Memorial Day 2024

                Perhaps this is an early father’s day post or whatever this turns into, but this is where I am today, haunted by a dark past that remains relevant. This picture is the last picture taken of my father before he died in Vietnam. This was not in the family albums, I found it on the internet.

                As time moves forward  and we seem to repeat the mistakes of Vietnam and too many of us don’t care. Among them is a fraternity brother who wanted to condemn Biden about the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. I find it disturbing that he is not alone in treating the event as a way to score points in some demented game of on upsmanship designed to win elections without taking the responsibility to govern. Perhaps it was not wise to bring up what I thought about our withdrawal from Afghanistan. When I learned about the withdrawal, my first thought was of Walter Cronkite’s words 50 years ago: Walter Cronkite calls for the U.S. to get out of Vietnam (youtube.com). Of course, those words were lost on my fraternity brother who should have known about my father. What is more disturbing is his complete ignorance about military matters. He was beyond ignorant about the logistics and planning of a troop withdrawal. To him, it was just some way to smear Biden and score political points.  He is not alone, and if you confront them on this, all you get is some kind of reversal in which we need to explain our decision to pull out of Afghanistan. We still haven’t figured out that they don’t deserve an explanation. It will only trigger some kind of justification. Facts and rational thought don’t matter to them. Any response will trigger some fear mongering rant from Moscow-a-lago or wherever the talking points are created.

                Perhaps this can be added to my life as President Johnson negotiated peace in an eerie response to Walter Cronkite’s unauthorized commentary, that Nixon sabotaged the peace process to become president in 68. It is fitting that he bumbled the negotiations, but it does not justify the four bloody years in which tens of thousands of American Solders died, not to mention the loss of American prestige mostly because of Nixon’s use of Napalm.  It is more than sad that all that Nixon ever did about it through the years is whine, as did too much of the republican party. A fucking pox on lamestream media and anyone else who claims that Nixon is ‘good’ at foreign policy.  This also goes for uncle ruperts faux spin-room and fright wing media who are ready to go off to whatever country and think they can …whatever, and while you are at it the same for lamestream media who pretend that defend the status quo the put Nixon and too much of the republican agenda in place since. If you don’t like it then take it up with me both as a veteran and the son who has only snapshots to remember their fathers.

                The problem has only gotten worse, what is truly reprehensible is some of us are doing more than voting for both a convicted criminal with a proven track record of giving pootski oral service and trying to get us out of NATO. Is anyone thinking? Or is everyone consuming faux and fright wing media in fear or has had too much to drink.  Have they lost any capacity to think rationally?

                We need to honestly think about what world deceased veterans like my father wanted when they gave their lives for us.  Think of this at the BBQ when you open the beer that you would rather pass to your father.