I want to thank you Representative Murtha. Your courageous leadership has awakened the Democrats and called them into service. It has invigorated us and encouraged us. You prove that it makes little difference what label our leaders possess, speaking the Truth with a "T" crosses all philosophies.
Recently Will Pitt posted on a forum a thank-you addresses to you that I signed with the title, "Signed With All My Heart" and I meant it! I also included my comments, which I have posted here...
Subject: Signed With All My Heart
Sir:
I have three sons, all of age, or soon to be of age. I would gladly support them in whatever they decided to do and I would be proud to be the mother of a soldier in most circumstances ~ even this one, though it would break my heart because I believe this war has been wrong from the first. See, I am also one of those "moon bat lefties". I have raised my sons to love God and their country, but to ask the hard questions ~ and put God before anything or anyone. The recruiters are calling every week wanting these kids to enlist. I advise my sons to let this one go. I show them the stories I read every day about the desertion by the legislators, the president and all of his administration from these brave service men and women. Some of these people are my friends and they made the ultimate sacrifice only to return to homelessness and no support. I tell them about the lies that are being told by this administration, and I tell them about the suffering of the Iraqi people (some who are also my friends) and I teach them this suffering is because of our hubris.
But things here in America for poor children are also pretty dismal as far as the chances they have to survive and prosper. They face cuts in education, they see there are few jobs with livable wages, they face subtle but very real discrimination because of racist and classist attitudes. Even though they have a mother (me) who has worked hard, who raised them in the church, who has stood up for what is right, they know that even with all I have done and all I have stood for, it is no the way out of poverty. One of them even told me in a moment of anguish and anger that they could make on the street in one day all that I make for them in a month, pay the rent AND have clothes and heat, ~ and Sir, they are right.
I am not pretending to be Supermom here, because I am tired and discouraged myself sometimes. In spite of that, I try to get up every day and have a positive attitude for these kids, even though I know they have few chances in this country to make it and be comfortable. I know this because their future is not with the millionaires and billionaires, most who never served their country in the military, who believe they should not even pay taxes that benefit everyone, not just themselves. Yet with little sacrifice or labor for anyone but themselves, they enjoy the freedoms and infrastructure of this country that we poor have gladly helped provide for them in hopes that we all benefit. These privileged people say things like, "stay the course..." because they know they are not expected to stay that course, they have just mandated it for everyone else. It is easy for these elitists to ignore all the suffering and the dying for something that is in their mind, but it is not so easy for those of us faced with the realities of death. To us, it is far more than some intellectual exercise of principal, we get the awful choices they have left to us. They say things like if we pull out of Iraq it would be chaos ~ and my sons are asking, "Tell me Mr Rich Guy, what have you done that makes these people so much better off now? And don't tell ME they now have democracy when like my mother and me who also live in a democracy, they cannot even find a decent job!"
So far these boys are not biting when those recruiters call and I get down on my knees and thank God that they listen to me. Even though they know the realities of their chances here, they are not about to risk an arm and a leg as sitting ducks for a bunch of elitist people who are so busy counting their money, pretending they are doing so much for the world, when in reality they are just making the world into something good for them but they thoughtlessly forget anyone else. We cannot afford those expensive shiny new high bred cars that some are so proud to drive, but we are doing all we can to find ways not to depend on the oil permeating into our souls and slaughtering good people. We watch these elite in their gas guzzling humvees and SUVs waving their flags and we shake our heads because driving those monsters blithely mingles greed with the blood of dying soldiers and Iraqis, and these idiots do not even see the blatant hypocrisy of their actions.
So I see little reason to give my sons to a country whose new Declaration is "by the rich and for the rich, by their lobbyists and for their lobbyists and by their (off-shored) corporations and for their (off-shored) corporations." Those boys know whose "sacrifice" is expected by these people. Yes, I raised them to love their country, but I also raised them to love God before everything ~ and our God tells us to love everyone as much as we love ourselves.
Sir, there are few people who have had the courage to walk the walk and then stand up and to speak the truth, as you have done. I might add here that most of these people were and are like me, a bunch of those 'moon bat lefties' who actually DO live the principals of speaking out when we see something wrong, who actually care for others as well as ourselves. So when we see our leaders doing the same, we hear the sound of God in your words. This is a wonderful thing to see! Especially when we see little of God around leaders who fabricate a bunch of lies so they could enrich themselves off the deaths and backs of the rest of us. And even though the name of God name is uttered everywhere by these people, we know who their God is and we know the color of their God is money-green. If they try to minimize you, remember that there are millions out here who are applauding you and who are astonished because we know your world is full of people walking around believing everything is so wonderful when it is only their world they see, not ours. We are amazed that there is one of those elite saying, "Hey, look! You have not noticed but, there is a big elephant in our living room and he is stinking up the place!" Thank you for speaking the truth, Sir. Our hats are off to you!
My 2 cents
Cat In Seattle