Memorial Day Not-So-Standard Blog Entry

Now your typical blogger is gonna sit up today, put on their red, white and blue pajammas and go on and on and on about what Memorial Day means and how everyone should kiss a man's ass just because they served in the military. Personally, I feel its a bunch of shit.

Today is one of three days we set aside to honor people who have died for other people's political systems. The other two are Veteran's Day and Armed Forces Day. These days are set aside by the government so that the retail stores can offer minor sales while corporate America somehow gets the recognition and the day off. Meanwhile, there are all sorts of televised parades and ceremonies put on to try and convince the people that soldiers are here to protect your freedoms and if it weren't for them being here at this exact moment, the ENEMY will attack you in your sleep, rape your wife and murder your children, eat your dog and if you live in a red state, take your guns away. Well, sorry Charlie. No one is coming to get you in your sleep. Chances are, you're not important enough. Besides, Al Qaeda already got what it wanted from us.

I know what you're thinking. The military is protecting us as they are currently taking out "Major Al-Qaeda Operatives" as we speak. Well what the hell does that mean? As if it takes a major college degree to tell religious zealots where to point their guns. This is no victory. This is a spin job to make the more patriotic imbeciles feel like the brains behind the armed forces aren't stroking out.

Its all crap people. The government doesn't give a rat's ass about our soldiers. Once a man puts his John Hancock on the slip of paper, after being ruthlessly lied to by his recruiter, that person loses all identity and becomes a national resource to be used or abused by the whim of some snivelling politician who has absolutely no reason to make good on the promises made by said recruiter. In fact, the politician has more to gain if a soldier does not make it back from his tour of duty alive. Then the solider has made the ultimate sacrifice for the poitician's politics and they have a shiny new footnote to add on their next re-election speech. Let's face it, its a lot easier on the taxpayers too if a soldier dies since its a lot cheaper for the government to chisel a soldier's name on a slab of granite than it is to pay for their medical bills should they come home in a semi-salvageable state.

So with deepest regret, I cannot make the standard "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy" speech today because I choose not to honor those who serve the Armed forces. Instead, I choose to pity them.

At the very least we don't have to exchange cards with family members we don't see that often - with good reason - expressing forced and predetermined emotional states.