Taking the last minutes of 11/11 to thank our Veterans

[appal_jack]

It's almost the end of Veterans Day 2008, and I just want to take a moment to thank all those who answered the call for military service. All of you gave some, and some of you gave all, and we Americans all owe you a debt of gratitude.

And while I am thanking those who answered the call to service, I will not shy-away from calling out a few of the criminals who had the bully pulpit to do the calling at times: B*sh 43, Bush 41, Reagan, and Nixon most recently. All of these Republican presidents hyped-up threats and sent our troops into harm's way at times when other options were better. Nixon and Reagan are no longer with us, but I sincerely hope that Bush 41 will be called to answer for the death squads that ravaged Central America in the 1980's, and I hope that B*sh 43 will be called to answer for the lies that led us into the Iraq war. A deceitful call to arms by a head of state is a traitorous course of action indeed.

But despite the fact that those at the helm of government have at times been less than honorable, there is honor in EVERY American who signs up for military service. I thank all you veterans again, and promise that I will continue to do my best as a citizen to scrutinize those who have their hands on the levers of power: eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, and that's a fact that I think all veterans and conscientious citizens can agree upon.

:patriot:

-app

[appal_jack]

1. shameless self-kick

Shameless self-kick, since I believe that we Democrats must do better in thanking our vets, while simultaneously holding war-criminal 'Presidents' to account. Soldiers do not generally have the time or wherewithal to evaluate the justness of a war or the lawfulness of orders. It is up to us citizens to assure that the call to arms is backed by a real need, and that the reins of government are placed in trustworthy hands.

For what it's worth, I think/hope that Obama will be fair and judicious in his use of our military forces, but I will be watching nonetheless.

-app