Memorial Day 2006
Memorial Day…always a day of special significance, this year a day of increasing significance because for yet another year, we are a nation at war.
This war, like the war of my youth, is a difficult war to judge.
Like all good Americans, my first response after the events of September 11, 2001, was to rally in support of our nation and get behind the President in our effort in Afghanistan. We should “smoke out” the terrorists and find Bin Laden. Then we should let retribution and justice reign, and freedom ring.
I still believe in our work in Afghanistan.
Now, though, we are continuing our mission in Iraq, trying to heal and unite a culture that neither wants to be healed nor united.
And the President’s support is waning. He no longer has the trust of the vast majority of Americans.
Is this because we have become a nation of unpatriotic people? Is it because we no longer support our troops? Is it because modern day Americans no longer have that special “staying power” to keep us in a difficult mission for the long haul?
The answer is assuredly “NO” to all three of these questions.
The lack of support now reflected in poll after poll of Americans seems to show a lack of faith in the federal government by people across the United States. It’s not the war alone that is affecting the President’s credibility. It’s the lackluster performance of the President and the Congress in protecting the interests of the average Joe and Jane that is causing faith in the institution to crumble.
Every time we pump $3 a gallon gas into our family car, we wonder how and why the President and Congress gave 15 billion dollars to the oil companies this year with no strings attached.
They got the money without having to refine even one more gallon of gas for use in our great nation.
Every time we get our heating bills for use of natural gas, we question how the President and Congress de-regulated this and other energy industries, leaving us at the mercy of corporate leaders like those convicted felons of the Enron Corporation scandal.
And when so many of us have arrived at work to get notice of layoff because our jobs have been exported to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, we wonder how our leaders can let other nations steal, for their benefit, our country’s middle class opportunities, leading to the demise of good, working class families across America.
And when we the citizens of the United States have to make the decision as to whether to purchase life-sustaining prescription medications or feed our families, I guess we can then understand why our faith in the actions of those in the once hallowed halls of our nation’s capitol is just a little bit shaken and tarnished.
My point today is that, as Americans, we must constantly be vigilant. We must re-engage ourselves in the actions of those at the very top. We must let our chief leaders know that our needs are the needs of our nation, and that money from special interests to pay for special attention to their needs is not good for America.
That being said, we all do still live in the greatest land ever ordained by God. We all have the right to support our nation’s current war or publicly denounce our participation in it. We have the right to gather here to pray…or not to. Further, not only do we have the right, we have the obligation to be citizens, and not customers, of government. Being a citizen is a lot more work than being a customer, but I believe we are all up to the task and privilege.
No, the fact that the President’s popularity along with Congress has waned significantly does not mean that we are not patriots. It certainly doesn’t mean that we don’t support our troops in harms way around the world. And it doesn’t mean that we’re not up to the hard work of making America a better place.
We are Americans doing what Americans do best since tossing British tea back into the Boston Harbor. We are letting our nation’s leaders know that the time to give America back to “We the People” is now, nothing more, nothing less.
God bless our troops.
God bless all of us gathered here today.
And, please God, bless America.
This war, like the war of my youth, is a difficult war to judge.
Like all good Americans, my first response after the events of September 11, 2001, was to rally in support of our nation and get behind the President in our effort in Afghanistan. We should “smoke out” the terrorists and find Bin Laden. Then we should let retribution and justice reign, and freedom ring.
I still believe in our work in Afghanistan.
Now, though, we are continuing our mission in Iraq, trying to heal and unite a culture that neither wants to be healed nor united.
And the President’s support is waning. He no longer has the trust of the vast majority of Americans.
Is this because we have become a nation of unpatriotic people? Is it because we no longer support our troops? Is it because modern day Americans no longer have that special “staying power” to keep us in a difficult mission for the long haul?
The answer is assuredly “NO” to all three of these questions.
The lack of support now reflected in poll after poll of Americans seems to show a lack of faith in the federal government by people across the United States. It’s not the war alone that is affecting the President’s credibility. It’s the lackluster performance of the President and the Congress in protecting the interests of the average Joe and Jane that is causing faith in the institution to crumble.
Every time we pump $3 a gallon gas into our family car, we wonder how and why the President and Congress gave 15 billion dollars to the oil companies this year with no strings attached.
They got the money without having to refine even one more gallon of gas for use in our great nation.
Every time we get our heating bills for use of natural gas, we question how the President and Congress de-regulated this and other energy industries, leaving us at the mercy of corporate leaders like those convicted felons of the Enron Corporation scandal.
And when so many of us have arrived at work to get notice of layoff because our jobs have been exported to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, we wonder how our leaders can let other nations steal, for their benefit, our country’s middle class opportunities, leading to the demise of good, working class families across America.
And when we the citizens of the United States have to make the decision as to whether to purchase life-sustaining prescription medications or feed our families, I guess we can then understand why our faith in the actions of those in the once hallowed halls of our nation’s capitol is just a little bit shaken and tarnished.
My point today is that, as Americans, we must constantly be vigilant. We must re-engage ourselves in the actions of those at the very top. We must let our chief leaders know that our needs are the needs of our nation, and that money from special interests to pay for special attention to their needs is not good for America.
That being said, we all do still live in the greatest land ever ordained by God. We all have the right to support our nation’s current war or publicly denounce our participation in it. We have the right to gather here to pray…or not to. Further, not only do we have the right, we have the obligation to be citizens, and not customers, of government. Being a citizen is a lot more work than being a customer, but I believe we are all up to the task and privilege.
No, the fact that the President’s popularity along with Congress has waned significantly does not mean that we are not patriots. It certainly doesn’t mean that we don’t support our troops in harms way around the world. And it doesn’t mean that we’re not up to the hard work of making America a better place.
We are Americans doing what Americans do best since tossing British tea back into the Boston Harbor. We are letting our nation’s leaders know that the time to give America back to “We the People” is now, nothing more, nothing less.
God bless our troops.
God bless all of us gathered here today.
And, please God, bless America.
posted by MantyMayorBlog at
11:22 AM
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