Unfortunately, there are those willing to protest the funerals of our fallen heroes. They stand in protest of those slain in the service of their country rather than at the Capitol where the decision to go to war is made. These people are cowards who attack the dead and dying. They are willing to ignore the grief and pain of the family and do not appreciate the sacrifice that was made by these young men and women for their very freedoms.
It was not the soldier who created the situation that needed to be addressed with force. They have nothing to do with the other forms of diplomacy that may have failed to avert the battle. The ugly truth is, sometimes the only way to make a bully back down is to be bigger and stronger than the bully. The problem of war needs to be addressed not by attacking the victims and those slain, but by looking at the reasons why the problem exists.
Attacking the problem means coming against those who have the greed for power, money and land that most wars are really about. The fact that many wars are simply an arms race between countries is still widely ignored. I wish those willing to protest a funeral had the courage to address the real enemy, but they don’t; they leave that to someone else. The soldiers who lived and died did their part, but will we do ours?
The rich and powerful don’t fight; it’s those who join the military out of the need of a career or a sense of duty. They didn’t make the choice to go to war and they didn’t choose the battle. They took an oath to protect this country and to follow orders. If the order was given to fight, their honor, courage, commitment and duty demanded that they fought. We can do our part by honoring our fallen soldiers.
We should research all claims to war given by our politicians for validity and if we are being deceived for war profiteering, we should vote these dirty politicians out. No matter how rich and powerful a corporation or a person may seem, the final vote is in the hands of the people. No amount of money raised can buy a single vote on Election Day, they can only hope to influence that vote. So let’s stand together at the polls and stop attacking the dead for something that was simply out of their control.
Elijah Reddick lives in Anniston.
