"They have died for causes both right and wrong. They have been cannon fodder for the political whims of delusional heads of state. They have saved civilization and destroyed it."
As we head into year three of an illegal war predicated on lies, it's important to commemorate the men and women who have died in battle. Not for bravery or resolve, but for paying the ultimate price, good or evil, for their nation. This piece, while written last year, remains as relevant and topical as it was on our last Memorial Day. Let's never forget.
Today is Memorial Day.
A federal holiday whose traditions began in the wake of the Civil War, it has come to serve as a reminder of all American casualties of war. It is a day of remembrance, a tribute to those who paid in blood for our way of life.
It could not be a more fitting day to reflect on the price of war.
The United States is currently mired in two overseas wars it cannot hope to win. Even with one hundred thousand troops stationed in Iraq, their people greet us as butchers and oppressors. Our eponymous "war on terror" is little more than a shallow propaganda campaign to frighten Americans into surrendering their freedoms.
However, these are not the only fronts the United States faces. Ideological battlefields are being drawn as people continue to fight for the rights that make this country great. Whether or not you wear a uniform, a fight against tyranny of any kind makes you a soldier.
I am proud of the military history of the United States. Our ancestors fought for freedoms denied them and struggled to balance power with responsibility. It was and is a remarkable achievement. There is a romantic notion that our forefathers died for what was right, what was good, what was noble.
Chances are you know someone who fought in one of America's wars. Your grandfather might have landed on the beach in Normandy, your uncle may have served in a platoon in Viet Nam.
People have died so that I can live. That's a powerful reality that most Americans fail to understand.
They have died for causes both right and wrong. They have been cannon fodder for the political whims of delusional heads of state. They have saved civilization and destroyed it.
In the end, though, the men and women we pay tribute to today gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. That deserves commemoration.
Why? Because a life is a precious thing. Laying it down for one's country is a great gift and an even greater risk. That is why when I think of our family members stationed in what is now an undeniably evil war, I pray they don't come home in one of our secretive nondescript coffins. I don't want to think of the mother looking at her daughter's broken body as she sobs and asks her to get up and come home.
Roughly one thousand of our friends and family in the military are confirmed dead. There are thousands tucked away on military bases with terrible wounds and psychological damage as deadly as any bullet. And these are just our people — the recent damning revelations of torture, rape and abuse of civilians only makes our little morality play in the Middle East that more tragic.
Look upon today's memorial as a reminder not only of those who died in the Great War but as those who are dying today and those who will die in the wars of tomorrow. The old adage is true — those who don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it.
So honor those who died. Some believed they were fighting the good fight. Others knew they were mere pawns in a greater scheme. In the end, though, they're all dead, their graves a reminder of the price of liberty.
Honor them by living up to the ideals set down in the Constitution. Protect your right to believe in whatever you want and your right to speak up about it. Don't let the government intrude on your privacy or let them abuse your ability to defend yourself against an accusation. Believe in freedom and let those around you be free, even if your prejudices blind you to diversity.
That is, in the end, what every American soldier dies for. Don't do them a disservice by letting their blood be shed for nothing.
Canon Fodder is a bi-weekly analysis of politics and society.
