That brought back memories I'll never forget of ugly politics during the George W. Bush's years. I remember attending demonstrations in front of the U.S. Capitol against the invasion. As a Latino proud to be an American, I used to deeply resent the suggestion that I was somehow un-American or against the troops because it was the exact opposite.
Now I wonder, Is the GOP-candidates' flip-flopping on this issue, which seems critical to better understand a leader's judgment, the best way to honor the thousands of soldiers who perished in Iraq or who returned with countless visible and invisible wounds? What might be the worst way to honor the memory of so many brave men and women who lost their lives in wars while defending our core moral values?
Do we truly honor the fallen soldiers when we turn our backs on repeated Republican efforts to violate the core American value of separation of church and state, possibly the wisest and most sacred legacy from our Founding Fathers and has served us well for more than 200 years?
Similarly, Do we truly honor the fallen soldiers without addressing the thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan vets who today rely on public assistance because they are unable to re-adapt to society? Do we honor the dead when we say things that perpetuate the stigma attached to seeking mental health help in this country? Also, What about the high number of vet suicides? Do we truly honor them without addressing the rape epidemic in the military?
Do we truly honor the fallen if we don't speak up every time Republicans start their usual drums of war to push for yet another invasion -- necessary or not? Do we truly honor them when we accept silently today's right-wing politicians shoving under the rug the decision to invade Iraq, which entailed a historic, massive White House deception scheme overshadowed only by Watergate in the 1970s? Seeking the truth and transparent government are other core American values the fallen soldiers fought to defend because these affect trust in our leaders and in our democratic institutions. If yesterday they were willing to lie to us about the threat posed by Iraq, could they lie to us today about catastrophic climate change, or about something affecting your own children's health and well-being? Could we trust Republicans in government?
To honor the soldiers who gave it all for this country's core values, we must understand why we went into Iraq in the first place. To do that, a good place to start is with recent statements by Michael Morell, who during the George W. Bush's preinvasion period was a veteran CIA official (who eventually run the agency) and who served as Bush's intelligence briefer. Last week, Morell made it clear during a TV interview that that GOP White House administration publicly misrepresented the intelligence related to Iraq's supposed WMD program and Saddam's alleged links to Al Qaeda. Moreover, people should go over a few of the 935 Iraq war false statements outlined on the Center for Public Integrity's website.
Moreover, to truly honor the fallen with the truth, we should learn more about formerly secret information revealed by the National Security Archive showing how Bush administration officials were preparing for regime change and invasion in Iraq long before the 9/11 attacks and considered "perception management" an effective strategy for overcoming public and allied resistance.
Do we truly honor the brave fallen soldiers every time Republican politicians make it easier and easier for anyone to get a gun without any kind of background check -- including a wife abuser or a domestic terrorist -- while they make it harder and harder for some groups of citizens to vote in this country?
Isn't it ironic that they died abroad to protect our lives and freedoms while the GOP, ALEC and the Koch brothers here at home continue to erode our right to life, freedom and the pursuit of an inclusive prosperity?
Do we truly honor the brave fallen soldiers while Republicans -- literally right now -- preparing for yet another job-crushing federal public sector shutdown? Republicans are great at sales and marketing, but in this Memorial Day they should honor the fallen soldiers with the truth. Since clearly they will not be upfront about why we went into Iraq, they should at least tell us why they are willing to hurt so many American jobs at a time of economic recovery just to take away morally critical health care from at least 30 million Americans. A 1993 confidential GOP-insider memo made public last week reveals that right-wingers want to destroy the Affordable Care Act because they know it'll eventually become as popular as government-run Medicare. It's all about GOP political control.
I don't know if it's just me, but I still believe that striving toward a more perfect Union matters, and that it's one of the best things we could do today to honor the memory of the brave men and women who lost their lives fighting for core American values.
RELATED LINKS:
The Washington Post
Veterans frustrated by presidential debate on Iraq war
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
The 935 Iraq war false statements:
http://www.publicintegrity.org/...
Bush administration officials were preparing for regime change, invasion in Iraq long before the 9/11 attacks, and considered “perception management” an effective strategy for overcoming resistance:
http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/...
http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/...
The brave fallen soldiers fought to defend our great country’s core values while the GOP, ALEC and the Koch brothers here at home continue to erode our right to life, freedom and the pursuit of an inclusive prosperity.
(By the way, the GOP's pro-death and anti-women agenda follows decades-old campaign to direct attention toward fetuses and fertilized eggs.)
http://www.rawstory.com/...
http://thinkprogress.org/...
http://www.motherjones.com/...
INTEGRITY MATTERS: The GOP's fixation with killing the ACA has to do with fear that the ACA will become life-and-freedom-critical to millions of Americans and that will ultimately help strengthen the American family. The powerful dinosaurs see an inevitable result: losing political power, which seems to be all they care about. This key 1993 GOP-insider memo seems to have gotten the ball rolling in the wrong direction:
http://delong.typepad.com/...
http://images.dailykos.com/...