Memorial Day request re state of mind....

[peacetalksforall]

I was very moved by the Memorial Day check in of all the veterans on this forum. It is a very emotional thread and one to remember - especially in light of revelations and confirmations about its origins.

I need to ask if there are others like myself who are conflicted about what they think and write about the military?

One of the many ways this administration has divided the citizens involves the military.

I take a look at my strong words against some of my (formerly) favorite Congresspeople who gave Bush the go-ahead and my stronger words using the word 'killing' instead of something less blunt when discussing Iraq. I look at my never-fail inclusions of the words 'military brass' in my tirades against the cabal. I remember all my tirades and ridicule against religious right wingers who place banners in their churches that say Peace On Earth or send cards with a message of peace, but who are all rah-rah with Bush to go kill some Moslems and not give a nod to any of the massacres in progress today and in the world's (humans) history. I notice how they love their leaders who have led us into a corporate war for the profit of a few.
I do notice when tears rise with pride... and sorrow.

Close relatives spent a lifetime designing, making, and directing the manufacture of naval ordinances in the WW2 era and post-era. All males in a small circle of relatives who could serve, served in the Navy.

I felt pride in the people of the U.S. who all shared in WW2 as related again in all the stories remembered this weekend.

I learned during Vietnam that there was a grand distinction between young guys who willingly or not served and their brass who participated in the grand lie.

I've been a follower of the Kennedy assassination and because of a fascination with informal research to try to figure out what made him so outstanding ...I find the way he stood up to some of the military brass as one of his most heroic acts.

I smiled at the heavy drama of hyping Reagan in the 'war' in Panama and Grenada.

I was horrified to hear that military brass would not support Clinton and were quite outspoken about it. I also remember learning how ticked they were that he waited to give the go-ahead on the 'campaign' in the Serb/Kosovo years. They actually expressed anger on TV because they said that their men were raring to go and it was difficult to maintain their readiness (I believe they said or meant the psychological readiness) and they said they had new weapons and strategies to test. There was no doubt about their ongoing contempt for him.

So how does a person rant against war and the brass and still crave peace and remain angry at leaders who choose killing over peace and counter that with a need to make sure that all those young kids know that we're not against them?

Serving in the defense of the country, if it has to be that way, seems honorable...manipulating war and using citizens for personal and corporate purposes is abominable. We are made to walk a tightrope. We are accused of not being patriotic because we don't go along with the manipulation.

How do others cope and balance it in their lives?