Memorial Day is sad this year [View all]
I have the utmost respect for people who fought and died wearing our nations uniform. They cannot be honored enough and we should do more for our still alive vets too.
But it really hits a place inside me when I hear and read endless people praising our fallen soldiers for dying for our freedom. First off all, most of the wars weve fought had nothing to do with preserving American freedom. We arent free because of World War I, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, or any other number of wars. The Revolutionary, Civil, and WWII were clearly about our freedom and have a direct line to the freedoms we still enjoy. Doesnt mean all those wars were unnecessary, or I was against them, but just that they really had no tangible effect on freedom here.
And I think attributing our freedoms to dead soldiers misses the biggest cause of our freedom at home, people and movements who fight for our freedom daily and have done so through out our history. The Civil Rights movement, the abolitionists, the womens suffrage movement, the labor movement, voting rights movement, gay marriage movement, and countless other movements are why we are free.
I thank our fallen soldiers for security, their sacrifices have allowed us the security to fight for and secure our freedoms. Security is important, but its not what gives us freedom, for that we must fight ourselves for it. You can have all the security in the world and not be free at all. And when I look at how in peril our fights for freedoms are today in America, I cant help but feel sad that weve lost our way and the fallen soldiers are dishonored by the tyrants we have running our country right now.
So thank you to our heroes who died fighting for our country. But I grieve a little for the freedom we are losing at home right now.