First and foremost, Hope n' Change Cartoons wants to salute and express the deepest possible gratitude to every man and woman who has served this country in uniform. You are the best among us, and we are in your debt. Veteran's Day should be every day.
But we couldn't bring ourselves to adorn this page with pictures of flags and parades today. Because such honors seem like a faux, feel good lie when we've saddled our military with a president who clearly has no respect for them, their mission, or the country and Constitution they've sacrified so much for.
Our veterans deserve every honor we can give them. But more than another fireworks display, they deserve to see honor restored to the position of Commander in Chief.
Their Commander in Chief.
Until the rest of us accomplish that, we not only owe our veterans deep thanks...but the sincerest of apologies.
21 comments:
Thank you Stilt, it was an honor to serve. I served under Ike and Kennedy. However, if I had to serve under someone such as the jackal occupying the White House now, I would probably [do something else].
A heartfelt thank you to all veterans, including those from my family who are no longer with us. I cannot remember the quote or attribution, but it is now painfully obvious that our democracy, which has seemed so strong and resilient, is TRULY only one generation away from oblivion. I voted, I made financial contributions, I engaged family and friends, until I had an urge toward strangulation. I'm not sure what we can do to survive the next three years except to keep the faith and eschew deep dark despair.
You know, you can never say too many good things about veterans. I'm often in awe at what some of you gentlemen and ladies have done, and do right now.
About the clod in the White House, pfft.
It's been said that we get the government we deserve.
Thankfully, the people who serve in our military - past, present, and future - are better than we deserve.
I am honored to have been born on the same day, (not date), of the Marine Corps, (not Marine Corpse), and appreciate the men and women who have served our country in ALL the services of our military.
I mourn that this nation would experience what we are now, but remember it has been said, "this too shall pass" (like a giant kidney stone).
And Fred Ciampi,
If I had to serve under lamont insane obama, what I would put in MY brackets is "shit, or go blind".
I greatly thank Stilton Jarlsberg for his terrific contribution to my sanity. I really appreciate his daily dose of information, perspective and levity. It gives me hope!
And to our vets: Thanks
VERY much!
Mr. Jarlberg, THANK YOU for you posts and graphics. They're OUTSTANDING... ALWAYS!
And, Fred Ciampi -- "lamont insane obama"... you've just had it stolen! I'm gonna start using that one, too!
There is a neat picture of my Uncle in a barn door in France somewhere, circa 1944(?)- looks JUST like me in one of those costume pictures. Never met him, he stayed in France forever.
Dad was still too young by wars end, even though he tried to enlist and got caught out.
Lunchtimes in my area, where there is a NatGuard base, rare is the time uniformed Military pay for their own meals when we are in the same restaurant. Always with a "Thank you for what you do for OUR Country, some of really really appreciate your efforts."
Try to remember what they offer up-the ultimate sacrifice- every day, and especially today.
And never vote Democrat.
My sincere thanks to all Vets.
You deserve more than just a day.
And @Fred C. you mentioned Kennedy, it reminds me of how far we've come from "Ask NOT what your country can do for you....."
@Readers- I don't have time just now to remark on each comment above, other than to say that it lifts my spirits just to associate with you good folk.
I felt sort of guilty (well, barely) about today's post because I would have LIKED to write something about "today is a day to put politics aside to honor our veterans" - but then it struck me that putting the current politics aside, even for a day, is a dishonor to those veterans. I just couldn't do it.
But for the record, I've got more gratitude in my heart than anger today. Now all I have to do is figure out how to avoid the news for the rest of the day...
Don't feel too bad @Stilton. It is difficult to put politics aside in today's environment, especially when our ruling class barely tries to veil their contempt for our current servicepeople, and when they do directly interact with them, it's usually as little more than valets.
Today is also an appropriate day to consider this: In the same amount of time that America went from depression to building hundreds-of-thousands of jeeps, tanks, planes, and even two nuclear bombs (which were only theories on paper at the beginning) and then literally wiped fascism from the face of the planet, our current crop of leaders with nearly unrestrained resources haven't created a single-net job and can't even deploy a workable web site.
If we really honored our veterans, we'd do better that that.
First of all, thank you Stilton.
Most of us who have served have always felt there was no expiration date on the oath we took when we entered the service.
Second, here's hoping all my fellow veterans have had a memorable day.
It's always good to take a day to remember our comrades-in-arms; both the living and the dead. So many of us were forgotten(those who served in Korea) or were for years reviled(those who served in Vietnam)that the renewed recognition of this day in the last few years is so very welcome. It was an honor to have served.
@John the Econ- Wow, what a devastating indictment of this administration you made with that comparison!
It saddens me to know what an incredible economic and social engine our country has been in the past and could be currently, and see it all being systematically disassembled.
@It's No Gouda- I regret that it took so long in my own life to realize that nothing has been given to this country and its people for free. As a callow youth, I took for granted those who served and didn't even try to understand their heeding a call which was about more than themselves. I was, to put it bluntly, incredibly stupid.
But, as the former newt says in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "I got better."
Speaking of the lamest generation, today Obama said:
“...we have to devote just as much energy and passion to making sure we have the best-cared for, best-treated, best-respected veterans in the world.”
Wow. Will that be "just as much energy and passion" that it took to provide the best care, best respect, best treatment as when he eliminated breakfast for our troops serving in Afghanistan just to save a few bucks?
Not being a veteran, I dare not speak for any. However, I'm pretty sure that they won't be holding their breath for that promise!
@Econ John: It's amazing how this once great country has gone full circle.....IE: The current administration is eliminating or mothballing our military hardware, reinstating fascism, and reducing our nukes as others are allowed to stockpile or create them. When I went to visit the grave of my father today,(who proudly and voluntarily served in WWII), I apologized to him for what this nation has become; that same nation he so bravely served to protect. Dirty damn shame.
I heard on the radio that yesterday, nearby Ft. Bragg had a big day honoring Korean War Veterans. They even had three cast members from the TV show M.A.S.H. Jamie Farr, Loretta Swit, and William Christopher were there thanking vets. I think that is pretty cool, especially considering that M.A.S.H. was sort of a war protest show that never said much about the purpose of the Korean War.
@John the Econ,
I was not alive when the USA got involved in WWII, but I know that pretty much the whole country united in the effort to defeat fascism. They knew what Hitler Hirohito were all about, and how horrible a world would be with guys like that in power.
Sadly, today we are again faced with a fascist leader, but people are more interested in Miley Cyrus acting like a slut, or who's winning Dancing with the Friggin' Stars! Fingers crossed, here, but it would seem some eyes are FINALLY opening. I pray it ain't too damn late.
First, another hearty salute to all of our awesome vets. You are our best.
And also, a little joke for our joke of a leader (paraphrased from yesterday's GCFL mailing):
A man died and went to heaven, where he met St. Peter sitting at a desk in the middle of a great hall. On the walls were millions of clocks.
"What are those used for?" he asked.
St. Peter said, "There's one of them for every living person on Earth ticking out the days of their lives."
The newcomer noticed that the hands of some of the clocks were moving faster than others. "Why do they move at different speeds?" he asked.
St. Peter said, "Every time you tell a lie, you lose one hour of your life and your clock speeds up."
The newcomer looked around and then asked, "Do you have one of these for President Øbama?"
St. Peter answered, "Sure! It's in the back room. We use it for a ceiling fan."
@John the Econ- You have a good memory for what writers call "the telling detail" - a seemingly small thing which actually illuminates a lot about a person's character.
Barry did give the troops a big "F You" when he cut off their hot breakfasts (which Michelle would probably say is "the most important meal of the day" to democratic voters).
This is the same asshole (if I may be so bold) who also suggested that members of our military be forced to buy their own private medical insurance so the government wouldn't be saddled with the bills for for those wounded warriors who need rehabilitation or longterm care. The idea never got off the ground, but the mere fact that he pushed it shows what a lowlife scumsucking military-hating POS this man is.
@David in SoCal- Please accept my thanks and appreciation for your father's service. I hope that the apologies we owe our veterans will eventually be made moot by restoring what they fought for.
@Colby- I always enjoyed MASH, though haven't seen it in ages to see how much it might (or might not) rankle me as my politics have changed. No question, though, that I applaud those cast members for thanking the vets who served.
And for those who wonder what was won in Korea, just compare North Korea and South Korea - at the civilian level, they don't even seem to exist in the same century.
Regarding WWII America, I was born soon after the fighting was over - but it was the "dawn of television," and much of what was available to watch was leftovers from the war years. I was raised on Warner Brothers cartoons which reminded us all to do our duty, not avoid the draft, observe "Meatless Tuesday," recycle our metal and rubber, and on and on. It saddens me that we haven't seen such ubiquitous and entertaining messaging asking Americans to pull together for any cause since then. Granted, I'm not making a push for flavor-of-the-day government propaganda, but could we at least try to turn the heat up under the melting pot again and get people to feel like Americans first, and special-interest groups second?
@txGreg- An alternate punchline which I slightly prefer: "Oh, Obama's clock is in Hell. The devil uses it for a ceiling fan."
My views don't line up much with Hawkeye and the gang either, but I still love the show. For those of you who like it and are unaware... the DVD version allows the option of watching the episodes with the "laugh track" disabled. I really enjoyed watching every single episode again in such fashion.
MASH still managed to be funny standing on its own merits without the laughter cue. I wonder if the current occupier of the White House would fare so well if the "applause track" were disabled at his speeches...? Would the regular person watching at home know when to stand and salute if they were forced to listen to nothing but his words?
"This is the same asshole (if I may be so bold) who also suggested that members of our military be forced to buy their own private medical insurance so the government wouldn't be saddled with the bills for for those wounded warriors who need rehabilitation or longterm care."
Touche. Had forgotten that one. An even better example of both "good memory" and "telling detail".
But then on the other hand, privately delivered health care, even for veterans forced to pay for it on their own, would certainly be better that what a government-run system has in store for us.
Colby: One of my favorite lines from MASH that I've used from time to time.
After a hard day in the OR "Hot Lips" is sitting at the bar in the O-Club having a drink. "Hawkeye" walks in and asks, "Trying to drown your troubles?"
"Hot Lips" replies, "No, just taking them out for a little swim."
Works for me!
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