Reflections on Memorial Day 2013

Facebook asks me, "What's on your mind?"

Some thoughts on Memorial Day.
I come to this Memorial Day with mixed emotions. I do not want to insult any of my friends who rally behind the idea that those who died in past wars or current and past non-war conflicts did so in defense of our freedom and liberty.
I have many friends who know better, many of them are a bit ruthless with their position about the above.
I know that most of those who went off to fight THOUGHT they were doing so to protect our freedoms "here at home" and I do not want to diminish the loss of lives, limbs, minds, nor loved ones. However, they were victims of propaganda when they concluded they were fighting for my right to say this.
Hell, I was one of those propaganda victims myself. I spent 6 years in the submarine navy. And I most likely just did it for the education, the GI bill, and because the economy sucked so bad at the time.

So, let me just say I honor the intent of those who were convinced they were protecting us here at home. I mourn their losses. I grieve for them and their families and friends.

On the other hand, I also grieve for all those men, women, and children who have died or been maimed or had children with horrible birth defects in all the countries we are now invading or have invaded in the past allegedly to defend our freedoms here at home. It does not take more than about 15 seconds of reflection upon the words "attack" and "defend" to understand that what we are doing overseas, and all those who have suffered, both "our guys" and "them over there" have suffered for a lie.

Which one of those who died, "ours" or "theirs" was the one who would have discovered the cure for cancer? or written the next great symphony? or penned the novel that caught enough attention about war and the devastation of war that people really did wake up to the fraud that has been perpetrated on us all that perpetuates the "war mentality"? or raised enough resources to feed and clothe those in need? Or, well, you get the picture. There are minds in all those bodies. Minds that could have been of benefit to humanity if they were not snuffed out before they had the chance to reach their full potential.

We can defend our freedoms here at home here at home. We can't defend our freedoms here at home by "killing them over there before they kill us over here," because then we are the invading force. We are the ones in the wrong. We are the ones who are destroying everything we claim as good.

I long for the Memorial Day when we have no standing army and the defense we have here at home is simply us. Armed and defending ourselves from all enemies foreign and DOMESTiC. I honestly think our domestic enemies are much more of a threat to our freedom and liberty than any foreign enemy could ever be.

Freedom isn't free, but then again, neither is slavery.