Recently the United States of America celebrated one of its most venerated holidays, Memorial Day. Like millions of others, I honored my familys dead by placing flowers on their graves and by reflecting on and remembering those who came before me.
While visiting two cemeteries, I also observed the names of veterans, those who lie in the designated veterans sites and those who lie elsewhere, but who all are honored with a US flag by their headstone. I acknowledged their lives, their service, and their sacrifices, and as we know, so many made the ultimate sacrifice in order that we might live our lives in peace, enjoying freedoms weve come to cherish: speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
In thinking about the brave souls who have served and are serving our country, I thought about my uncles, three of whom served in WWII. One of my uncles returned from that war with a condition that affected him for the remainder of his life. It was a neurological condition that caused his hands to shake uncontrollably and his voice also to shake.
Speaking was difficult for him. This uncle had experienced horrific battles in Italy, and as a result, his physical condition was forever changed. I have no idea the extent of his mental condition, for he never spoke of it, at least with me.
WWII was a result of Germanys aggressive territorial expansion with horrific human losses, particularly at the hands of Adolph Hitler and his idea that the Aryan race had a duty to control the world. The Vietnam War and the Korean War were waged against communism. The politics of all three wars is, of course, far more complicated than this cursory take, but in essence, these wars were fought in order to defend democracy, an ideal, albeit an imperfect one, that has provided us with the freedoms we enjoy, and the costs the sacrifices were great.
That leaves me pondering where we are and how we got to where we are in the United States today. Every day I wonder who or what will next be targeted and threatened by our current administration in the name of Making America Great Again: Medicare and Medicaid, vaccines, people of color, cancer research, DEI, national parks, efforts to minimize climate change and air and water pollution, civility, the rule of law, and threats to freedom of speech, to name just a few. The list is seemingly endless, and the effects of throwing away that progress are mind boggling.
Is the United States social and scientific progress so easily cast aside, so seemingly unimportant and unnecessary? We appear to be willing to make sacrifices that fly in the face of what the United States has stood for for over 200 years. Im at a loss to understand what the perceived threats within the United States actually are. I dont understand why cancer research; clean air and water; respect for diverse ideas, cultures, and peoples; healthy children; health care for all, and more, are to be feared.
Do I understand necessary downsizing and cutting unnecessary spending? Yes, I do. What I dont understand is why were making such important facets of our lives the enemy. I dont understand how the kinds of cuts and changes in norms and behavior were seeing make America any greater than it has been. Perhaps the following Memorial Day Truth Social message from the current president of the United States will shed some light on where our countrys mindset rests:
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY THROUGH WARPED RADICAL LEFT MINDS, WHO ALLOWED 21,000,000 MILLION PEOPLE TO ILLEGALLY ENTER OUR COUNTRY, MANY OF THEM BEING CRIMINALS AND THE MENTALLY INSANE,THROUGH AN OPEN BORDER THAT ONLY AN INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT WOULD APPROVE, AND THROUGH JUDGES WHO ARE ON A MISSION TO KEEP MURDERERS, DRUG DEALERS, RAPISTS, GANG MEMBERS, AND RELEASED PRISONERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, IN OUR COUNTRY SO THEY CAN ROB, MURDER, AND RAPE AGAIN ALL PROTECTED BY THESE USA HATING JUDGES WHO SUFFER FROM AN IDEOLOGY THAT IS SICK, AND VERY DANGEROUS FOR OUR COUNTRY. HOPEFULLY THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT, AND OTHER GOOD AND COMPASSIONATE JUDGES THROUGHOUT THE LAND, WILL SAVE US FROM THE DECISIONS OF THE MONSTERS WHO WANT OUR COUNTRY TO GO TO HELL. BUT FEAR NOT, WE HAVE MADE GREAT PROGRESS OVER THE LAST 4 MONTHS, AND AMERICA WILL SOON BE SAFE AND GREAT AGAIN! AGAIN, HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY, AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!
I take issue with Happy Memorial Day, but that is the least of my criticisms of this pathetic rant. Scum? Warped radical left minds? Monsters who want our country to go to hell? This from the president of the United States? Theres a lot to unpack in the presidents Happy Memorial Day message, not the least of which disallows differing opinions, normalizes name calling, disparages judges and our former president, reveals his own racist character, blatantly exaggerates the criminality of immigrants, and ignores immigrants humanity. Happy Memorial Day, indeed.
I think back to my uncles, in particular my Uncle Bob, the man who came home physically damaged from WWII having fought helping to defend the free world and our magnificent country, the United States of America: Uncle Bob, this is what weve come to. The words above in all caps are from the leader of the free world, the man who is working mightily to destroy what you and thousands upon thousands fought to preserve, what you and countless others came home scarred for, if they came home at all. I am deeply sorry for you and for all our nations veterans who gave so much. I know this isnt what you and others fought for. You were better than this. I have to believe we are all better than this. God help us if we are not.
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