Saturday, August 27, 2005

Do YOU Support our troops?

**D if you're reading this I'm sorry...it's not really great on the political aspect.**

First, let me say that I do support our troops over seas. I don't like the fact that the world and people being what they are have put peace keeping forces into this situation. But I also have a great respect for the men and women that are over there fighting and those that are still here defending the homefront. What I don't understand is the people that are left at home that bash the military. Okay perhaps bash is the wrong word, but what is the right word people?

For instance....take this Camp Casey situation in Texas near President Bush's home. What is the deal? If anyone has an opinion or more information please share it. Yes, this mom must be upset about the death of her child. But didn't he know what he was getting into when he joined up? Was he forced...was the draft enacted while I wasn't paying attention? It's the military. Is there a promise or guarentee somewhere that says you or your child will not be injuried or heaven forbid have to give your life while defending your country?

And from what I understand, this son wasn't her only child. While she travels around dogging President Bush's footsteps, who is taking care of her children? Do they feel like they've lost both a brother and a mother? What else would this mother like for President Bush to do for her? He is a powerful man, but I don't think he can raise the dead. And I wonder what her son would feel about her actions.

I support our president, our country, and our troops. Do you?

3 comments:

Balloon Pirate said...

Steff--

I'm assuming you don't have kids. I have four. I have experienced many losses in my life, but I thank God that none of my children have died, because that is something I don't know if I could bear. I have friends who have had their children die--some suddenly, some slowly. I have a friend who is past seventy who lost a child thirty years ago, and still grieves.

And will never stop grieving.

And it doesn't matter if the child is three or 23.

What propels Cindy Sheehan most is not the anger and the grief of losing her son in this war, but that shortly after he died--while still in a state of shock--she was used for political purposes. She was asked to meet with the President, who then made the meeting into a photo-op.

He made her a politial prop. A grieving mother, still in shock, dragged in front of the world, in a situation which made it seem that she was supporting sending more mother's children over there, giving more parents the chance to feel the incredible, unrelenting agony that she was going through.

Afterwards, when she realized what happened, she got angry. And she wanted to meet with the President again, to ask him to stop the war.

Had he done that, she would have met with him, he could have politely listened to her, given her platitudes, and got on with his life.

But that's not the way this Administration works. They actively screen voices of dissent from their daily lives. Differeng opinions are not allowed. There's even anecdotal evidence that the Prez flies into a rage whenever he feels challenged. There are certainly plenty of pictures of this guy flipping the bird to various people.

So, Cindy decides to go to Texas to talk with the President. And every day that he refusest to talk to her makes him look bad. So rather than being an adult and just talking to her, he sets the same attack dogs onto Cindy that he's had attack every political opponent since Ann Richards.

So the smear campaign began.

The thing is, Cindy Sheehan freely admits that his refusal to meet her has helped her cause. She's agnry about the war that claimed her son, but she's angrier about a President who talks caring, but walks fuck you.

Yeharr

Balloon Pirate said...

And by the way--go down a few posts in my blog and you can read and see a picture of my oldest son. He's 23 too. He's in Iraq. As is my 18-year-old nephew, about whom I have also written.

They're serving. Why aren't you?

I support my country. I support our troops. Do not confuse protest of this war, and of this administration, with a lack of patriotism. Our loyalty to the President should be to the measure with which he faithfully serves the interests of the United States. If I feel he is not serving those interests, it would be unpatriotic for me to NOT dissent.

Yeharr.

Mz. Pig said...

I didn't realize that they were mutually inclusive?
All or nothing? We are still living in America?