Today I was forwared a long email from one of my students. I teach college in New Jersey. This is a middle-age student. The message was the complete text of
Ask Me if I Care About 'Mishandling' of Koran
By Doug Patton
You can read it at :
http://www.mensnewsdaily.com/archive/p/patton/2005/patton060505.htm
My response, sent to all the people that this student has sent his message to, is below:
I do care because:
- My father, a WWII veteran, talked about how the people we helped liberate during that war were happy to be freed by Americans because our soldiers treated them so well. Military leaders like Eisenhower, Patton, and MacArthur did not tolerate rape, looting, or any kind of mistreatment of prisoners, or former enemies. Nazi soldiers, the perpetrators of some of the worst crimes in human history, were relieved to be captured by Americans instead of Russians.
- My grandfather, a WWI veteran, taught me to treat our flag with such respect because it stood for a country that valued freedom, that respected all religions, and stood for soldiers who fought and died with dignity.
- My country was founded as a place where all religions were respected.
- That Presidents such as Kennedy and Carter knew the United States could be a beacon of freedom for the world. As President Reagan would say, that "shining city on a hill."
- We now have leaders who tolerate the activity in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Graib and have refused to take responsibility for these actions. Unfortunately, President Truman's desk plate stating "The Buck Stops Here" does not exist in this White House. Instead these leaders have pawned it off on a "few soldiers."
- Americans should be better than that.
And most of all I care because I love my country.