Where Did We Go Wrong?

The other day as I was planning Easter hunts, dinner, and fun, six families here in Canada were facing a very different reality. These six families were dealing with the news that their sons had just been killed in Afghanistan. While I was planning fun, they were planning funerals.

This news has inspired this rant. I want to warn you - it is political. I also need to include a caveat, I mean no disrespect to those soldiers who made the sacrifice nor their loved ones who will deal with the loss for the rest of their lives.

Here  goes . . .

Last fall President Bush and other Republicans called on John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, to apologize to U.S. troops for telling college students in California Monday that if they didn't get an education, they would end up "stuck in Iraq". I think Kerry's slip was quite a Freudian one; unfortunate but true. When I was in the US last month I saw many tributes to the dead . . . these soldiers tended to be Hispanic. They were young, shockingly young. Many seemed to be fromareas where there were few opportunities to better themselves. In fact, I suspect that many of them were in the army because it was an opportunity to better their lives and to get an education. You didn't see names such as Thomas Smith III there.

The news report yesterday caused me to look at our war dead - and sure enough the same pattern was here. These soldiers didn't come from large cities, they didn't appear to come from the upper crust of society. Rather, they appear to be loyal, hard working men and women who want a better life for themselves and they have precious few opportunities to do that. The army, navy, and air force sure play on that with their recruitment ads.

It is a sad testament that we as a society let this go on; that we allow the social conditions exist where there are a large number of young people who feel that the best option to better themselves is to join the armed forces and face possible death. This says so much about the social structure.

The furor from those on the right over Kerry's comments was equally as frightening. It showed the extent to which those who question or challenge their 'right' vision for the nation are derided, insulted, and ridiculed. Public discourse is a cornerstone of a democratic country. It has been missing in action these days.

In the US the President and his advisers have a saying: 'you are with us or you are against us'. Implying that those who question, wonder, or heaven forbid, challenge, are suspect, treasonous even. How enough people have been fooled into voting for this crew  astounds me to no end.

Back to Canada . . . public discourse still exists here but it is less vibrant than it once was. Our politics used to be more civil but gradually we are becoming more 'American' in our politics. Our politics are becoming more about power and control than the public good. Those who question face ridicule and insult.

I worry about where we are going.

I know though, I will continue to question and wonder why things are happening the way they are. If people ridicule or insult me for that then I have a good idea of who I need to worry about - I'll be looking them in the eyes.

Comments

[sandi @ the whistlestop cafe]

Thanks for the inspiration!
You've been tagged for the Thinkers Award.

[Jerry]

If I may.

I feel that at least one of your statements can use a bit of clarification.

It is true that the bulk of foot soldiers are not from society's upper-echelons. It is also true that in Afghanistan and Iraq it's just as likely you'll end up dead if you wear a "grunts" stripes or a Captain's Bars.

Not all of us who serve (or, as in my case, served) were from poor families or backgrounds. Many are just patriots, who learned the harsh reality that you serve whomever is in office regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the policy of the day.

I applaud you for supporting the troops themselves, be they American or Canadian. They and their families sacrifice much to make our lives a better one.