In Memoriam

For the last 43 years, the U.S. has not had a military draft. It has not fought an existential war since the Civil War. This Memorial Day, the folks who need to give thanks to U.S. troops are the people of Europe, who were bailed out twice, and the people of Korea who still live in a war zone protected by an American shield.

I myself will give thanks, as I always do, to the men and woman who chose service other than killing people they did not know in a country they had never even visited before.

I thank the civil rights workers, the union organizers, the school teachers and, the hardware store clerks, the folks who repair our roads and plow our fields, who drive the trucks and mine the coal, who wash the dishes and fix the roofs. I thank those who pay taxes without hate for those who need a helping hand.

The job of the military is to kill people and break things. They will tell you that themselves. I understand that there is a place for that, but my honor is for those who raise things and make things. I offer no disrespect for the military dead, but surely there is a place to remember and celebrate those who fight to improve themselves and others? Surely there is a place to honor those who pay taxes rather than just those who killed and destroyed while on the government dole? Where is their flag and their monument? This Memorial Day let at least a few of us remember those who built this nation, and not just those who destroyed others.