I spent the day just reflecting on the many who have died for our right to be free and secure in our nation. A visit to Face Book (I know that many think that we should boycott FB, but it serves my purpose sometimes) will net you many photos and tributes to our fallen heroes from the wars fought for freedom throughout our history. And it is right (even necessary) that we honor these soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice to insure our freedom and security. We give a special day to honor them, but we should honor them every day,
These soldiers throughout many wars fought for many reasons including patriotism, guaranteeing fredom, freeing slaves, insuring our Union, honoring our flag, freedom for other nations, fighting terrorism, and many other reasons. And sometimes the cause was unclear and controversary and those who served were not granted the respect they deserved. But we honor them today even as we should honor them every day. They did what they thought was right (at the time) and they paid the ultimate price for their country for what they believed was right. When our country called for them, they were there to protect our rights and the rights of others.
We say that we honor their sacrifice and most of us do when we really take the time to reflect on what their service and sacrifice meant to us. But most of us don’t really take the time to really consider what their sacrifice means daily to us. Is it just that they were there to help win battles at time of war? Is it that they gave their lives to save their fellow soldiers? Or that they gave their lives to guarantee freedom for people of other nations? Or that they gave their lives to fight oppressions of peoples of our or other nations? Or that many of them fought and died to perserve our United States? Because they fought for all of these causes at different times, and they made the ultimate sacrifice for a cause. Their cause was important enough for them to die for, and it should be equally important to all citizens of these United States.
So I ask you, the American people (especially the Republicans who support trump’s big lie of election fraud), DID THEY DIE IN VAIN? Do you honor their sacrifice by attacking democracy? Do you honor their sacrifice by supporting the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection or by denying its existance? Or even just by ignoring it’s significance? Do you honor their sacrifice by allowing state governments to limit our right to vote? These squabbles are not what these brave soldiers fought and died to perserve.
So I ask you, DID THEY DIE IN VAIN? And I guess this question should be asked of Republican Congresspersons, and to Republican state legislators. How do you honor the millions of soldiers who have fought and died for the freedoms that this nation’s people hold so dear? Do you honor their sacrifice by trying to take away the freedons that these brave soldiers died trying to perserve? Do you honor their sacrifice by trying to use your power to “retain your power” at the expense of the democracy they fought for? Do you honor their sacrifice by saying the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol Building was just a “normal tourist” event? Do you honor their sacrifice by allowing those responsible for causing the Jan. 6th attack on the Capitol Building to go unpunished?
America has set aside holidays to honor certain events in our history (as have other countries) and those who have made those events possible. We celebrate most of those holidays with events for our own pleasures. Trips, vacations, lake and camping outings, music concerts, gatherings with speaches, barbeques, dinners, gift giving, etc.. And there is nothing wrong with the various methods of celebrating these holidays, but we need to remember the reasons for the holidays and those who made them possible. Memorial Day is the special day we have set aside to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice that we have the freedom to celebrate. Most of our fallen soldiers fought for counrty and democracy. Would they give up their cause to be alive today? Let’s not give up what they fought and died for. Let’s not forget the purpose of this day, or let their sacrifice be in vain.
For the last year we have seen increased attacks on our democracy. From shadowy government forces’ attacks on our right to peacefully protest (causing psuedo arrests to BLM protesters), armed protests of state capitals for coronavirus restrictions, attacks of minority citizens fueled by rhetoric from trump and Republican politicians, a “militia” plot to capture a state governor and cause her harm, and even an attack on the US Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021. These acts do not honor the many causes our fallen heroes have fought to peserve. In recent days, we have seen former military leader and former trump National Security Advisor Micheal Flynn advocating martial law and a coup to overturn the 2020 election and reinstall trump as president.www.cnn.com/... All these acts and many more similar acts go against everything our service people have died for. The Republican politicians like to “wrap themselves in the flag” and say they honor the miliraty, yet they are fine with the many acts that some citizens and some politicians have done (and continue to do) to undermine democracy. By supporting such acts (or just denying them or “looking the other way”) they are negating the sacrifices of our fallen military heroes.
These were my thoughts on this Memorial Day. I will share them with you a day late, because today was my day to reflect and remember those we have lost (some even my clasmates or friends). It is getting late, so I will publish tomorrow. This is my best reason to perserve democracy, because of those who have died to secure it for us. Let’s not let their deaths have been in vain.
