Memorial Day

For some reason (probably because I'm such a grouch) I haven't gotten the usual email with dozens of patriotic pictures, pictures of old veterans, and pictures of flags waving. The email with pirated snippets of patriotic songs, melodies and lyrics. For all of you out there who haven't sent me such email, and you know who you are, THANK YOU.

I've always thought that on Memorial Day when we decorate the graves of our dead, we should be celebrating PEACE. Yes, some of our wars have been fought to secure peace but it seems to me singularly inappropriate to display or parade weapons of war in a Memorial Day parade. Many of the people whose graves we're decorating died from such weapons of war. Wouldn't it be wonderful, if instead of tanks, bombers, and artillery, we paraded those efforts to gain peace which have not involved killing people.

We used to point at pictures of Russian or Chinese soldiers marching off to wage war thinking or saying that the soldiers must believe in their cause. That meant they had to be duped or had fallen for the propaganda and lies their government had told them. They were to be killed of course, since our country is always right, but still it was such a shame that they had believed it. Now we know from our recent past that our government lies to us about the reasons for going to way, about the state of our preparedness, and about the progress being made by our fighting troops. The difference, of course, is that we are fighting for freedom, or to eliminate a despot, or to ensure access to oil, or to avenge an old grudge, or to keep a grudge going, or... ad infinitum.

But should we be fighting at all?

What do you think? Do we need a second day to honor veterans, or would a Peace Day be more appropriate, more needed.