Interesting letter to the editor in my local paper

[Bob_VT]

I saw this letter to the editor and it is a good read.......

Moment of silence for military?

Published: July 6, 2009

On Friday, June 26, 2009, the United States House of Representatives took a moment of silence to mark the passing of a celebrity.

However, the very same 435 members cannot render the same courtesy and honor every time a marine, soldier, sailor, or airman takes a bullet or makes the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their country. Celebrities may have impacted lives but there is also no questioning the sacrifices these men and women in uniform willingly make. Where is Congress honoring the wounded and the fallen with a moment of silence? That's 40,914 moments of silence and surely they have done plenty on their part to deserve it.

I am a Marine Corps wife, and I was appalled that a moment of silence was held on behalf of a celebrity and the same honor and courtesy is not extended for the men and women fighting and dying overseas. Is the life of a celebrity more valuable than the men and women who have been sent overseas as part of our armed forces? Has one celebrity contributed more to this country than these brave men and women have?

Furthermore, the lack of recognition by the government is the ultimate disrespect to the grieving families of the fallen.

These brave men and women make sacrifices on behalf of this country every single day, and they undoubtedly deserve a moment of silence and recognition.

It's time for a change.

KRISTI BLAKE

Wallingford, VT

[SailDesign]

Interesting, and she's right.

[eTiMaGo]

do you cry when you lose a pawn at chess? guess it's the same...

[*MAD DOG*]

Originally Posted by SailDesign

Interesting, and she's right.

+1

[*MAD DOG*]

Originally Posted by eTiMaGo

do you cry when you lose a pawn at chess? guess it's the same...

Shitty analogy Thomas. You can't possibly compare a person losing his life in battle to losing a pawn in chess.

The pawn in chess does not have a mother, a father, possibly a sister, brother, son, daughter........ Not to mention a pawn is not a living thing.

Chess is a game. War is not a game. You know why War is not a game? No one wins in the end. Lest we forget those who paid the ultimate price so we can have freedom.

[eTiMaGo]

I'm sorry if I worded that wrong, I meant from the point of view of the media/government, soldiers dying is just not newsworthy, I am in complete agreement with the person who wrote to the newspaper. What I meant to say is, they treat celebrities like they are queens or at least knights, a big deal to lose one, not like lowly pawns... my apologies for misunderstandings!

[TLyttle]

No one wins in the end; how true that is, unless you are an arms manufacturer....

A minute's silence for every serviceman lost is not too big a commitment now, is it? Most governments would rebel at such a major time "loss" during their ruminations over how to make the aforementioned arms dealers richer yet.

[Darb]

I would argue that they provide entertainment, which can be important for the morale of the citizens. It provides a distraction to the realities of life.

[MadMax]

Maybe too much of a distraction! There is turmoil in Iran and China, North Korea is launching missiles and all that is on the news is Michael Jackson's funeral!

I agree that entertainment is important, but between celebrities and sports stars we put the wrong people on a pedestal! It is that average soldier, sailor, airman and Marine that should be the ones we worship. Collectively, they give us more—and protect those things we hold most dear—than some simple court jester!

As for clowns, that is the first word that springs to my mind when someone mentions the United States House of Representatives!

[Darb]

Originally Posted by MadMax

It is that average soldier, sailor, airman and Marine that should be the ones we worship.

I'd rather have cruise missiles and predator drones on that pedestal, but that's just me.

I'll refrain from posting my thoughts on American interventionism...

[ChinoCharles]

Congress should certainly pay more respect to the soldiers that fight for this country, but on a world scope it isn't even a question. Michael Jackson touched billions of people. Spin it however you want, but our soldiers serve 350 million-ish people. MJ's scope is vastly larger, hence why I can't turn on CNN without getting MJ facts regurgitated in my face. It will fade soon. Have faith.

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by eTiMaGo

do you cry when you lose a pawn at chess? guess it's the same...

i think the point is that the celebrity isn't even a chess piece... is like a checkers or mancala piece... so why should we (err...congress) even care?

I see no flaw in your analogy...some may find it offensive...those who think with emotions... it was darn good logic.

[Bob_VT]

There are some unbalanced things that go on in our world........ I considered the MJ thing way over the top.......

You're a 19-year-old kid. You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam. Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.

Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter and you look up to see an unarmed Huey, but it doesn't seem real because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.

Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come.

He's coming anyway.

And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire as they load 2 or 3 of you on board.

Then he flies you up and out, through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses.

And he kept coming back, 13 more times, and took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.

Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman died on Wednesday, March 25th, 2009, at the age of 80, in Boise, ID. May God rest his soul. Medal of Honor Winner Ed Freeman! Since the media didn't give him the coverage he deserves... and there is no doubt he deserved it.

THANKS AGAIN, ED, FOR WHAT YOU DID FOR OUR COUNTRY. RIP

[POORSHA]

A moment of silence for Ed Freeman........

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by Bob_VT

I saw this letter to the editor and it is a good read.......

Moment of silence for military?

Published: July 6, 2009

On Friday, June 26, 2009, the United States House of Representatives took a moment of silence to mark the passing of a celebrity.

However, the very same 435 members cannot render the same courtesy and honor every time a marine, soldier, sailor, or airman takes a bullet or makes the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their country.

Considering that many of them sent those kids down to War do you really think that they're going to reflect on their personal responsibility?

This is Congress we're talking about here - we don't elect people of character, we elect characters.

Gene

[MadMax]

Godspeed, Ed "Too Tall" Freeman!