Some gave much.....Some gave all......

[Guest Rayban]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y273/chgo/memday.jpg[/img]

While it's easy to party and find reasons to celebrate during this weekend, as we always have, this weekend should be different. Will it?

3, 444 Dead American men and women to date fighting this war. Their graves will have no bar-b-ques of celebration and their families will only have the memories of an 18, 19, 20 25 year old who never experienced what life really had to offer for them....For us.

25,252 severely maimed men and women returned to us with no legs, no arms, eyes, hands and fingers, or ability to raise their arms to eat a burger or hot dog, but they pursue on, for themselves, after giving US everything they once had and dreamed of forever being.

People want to complain about spending $250 for an escort who didn't meet their 60 minutes of sexual expectation. Life is tough isn't it? At least for this weekend, try putting yourself into the life of a 20 year old who has never been in a bar, cruised in a bar and will never know that glory, because he gave his arms, legs and facial looks to YOU in a very different way.

Until we all come together as a people to stop this madness, none of us should be having unappreciated fun and frolic in the face of our dead, dying youth and their families. Since when was being at war a call from the presidency to ignore it and just go shopping?

I'm so very angry right know about where our country's leadership has lead us as a people, and ended us all up in as a representative of our beliefs. I can only spend this weekend trying to give to others what I believe is a voice that rejects the immoral and incompetent actions of an administration which is and has, always been to the detriment of a society that has values to sell when necessary when nothing else might do, but has nothing to do with the REAL values of those people.

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS and may OUR democracy as a people begin to value common sense over fear and political positioning.....

[seaboy4hire]

Rayban very well said. I am quite thankful for those who have served in the armed forces. Boobers (the bf), my father, both grand fathers, plenty of my cousins and quite a few friends have all served in the military and I am happy that they are still here with me with the exception of my grand father on my dads side. Some have seen combat and still from time to time suffer from the things they saw and also suffer from chemical war fare that out military says was never used x( (lieing sacks of poo!) but they served with honor and dignity. Thank you to those here on the boards who've done the same!

Hugs,

Greg

[Guest Conway]

Indeed, it is both appropriate and an honor for us to celebrate our country's history of promoting democracy around the globe by setting aside a day to honor the men and women who have given their efforts, and in many cases their lives, so that others, in the far reaches of our globe, can practice the same freedoms that we hold so dear here in the United States.

There are so many millions in the world who have benefitted from our nation's commitment, and that of it's military men and women, to promote self governance and freedom of speech, religion and expression among people of all walks of life.

God Bless America. And God bless our dedicated veterans who continue to provide the leadership and possess the fortitude to promote the values of democracy even in the face that effort's political unpopularity.

[TampaYankee]

Well said.

TY

[Guest Rayban]

Conway:

Indeed, it is both appropriate and an honor for us to celebrate our country's history of promoting democracy around the globe by setting aside a day to honor the men and women who have given their efforts, and in many cases their lives, so that others, in the far reaches of our globe, can practice the same freedoms that we hold so dear here in the United States.

TY:

Well said.

With all due respect to these two posters, the former, first, who has a history of making illogical, irresponsible and self serving statements about this war in past threads, then never coming back to the thread in question to defend his statements after others have presented arguing viewpoints, which for the most part make his statements irrelevant and highly questionable; is not someone I believe will ever get anything other than what the Bush Administration wants him to hear, since he’s most like Britney anyway, when it comes to questioning authority. Don’t do it.

As respect to the latter poster; if all he can contribute to the dialogue is a “well said†then, he clearly carries no personal viewpoint at all, and is too lazy to even attempt to do so, if not for himself, then certainly for the members of this site.

What Conway fails to understand, with no surprise to myself, is that this country is not the same today as it was 40 some years ago when we did indeed, as always, as even as should be today, celebrate “Memorial Dayâ€. Conway lives in the past and doesn’t have the ability to separate “it†from the present day “celebration†So does his “Well said†supporter.

I’m not questioning Conway’s patriotism to this country here at all. I’m questioning his ability to separate the history of this country’s war dead service men and women of past; and those of which horrify us today.

If Conway can, with all internal honesty and fortitude, promote, as he has “this†Memorial Day, as he has stated above, “as promoting democracy around the globe by setting aside a day to honor the men and women who have given their efforts, and in many cases their lives, so that others, in the far reaches of our globe, can practice the same freedoms that we hold so dear here in the United States.†Then I can only hope that Conway somewhere finds a reality check to bring him back from fantasy land where he obviously resides.

There is nothing about this war that honors our dead. If anything, it shows us, if you choose to engulf yourself into it and its facts, how senseless it truly is. It might make you feel better believing that it is a just war, because you are so incapable of coming to terms that this administration is, and has been for almost seven years, the most corrupt and incompetent administration in the history of this land, but until you get beyond that, YOU TOO have the blood of American soldiers on YOUR hands and soul.

So Conway, I hope you celebrated today as it is indeed a national holiday. I’m just curious about how you might have done that?

I suspect that if Conway witnessed a hate crime on the streets of his own community which required him to stand up and expose himself publicly to effectively prosecute the crime and perpetrator, he’d be unavailable, because the world he lives in is all about denial and self preservation for the privileged.

Happy Memorial Day.

[Guest Conway1]

With all due respect, I believe what I wrote. However, unlike you, I won't dishonor the effort of the thousands of veterans, on this day, who have served and died for their country for the sake of getting in some contrived intellectual cat fight with you over the military action in Iraq.

I respect your opinion. It is different than mine. The truth is that we'll probably never agree on the issue of Iraq. I can live with and respect that fact. I hardly believe that a difference in opinion gives me the right to insult you or degrade your intelligence. Obviously, you believe differently.

Now, I'm off to a a Memorial Day Parade.