CITIZEN ALERT v1.101
ON PARADE
While out walking my dog, Camus, I stumbled onto a Veteran's Day parade in my neighborhood complete with cheerleaders, American Flags, my congressman, a lot of Vets, and a cast member of M.A.S.H. There was also, one lone protester who pulled up in her car, and even though I couldn't hear what she was screaming, she was letting everybody have it. Congressman Becerra just waved at her and invite her to join in.
Now, I do enjoy a good parade, and I've always appreciated what our armed services do for us. Even though I'm a very anti-war liberal, I do realize that it's a violent world out there and a well armed military is needed to protect us, so I'm all for giving them a parade once a year.
But I got to thinking as I sat there and watched the Korean vets walk by and the woman protester scream her anti-war speech at them; why do we celebrate war so much? Is it because it's our biggest export? Why do we focus on such a low point in our humanity - heroic as some individuals are during these dismal times in human history - why do we focus on them so much? Again, I have a lot of respect for our troops, but why do we have two holidays for them - one for the ones who have served and one for the ones who have died - but we don't have a holiday or say a parade celebrating say all the Red Cross workers who have saved so many lives. I got to thinking why don't you ever see any Red Cross parades, or have a Red Cross Day.
Well, I looked it up - Googled it when I got home and lo and behold, we DO have a Red Cross Day. It's May 8th the birthday of its founder Henry Dunant. Well, why don't we have a parade for these guys. Why don't we celebrate America going out into the world and helping the sick, the wounded, the helpless. Why do the darkest days in our history warrant such jubilation, yet a day the celebrates common decency is an unknown?
One day I'd like to walk through my neighborhood and stumbled onto a parade celebrating the volunteers who work at homeless shelters across the country feeding and clothing the homeless.
Now, I do enjoy a good parade, and I've always appreciated what our armed services do for us. Even though I'm a very anti-war liberal, I do realize that it's a violent world out there and a well armed military is needed to protect us, so I'm all for giving them a parade once a year.
But I got to thinking as I sat there and watched the Korean vets walk by and the woman protester scream her anti-war speech at them; why do we celebrate war so much? Is it because it's our biggest export? Why do we focus on such a low point in our humanity - heroic as some individuals are during these dismal times in human history - why do we focus on them so much? Again, I have a lot of respect for our troops, but why do we have two holidays for them - one for the ones who have served and one for the ones who have died - but we don't have a holiday or say a parade celebrating say all the Red Cross workers who have saved so many lives. I got to thinking why don't you ever see any Red Cross parades, or have a Red Cross Day.
Well, I looked it up - Googled it when I got home and lo and behold, we DO have a Red Cross Day. It's May 8th the birthday of its founder Henry Dunant. Well, why don't we have a parade for these guys. Why don't we celebrate America going out into the world and helping the sick, the wounded, the helpless. Why do the darkest days in our history warrant such jubilation, yet a day the celebrates common decency is an unknown?
One day I'd like to walk through my neighborhood and stumbled onto a parade celebrating the volunteers who work at homeless shelters across the country feeding and clothing the homeless.
posted by Bobot Adrenaline at 3:52 AM
1 Comments:
And does having two holidays with parades and yellow ribbons, somehow make up for the cuts in funding for vet programs and fewer opportunities for mental/physical health treatment for veterans returning from Iraq and in general?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051706Z.shtml
-Jason Pancake
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