Today is the day we honor those who died in the service of our nation. Most of them were just kids who died far from home. They didn’t all die heroically, but they were all heroes.
One of the things that always stuck in my craw is the contemptuous way so many progressives dismiss our military. They pay lip service to “support the troops” but they treat them as criminals and victims rather than heroes. They didn’t serve and think everyone who does serve is either a dumb redneck or a loser who can’t find a better job than cannon fodder.
It’s true that our government has wasted the lives of far too many of our service men and women. It’s also true that far too often they have failed to treat our living veterans with the respect they deserve. But that does not diminish the sacrifice those men and women made.
Today is not about glorifying war, it is about honoring those who gave their lives for our country.
They earned it.
“Roman matrons used to say to their sons: “Come back with your shield, or on it.” Later on, this custom declined. So did Rome.” – Robert A. Heinlein
The Crawdad Hole 
Rebel Pundit:
It is the Soldier, not the minister, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
~Charles M. Province
My dad would have appreciated that.
Perfect ! Thanks for sharing swan 🙂
I love it Thanks for sharing swan. 🙂
This Memorial Day, I wish all our veterans knew how much they were loved, not just by a grateful nation, but personally too. I wish they could see all the wives, daughters, family, friends, who also “gave all” loving them.
Let me know how that works out for you.
Bless them all.
One of the things the progs do with people they can’t find a slot for in their world view, yet don’t want to outright demonize, is to dehumaize them by removing their agency. IOW, soldiers are victims – they are being exploited by the Evil Militarialists and don’t even know it, the poor dumb sods.
They do the same thing with some black conservatives, women who are libertarians or whatever, those flyover rednecks who keep “voting against their interests”. The nicer progs who don’t just spit on and revile them neatly decide that these people don’t know what they are doing, or else have no choice – being oppressed and unenlightened and all.
It’s dehumazing, because it’s a removal of agency of their own. It’s zero respect for the person’s own ability to make choices (choices that perhaps you disagree with). It’s infantilizing dismissal, a refusal to accede that disagreement even exists in any real way. The prog world view is the totality of reality, anything outside it is not merely wrong, it is not real.
Their first preference is to call the other Evil. If societal constraints are such that Evil isn’t a good option, then they resort to calling the other Poor Victim. That is, by and large, what they do with soldiers.
The other group I despise are the ones who evaded service when they were eligible but are gung-ho to send someone else to die for our country.
The chickenhawks.
In the run-up to the invasion of Iraq the biggest hawks were guys who never served. People that have been to war are reluctant to start new ones.
Honk! I wonder which kind are making key decisions right now? Oh, never mind. I’m sure whoever it is will do just fine…….
The Left has deservedly had to fight against a perception that they are anti-military. During Vietnam, there was so much irrational hatred toward soldiers that they were often attacked and assaulted when they came home.
When the Gulf War started in 1991, there was a concerted effort to pay lip service to supporting the troops. By support, they mostly meant not calling soldiers baby killers and spitting on them. They still dismissed them as dupes and offered to help them escape their deployment.
Now, we have an administration that started off calling them potential terrorists. They are being used as PR tolls and umbrella stands for the President. It’s a good thing soldiers are as noble as they are, or Obama would be in the middle of ocean right now, without an umbrella.
Man that is some visual. :lol;
Time to revisit the Gibson Guitars raid ? That never did make sense to me at the time, but someone’s connecting the dots ….
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/052313-657569-gibson-guitar-raid-like-tea-party-intimidation.htm?p=full
I actually remember at the time that (only conservative) sites mentioned that Gibson was a Republican donor and one of the other guitar companies may have been an Obama supporter.
Yes, I thought that was a nifty coincidence too. But now that all this other stuff is surfacing, along with Romney’s other fat cat donors, I just go hmmmmm, hmmmmm, hmmmmm 😀
Remember when the chant from the school children was, “hmmmmm, hmmmmm, hmmmmm… Barack Hussein Obama”
It still applies, doesn’t it? (only in a way that for me means “I told you so about that creep”)
Thought he and Hillary were classy at the concert on the PBS video posted here Saturday. Actually. all the ex-presidents seemed fitting. Not so much the current guy, but that’s another story.
Story or nightmare? 😆
Greetings from Yellowstone! Lord it is beautiful here! No cell phone service, no news, and a spotty internet connection.
I love it!
Hi PMM … am enjoying your adventures on FB. Glad you got a “signal” today 😀
MOM!!!
It is great to know you are well. I don’t FB, so I’ll have to keep watching here and there for traces of you….. Have a wonderful summer.
enjoy PMM 🙂
HI PMM< so good to know you are enjoying your off the grid vacation !! Am so jealous! HUGS
how lucky you are to be at one on the most beautiful places on earth. Enjoy your time there, make memories, take pictures
This is the reason I left the local anti-war group I was in. There were people in that group who would have you believe that going on welfare was more honorable than actually working in any capacity for the military. I used to get into “heated discussions” about this and finally left because there was no reasoning with these guys . . . and they were the “leaders” of the group.
I will bring this up from downstairs
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/55469
A Warrior’s Tale
The warrior’s tale is a simple enough thing. Strong as steel, but fragile as chance. It is the wind in his soul and the wall we build around ourselves to tell us who we are.
Before there were cities or nations, and railways and airports, computers and telephones—the tale was told around campfires. Acted out in pantomime, dressed up in animal furs and cave paintings. But the tale was the same. The people were confronted with a threat and they called upon the best and strongest of their men to go out and fight it. These were their warriors. What they did in the face of that threat is the tale.
please take the time to read the whole thing
Thanks Helen that is awesome. 🙂
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/26/memorial-day-is-our-nations-final-exam
this article says so much. many have lost sight of just what Memorial Day is about
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/05/breaking-holder-doj-went-judge-shopping-to-three-different-judges-armed-with-criminal-warrants-for-james-rosen/
well at least two judges had some idea of right and wrong
two Judges good 🙂 one bad Judge 😦
This was SO MUCH FUN
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/stupid_729235.html
P.J. O’Rourke
you have to read the whole thing , it gets better ! Made me LOL
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323475304578503110141945172.html
From Yorktown to Ramadi
http://weaselzippers.us/2013/05/27/two-former-seals-killed-in-benghazi-remembered-on-memorial-day/
Heroes of Benghazi to be remembered on Memorial Day
http://weaselzippers.us/2013/05/27/honor-the-fallen/
the names and bios of those who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan
http://terrellaftermath.com/
today’s picture is great
http://www.npr.org/2013/05/27/186650588/service-members-observe-memorial-day-through-sweat-and-tears?ft=1&f=1003
a good way to show honor for the fallen
http://www.theolympian.com/2013/05/27/2561408/vets-disability-benefits-law-schools.html
please help get the word out. many vets having problems with disability. this law school started a law clinic to help them
http://freebeacon.com/final-honor/
Honor Flights bring WW2 veterans to DC to the WW2 memorial
do the veterans today get the ruptured duck pin when they are discharged honorably ?
I no longer see poppies on Memorial Day and I wonder how many of the newer generations even know what they and the ruptured duck stood for.