I started last years Memorial Day blog post with the opening statement: “We owe the fallen warriors more then ever this Memorial Day. The ultimate sacrifices made by these fallen soldiers should be remembered and honored as we have never had the rights they died protecting under more serious attack.” My feelings about that statement are stronger this year then ever.
Trying to Understand
Memorial Day has its roots in the honoring of those soldiers that sacrificed their lives in the Civil War. It didn’t take long to include those lives lost in following conflicts. As sad as the day can be for many, it’s most importantly a celebration of the lives of our fellow citizens who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve democracy.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to understand where the courage of those lost souls came from. When you read about the historic battles that resulted in the deaths of hundreds and thousands of lives, what drove those men and women to step into harms way knowing full well they may not survive. Many of them were volunteer soldiers that could have stepped aside and let someone else fill the ranks. We should never, ever forget those ‘fallen warriors’ or surrender those rights and privileges they gave their lives to preserve.
Where are we at
In the last year we’ve seen a big change in our day to day lives. The government’s reaction to the Covid Virus forced us to withdraw from normal interaction with friends and family. Incredibly ignorant policies resulted in the elderly and critically ill to die in isolation without being able to see or touch family or even spouses. Golf courses put foam plugs in the holes so we wouldn’t have to reach in to retrieve a golf ball out of fear of contamination. Plastic face shields became an acceptable protective device when in fact it was the perfect way to trap the virus for you to inhale.
Several years ago I watched a show on PBS about the Spanish Flu. We laughed when we heard that people used kerosene to treat severe sore throats. Face masks were made from several layers of gauze folded over and wrapped around their face. So many of the efforts to prevent the spread were totally ineffective and in some cases counterproductive. It’s already obvious we’ve gone through a similar reaction with Covid. Our ‘leaders’ believe What they do isn’t nearly as important to them as the fact they’re doing something.
We now have an administration willing to sacrifice our southern border with Mexico under the guise of humanitarianism. In the midst of battling a pandemic, their seems to be little desire to control the movement of people crossing illegally into the US. The Mexican cartels move ever increasing amounts of Opioids into the US with the reduced border enforcement. The CDC says we lost 80,000 lives to Opioids last year and 19,000 to gun deaths. Yet the emphasis this year is on gun control. Not to worry, the border is closed we’re told. During Obama’s Fast and Furious scandal we allowed illegal weapons to flow south of the border into the hands of drug dealers and cartels. Meanwhile he pushed for stricter US gun laws. We have to control gun crimes in the US.
While there’s an effort to defund the police we see crime increase and wonder why. Minor crimes such as shoplifting are rarely charged in some areas if the theft falls under $500 or even $1000. And businesses close their doors and we wonder why. One of our US congresswomen claims that “…the trampling of racial justice is a cause of climate change,”. Racism is promoted as the source of all of our problems and we’re all painted as rabid, wild eyed racists. And we see racial violence increase. “Tell a lie loud enough and long enough and people will believe it.”
We tear down statues of the very hero’s that helped build this country. Books that reflect on who we were and who we’ve become are declared ‘socially unacceptable’. We’re told to eliminate Dr Seuss and replace it with “Something Happened in My Town”, SERIOUSLY?????
Am I that stupid that I just don’t understand?
What now?
Some of the stupidity we’ve been handed can’t be reversed and as the old saying goes, you can’t unwind a watch. So now what? Today is the perfect time to ponder that question.
Our Vice President tweets a picture of herself telling people to enjoy the ‘long weekend’ without mentioning our fallen soldiers. Anyone else have a problem with that? After folks speak out in disgust, she issues a new message. Let’s all think about the ultimate sacrifices we celebrate today. Ask ourselves what motivated so many of these people to put their lives on the line for something much bigger then they were. While we may be reluctant, embarrassed or think our words don’t matter, they do. It’s not important enough for us to call or write our representatives when we feel our rights are being infringed, but think about those people that gave their LIVES to protect that right. They weren’t timid or reluctant to ‘speak’ up. Considering the sacrifice they made for us, I think it behooves us to speak out when we disagree.
Take a few moments today to honor those that gave their lives to preserve our freedoms. If we forget them, we risk forgetting who we are as a nation and the price they paid to get us here.