Tag: Iraq

One of Ten

I drove up to Fort Leavenworth today… as I do whenever I’m in need of CONTEXT.

I rarely walk the rows of our most recently fallen service members as I don’t want to disturb grieving families, so I make a commitment to HONOR the memories of soldiers who most likely… no longer have someone around to remember their name.

 

As I read the stones, in my mind I say the names and ranks, in HONOR of their service. Some stones still “speak” and give a flash of LIFE… a unique characteristic, a nickname, a eulogy. A rebellious salute to the end of a life STAINED by WAR, made by an aged VETERAN who’s SPIRIT remained untarnished by the evils brought with it.

A majority are marked with the Cross of Christ, so the stones marked with a Star of David or the Star and Crescent reveal even more depth, and some stones mark the resting place of TWO souls…

The WOMEN who stood behind those heroes in LIFE, chose to rest beside them in death.

 

The oldest military grave at Fort Leavenworth Cemetery is that of Captain James Allen, who died in 1846, when our President was James K. Polk… 174 YEARS AGO.

Representatives from the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, WWI… fighting for the United States of America on HORSEBACK. Thousands of BRAVE men and women who’ve dedicated their lives to our Nation, over the course of CENTURIES…

 

The bitter wind blows through the oaks, rustling the crisp brown leaves and the clock chimes at the top of the hour. The sound echoes off the hillside, the SILENCE echoes throughout TIME.

 

I am humbled to think ‘WHAT CAUSE could rally so many people to give ALL of themselves, to ensure its continued existence… and could there ever be another seen as its EQUAL?’

As I pass the obelisk and crest the hill, the view of markers standing at attention rolls down and across the valley, and the scenery starts to change… WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Iraq… Mounds of DIRT. Freshly laid flowers. THEN, just grass. A sprawling hillside with a couple saplings, the green contrasting sharply with its marble edging…

 

… I now know where I stand.

 

…

 

U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)

 

  • Length: 1092 feet (332.8 m)
  • Beam: 252 feet (76.8 m)
  • 2 Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors, generating 194 megawatts
  • Speed: 30+ knots
  • Range: UNLIMITED
  • Ship’s company: 3,200
  • Air wing: 2,480 carrying 90 aircraft

 

… and this is only one of TEN. This is the culmination of over 230 years of scientific achievement, born of our CAUSE, our dedication to Equal Justice Under Law.

But the “Big Stick” is only a HOLLOW SHELL without the men and women who makeup her LIFEBLOOD, without whom she does not SAIL.

 

I do not say these things to boast. I do not say this to intimidate. I am simply stating a FACT, bringing CLARITY to a situation we’ve ALL seen before.

 

Our Experience must guide us now.

 

Let us not speak of escalation, when we KNOW where that path LEADS. At the end of that road, we know what fate LIES.

 

FIRST it’s a tanker, then it’s a refinery. Then it’s a military DRONE. Now, LIVES. First its US, then it’s THEM… once upon a time it was the Gulf of Tonkin. And before THAT, it was the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and MANY years before… REVOLUTIONARIES. Dressed in a FALSE FLAG, wearing the clothes of NATIVES… drunkenly throwing TEA into a harbor…

 

We know where the path of escalation LEADS. A cost, measured in LIVES.

What GOOD is Experience if we do not LEARN from it? What will become of our collective KNOWLEDGE if we do not SHARE IT?

 

 

 

“The only winning move is: not to play.”

 

 

In so far as it is within my power… I will work toward ensuring that Kansas Hillside, stays forever GREEN.

 

JC

 

The Breaking of a Moral Compass

During WWII, Americans were called upon to aid in the war effort. By sacrificing here, “The boys in Europe won’t go without!” When asked “What are YOU doing to fight the enemy?”, average Americans could point to their ‘Victory Garden’. That helps keep our boys fed ‘over there’! It made the war’s end seem achievable with a point of unity. Together, we can see this through. No doubt that helped win the war.

After September 11, 2001, the public ached from the sudden loss, just as at the beginning of WWII. As our anger and grief turned to concern and support for our troops in a new war, average Americans again asked what they could do to contribute to the effort, to bring closure to such a deep wound.

George W. Bush told us that we should continue our lives like before. Go buy a car. Spend money. The goal of the enemy is to disrupt your daily life. In essence… Go shopping or the Terrorists win.

THAT has improperly closed a MASSIVE wound in the Nation’s collective mindset. By the account of most observers, GWB had cute ‘mannerisms’, and that the go shopping statement was a kinda joke…. ha ha. But average Americans did as told. Having faith in the system of justice and our moral high ground seeming to be on secure footing, we did just as he asked, hoping that THIS might sooner bring an end to the pain we felt from that day’s loss.

A seemingly unending war on an idea. An idea being fought with ignorance. In order to secure ourselves, we must push away those who would only seek to help and strengthen your position. In order to fight this anger and hate, we must unite in anger and hate toward our enemy- An idea that fear and anger are the winners in a discussion of ideas.

… are you confused yet?

The enemies of Our Country are fighting this battle RIGHT NOW. The Russian attempt to influence US Elections was successful. They INFLUENCED Americans, motivated people to ACTION here in the USA, to go to demonstrations, and executed it all from OUTSIDE the US.

This was Round #1. They are ONLY getting started.

Most of us aren’t even AWARE there is a war going on.

To be Blunt for a moment…. All Americans consume a steady diet of news from an obviously deeply interested corporate media titan of one type or another. It is a fact, even if you were not fully aware of it. And no matter who you are, or what color your favorite Kool-Aid is, we ALL recognize ONE THING:

ALL of them are full of it.

Weather you consume yours with ‘red sauce’, or you prefer ‘blue sauce’, in the middle, under all that ‘sauce’… is still a big pile of it. But we are still not fully aware of the magnitude of the battle.

The problem is our bullshit is being compromised.

PROPOGANDA designed to invoke a feeling. Our enemy knows what makes us ‘tick’, and can be sneaky. There is a BATTLE going on on your smart phone, in your email box, and even on your Facebook page. You are in the crossfire everyday you participate in the virtual world. Every American, and every citizen on this planet who values free speech, is in a war.

“What can Americans do to help win the war? We Want to Help!”

This Battle will require us all to secure our individual identities. To make ourselves digitally secure. It also requires EVERYONE of us to become computer literate. To become masters of our own identities. Just as one would with a social security number and driver’s license, etc. Your virtual digital identity is even more important. So, the “Call to Arms” for the citizens of THIS moment is a simple one. The MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON against the bad actor with bad intentions is still the same-

“Arm yourselves with KNOWLEDGE.”

Keep your head UP!!

JC