I believe that if a person has volunteered to serve in the armed forces of this country, fought, and died, that person has indeed led a meaningful life. The meaninglessness of the war is completely apart and separate from the decision to serve and sacrifice. The homecoming of the deceased should be holy, even if nothing else is. The welcome is earned. Mourners and the deceased deserve the public light of day, and a moment of peace.
I don’t have a long rant in me about this. I am quite saddened about a great many things, but sneaking the best folks we might have ever known in the dead of night like contraband deserves our anger and our rage. Yes, I’m sickened by the great many crimes and sins this administration has perpetrated. But the hiding of the caskets has got to be one of the worst.
If you or I hide a corpse, we’ll have some explaining to do. They should not be hidden.
If you think we have other priorities in this life, you’re right. But the other priorities are likely not as important. This is an important first step towards seeing our situation the way that it really is. We must acknowledge them to recognize ourselves.
Remember the Schiavo case? Remember the flag burning amendment? Those were pushes to take symbolic stands without valid meaning (to me, anyways).
If Congress passes a bill to outlaw hiding American caskets coming home, much as it is already illegal to hide a corpse that became a corpse while always staying within the borders, let’s just see the warmonger in chief veto that. It can be our flag burning amendment, except that this actually means something.
One thing that I find particularly despicable about the neocon worldview is the idea that solving the problems of people and nations are basically simple. To them, no problem is necessarily chronic, and all unsolved problems merely lack the application of a superhuman will. Hiding the caskets illustrates their lack of a war problem: our soldiers get shot, die, pass in hiding through the airport -- no problem! The problem is all yours in failing to recognize their God-given right to make it so.
I believe this attitude lacks the humility appropriate to a temporal being. We will all come and go, but nobody will forget those when an asshole bullied people around.
Let’s prepare to welcome our people home. Let’s put first things first.