Monday, May 30, 2011

Think I'll pass on the memorial day thing

Not that I don't have respect for the dead but if you think about it for a minute it's like having a celebration by your friends and relatives when they know you've left town. A moment of quiet remembrance then it's back to the gossip, wars, and scandals. And wars aren't uniting anybody like they used to. It's such a rushed holiday anyway. Throw another burger on the grill and be quick about it your Dad has to get to work in the morning and it's a long drive home.

No, how about doing something nice for the poor slobs who had to risk it all and are now faced with broken limbs and minds and not much of a future? They're the ones we should be remembering. And as some groups of former vets have gathered to send a message "It's time to get the hell out". I have to agree with them whole heartedly. But I know this won't end until corporations who are profiting from these adventures have sucked the remaining life blood out of the rest of us then no they won't end.

Just a few passing thoughts on the holiday.

8 comments:

The Blog Fodder said...

Read an article that said the new USA professional standing army (rather than a draft) has separated the military from the population and also separated the need for the president to consult congress or the people about going to war. I will try to find it.

S.W. Anderson said...

Memorial Day isn't just about honoring people who aren't around to receive the honor. It's also about showing appreciation and respect to their loved ones and friends, and to let living service people know the public cares.

Wars don't unite people nowadays because North Koreans, North Vietnamese, Iraqi and Afghan opponents didn't pose an existential threat to our country. The Axis powers did.

You're right about doing more to help those mentally and physically damaged during military service. I've seen several stories and watched hearings that indicate additional help is being made available or in the works. The big problem isn't lack of interest; it's budget woes.

And yes, it's past time to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

S.W. Anderson said...

Blog Fodder, having a professional military isn't responsible for presidents deploying troops without consulting Congress or getting a declaration of war. Modern communications and the fact we're now often confronted with guerrilla-war situations, as opposed to sizable conventional armies, is mostly responsible.

Randal Graves said...

The powers that be, corporations and the states they own, love that Memorial Day, like Veterans Day, is no longer about the horror of war but the Chuck Norrisization of it.

S.W. Anderson said...

Randal, you make a good point.

BBC said...

I spent the holiday out in the boondocks. And I've gotten to the mind that if idiots are going to fight for others that maybe they deserve just what they get.

It's the riches wars, let them pay for them.

BBC said...

And yes, it's past time to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hey, they have things the money mongers want. Back in the good old days we just took what we wanted, now we play politics and use others to try to get them.

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