending Trump’s personal profit or Russia’s national interest. I urge you to take care to preserve your lives and those of your comrades.
RESIST!!
12 Responses to “Memorial Day 2019”
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One of the two biggest errors our generation made was to fail to distinguish the warriors from the war. I don’t entirely blame us. We were too young to fully grasp it, and I doubt whether anyone, except maybe a very few trained psychologists, grasped what would happen from our rejection of people who were already traumatized. Even today, “Vietnam War veteran” carries a connotation of instability. At least we seem to have learned from that, and are not making the same mistake now.
The other mistake was to believe that civil rights, once fought for and achieved, would stay achieved. That is a whole different can of worms.
If you missed the National Memorial Day Concert yesterday, it’s on YouTube HERE. I’m not embedding it because it’s an hour and a half (and it doesn’t actually start until around the 2:15 mark, so don’t give up). But if you have time, I think it’s worth a look.
Yes, Joanne, you are so right: “warriors” and “war” are very different, and we did not get it, back then. And, in regard to Civil Rights, we thought they were carved in stone, once approved and signed into law. Maybe one of the things we can take from the Empty One’s rancid popularity is an understanding of just how much sickness pervades this culture.
From Eric Hoffer’s “The True Believer:” “In order to become a part of a compact whole (as in a movement) the individual has to…give up privacy, INDIVIDUAL JUDGEMENT (emphasis mine)….” Organizations do this, in part, “by interposing a fact-proof screen between him and reality (doctrine)…To rely on the evidence of the senses and of reason is heresy and treason. It is startling to realize how much unbelief is necessary to make belief possible. What we know as blind faith is sustained by innumerable unbeliefs…It is the true believer’s ability to ‘shut his eyes and stop his ears’ to facts that do not deserve to be either seen or heard which is the source of his unequaled fortitude and constancy…No doctrine…will be effective unless it is presented as the embodiment of the one and only truth…The true doctrine is the master key to all the world’s problems.” It already contains all the answers to all the questions that ever may come up. Of Hitler’s followers, Gustave Stresemann said, “[They] pray not only for their daily bread, but also for [their] daily illusion.” pgs. 82-83.
Once they buy into the cult, or joyously climb aboard, all the answers to everything, forever, is to be found for them within its idiocy.
If the Masters(?) of the government wanted to really honor veterans, they would not create any new ones in useless, manipulatively created new wars!!!!!
i have always been extremely anti war but i have always honoured those who serve!
This is the video that Twitler used for his “Memorial Day Greeting”.
It’s actually a very nice video – but that’s because it’s an Arlington Cemetery production video! All he did was copy/paste it. Not even able to add one word – and he was chastised for that in Comments.
The one I could find on YouTube actually tacks on his visit to Arlington before he left – so you can stop watching at the 1:04 mark.
(As far as I know, you have the option to select when a YouTube video starts – but none WRT to when it ends)
And for the record:
Good Morning, (the day after your posting this, Tom). I didn’t even look till just now, my bad.
I feel a great sense of sadness on this day. Because I’m a living Veteran, I’ve seen young men/women coming back haunted, but also in feeling deep heart pain for those who were fighting in wars, and who never came back. My father never spoke of WWII, nor did my father-in-law. Both served in the Navy.
No to war. I don’t want to see children/grandchildren dying in needless wars.
*Speaking of children and loved ones who died, and only to have loving memories, and to be remembered in coffins, and the agony of wars…here’s a clip worth watching.
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/eisenhower-recalls-sacrifices-of-d-day-20-years-later/
Thanks Tom, for post.
Update on Care2 news – apparently the glitch was fixed Tuesday, May 28, at about 9:30 a.m. PDT. TC’s posts did get posted by the app he used, and I was able just now to post my comments. Eric’s group is also accessible (thanks Animae for reminding me of it), and I didn’t read all the comments which explain (on some level) what went wrong, but I gather it had something to do with the green star system.
Nameless, I haven’t experienced any problems the the PP dashboard, and I think I would have noticed, because that’s the view my shortcut is set to. I can only suggest you keep trying.
Ditto
Fortunately it’s an easy workaround. And I only have to get in to add a graphic, so not a big deal.
I’ll retry when I start work on Friday’s post.
Thanks and rushed hugs to all.
RESPECT to all who serve!!! 🙏