I'm an old school pacifist, should I just stay home and cookout?

[JohnnyRingo]

Is Memorial day reserved for the "hawks", or can I be anti-war 52 weekends a year?

Last night on "The History Channel" that Ermey guy (HooRah) visited Iwo Jima.

He did the typical account of that key battle and the ultimate flag raising pointing out the massive numbers of Marines who unfortunately gave their lives fighting for an airfield from which to nuke the Japanese homeland.

He pointed out that the battle was fierce and bloody with the Japanese unwilling to cede their ground, but the Marines persisted with great casualties until the Japanese were finally "pushed from the island for good".

After the commercial, he returned to explain that "not everyone can walk the black sands of Iwo Jima these days because the island belongs to the Japanese Army, and permission is required to visit the site of great American loss".

Though the battle for Iwo was very important for victory in the ironically named Pacific, I wondered on this Memorial Day weekend how that fact sits with families of the fallen, and in current times how families of the Iraq War vets will feel if GWB finds a new distraction in the Middle East and is forced to drop Iraq and rush off in a new direction, leaving our blood and airbases behind at forgotten "enemy controlled" memorials.

This weekend we like to honor the fallen with encouragement that they "didn't die in vain", but I wonder often if our soldiers have just become the expendable pawns on a global chessboard played by the corporate benefactors of conflict.

During the Korean War 54,000 American veterans died to stop evil Communists in their plans to colonize the southern half of the country. We were assured that losing that war would result in our being enslaved by the "Reds" and having to learn Russian. That war continues in a shaky unsigned truce that lives on today. The "front line" never shifted in 50 years.

In Vietnam we lost 55,000 good men to prevent the "Godless Communists" from spreading their hateful regime throughout all of the Eastern hemisphere in what was cleverly described as a "domino theory". We left after more than 10 years....It didn't spread and Vietnam posed no further threat to world security.

In the current Iraq War we were told that Saddam had desires to launch nuclear missiles on our country in an insane plot to "take our freedom".
When that theory was revealed as unfounded, we began to hear heartfelt eulogies that our soldiers "died bravely so that 'others' may be free".

Pardon my cynicism, but it seems after WWII the reasons for war have become more and more transparent. The sacrifices made by our finest young men seem more and more pointless to me.
The cause for defending our country since the 50s has consistently been to fight the "aggressions" of an evil force that apparently lost it's hateful ambitions of world domination after we took our soldiers out of the area.

I was raised anti-war by my parents in the early 50s
I was an anti-war activist when I graduated in the early 70s
Unlike some of my friends, I'm strongly anti-war now that I'm too old to be drafted.
And I refuse to "STFU" one weekend a year to praise the horrors and glory of meaningless victories and defeats that fed the economy of a nation at war.

On Memorial day my heart will be filled much more by sadness for the losses suffered by those who were sacrificed than it will pride for the country and its leaders that sent them.

May they all rest in peace, and may the Masters of War rot forever in the Hell they deserve.

[knowbody0]

1. here's to you JohnnyRingo

[noamnety]

2. You could stay home and have a cookout

or you could go find a parade where Veterans for Peace are marching, and cheer them on.

There's no shame in staying home if that's what you want to do, but you shouldn't feel like you have to hide out - you can certainly show up at a memorial service with a Peace is Patriotic shirt if you don't want to STFU for a weekend. I view memorial day as a day of sadness for the losses, certainly not as a great day of pride in my country's part in warmongering. It's Memorial Day, afterall, not Bow Down to the Flag Day. I'll be marching in a parade.

[Dakini23]

4. I'll be staying home and hiding!

From all the flag wavers, SUV drivers with magnetic yellow ribbons on their gas guzzlers, the over-fed Amerikans wearing ugly red, white and blue t-shirts, shorts, hats etc. This is a day of mourning for the United States and its stupidity....I can't feel good about our country when innocent men and woman in Iraq are being blown to shreds. I can't feel good about this country when our children are being brainwashed by this government and sent to fight a meaningless war. I can't applaud and salute our Veterans, because I believe fighting in wars on foreign soil does not make us free. I am sick of this whole war machine mentality. It's time that it ends once and for all. It's time to speak out. I am sorry, but I am not thankful or proud of the veterans...they have all been brainwashed!
This is not said out of hate, but out of frustration!

[Zorbuddha]

3. I'm with you

I abhor the glorification of war, and how it has been romanticized in this country.

As much as I honor and regard soldiers that sacrifice in wartime, it never mitigates unjustifiable wars. War should always be an absolute last resort.

If I hear anybody else talk about how the war in Iraq is about preserving our freedom or that it's better to fight 'em over there than over here...I'm liable to forget I am a pacifist and go a little postal on 'em.

[redwitch]

5. I know what you mean Johnny

The Memorial parade passes by my house on Main Street. I plan to put out a large vase filled with red poppies and an American flag- with a Bringthemhomenow.com picture posted to it. It will sit on the steps in front of my house. The parade always makes me feel strange and very sad, march music and all. My oldest son has just recently gone to his first concientious objector meeting.