Memorial Day 2007

A day of remembrance, a whole day off of work to recognize those who died in battle to protect our country, our constitution, our people... that's a good thing, in my opinion.

But a "national moment of reflection"? a "national moment of prayer"?

That's way too micromanaged for me. Way too Orwellian. Telling everybody that at 3pm (which times zone?) they are to stop for a moment, on command of the government, and "reflect" or "pray".. that's really over the top.

I can understand a bunch of infomercials about the real meaning of memorial day, to remind everybody that the day isn't about grilling hot dogs and steaks, eating corn-on-the-cob and sleeping in, that while those things are nice, the real reason most people are getting the extra day off is because our government wants to recognize what our soldiers have given.

But a national moment of silence? That's too much like mandating that people fly flags in front of their house. It's nice if we do, but when it's mandated, it loses all meaning. It goes from being a patriotic gesture to being a nationalistic requirement.

Ya know, if the government really appreciated our soldiers, they would take some of those funds for the military, and rechannel them into higher salaries for the enlisted, so their families wouldn't have to go on food stamps. Better medical care, better body armor, better communications.. instead of bigger bombs and pork for the big corporations with sweet military contracts.

I'm not even going to get into sending them over to start a war over lies, to a place they can't win, and shouldn't be. Because I could be mistaken about that. I don't think I am, but even if I'm not.. I still respect and thank the soldiers who are going over there, the ones who agree with me as well as the ones who don't.

So, while I disagree with our government, while I think a mandated "moment" is ridiculous, I support the day of recognition.

“They stand on a wall and say nothing’s gonna hurt you tonight…not on my watch”.
~A Few Good Men~

Thank you, warriors who stood on a wall.