The Saddest Acre In America, Why?

Please excuse my questioning of this notion. We must all ask ourselves is the acre in the Arlington National Cemetery the saddest because of those who died or is it the saddest because this war never needed to happen? Those who died there died for political reasons not because it had anything to do with 9/11. America was lied into this war. Those that served Bush and Cheney did what they were told to do. They died for the agenda of oil and military bases in the region. Those following their commander’s orders don’t seem heroic to me, sorry if that offends you. They are professional soldiers trained to kill and they did their job as best they could.

What is truly sad to me is that Congress let this war happen, we the people let this happen, the media let this happen and actually promoted it. Together we stood by and let Bush and Cheney lead us into war that was all about seeking power, all about the egos of these two men and those who followed like sheep. Bush changed his reasons for the war almost daily because he is such an uncertain troubled person. Cheney is a fear monger who was in direct pursuit of oil and seeking to have more ego-driven power. The idea that anyone would believe anything Cheney (in the news recently) has to say after this nightmare he created is baffling to my human mind.

Those who died did so thinking they were doing what is right. If that is noble to you then so be it. Many of them who didn’t die are deeply troubled by what happened there as is indicated by the many suicides and their testimonies and made worse by their mistreatment by the VA. This mistreatment and discounting of their trauma speaks even more strongly of the insanity of war. When a person is treated as a hero and then mistreated by the VA, this must be even more unsettling to those that suffered by serving in this war.

Let’s make Memorial Day a day we exam ourselves, our government, and the mess that war is, so that we avoid this insanity in the future. We still have a huge, expensive, and deadly mess to clean up there. Instead of going on and on about those that have died, how about let’s start taking care of the living in America. The traumatized war vets need help, the abused need treatment, the hungry need food, the homeless need shelter, the prisoners need rehabilitation, the addicts need counseling, the lonely need friends and support, the depressed need hope, the sick need healthcare that works, the school dropouts need an education that meets their needs, and so many more need help. Isn’t it time for compassionate action? Thank you veterans who survived the insanity of leadership.

Peace to those that have lost family in war, to drugs and mental illness, to other of society’s ills. Let us all find the freedom that comes from caring for each other and the consciousness that comes from being aware and purposeful in serving others.