This Memorial Day is full of Newspeak - 1984 is here.

Today, on Yahoo News, the headline reads, "Bush thanks troops for the 'ultimate sacrifice'". I wonder what that "ultimate sacrifice" is for in Viet Nam and Iraq?

I can hear Bush say, "Freedom". I can hear the applause. Can anyone tell me how Viet Nam, and Iraq threatened the "Freedom" of any American?

1984 has arrived where "newspeak" is used regularly by the Commander In Chief and the hypnotized masses applaud willingly at the appropriate applause lines. These are not free people. These are brainwashed people who know not what the truth is.

The military/industrial/corporate complex has bought our politicians and are making billions, if not trillions of dollars off this war. This is not a situation that the average citizen should be applauding for, and certainly not a situation that our soldiers should be dying for, unless they have a mercenary bent in which case you get what you've got coming.

I find it hard to applaud. World War II vets yes. Persian Gulf vets, maybe, but the rest were immoral wars fought for less than honorable causes, and the soldiers who died did so because they got caught up in a political meat grinder, being led to kill by less than honorable leaders. For those who objected to the immoral behavior and orders, there was ridicule, arrest, court martial and punishment. Doesn't sound like freedom to me. It sounds like coercion, punishment, and huge injustice perpetrated upon those designated as "enemies" and then on its own citizens and soldiers.

People of conscience pay a huge price for any freedom they choose to utilize. The government will prosecute you, limit your freedoms, punish you, and crush any freedom right out of you.

Memorial Day is a day for us as Americans to cherish our freedom and resist a coercive and dysfunctional government that only cares about money and power for the plutocracy. When citizen soldiers die on its behalf it goes on a mock charade of honoring those that have done its bidding and in George W. Bush's case, he has even made up a big deal about giving up golf. It is pathetic. And if you didn't know better, it would make you crazy.

Cenk Uygur on the Yount Turks talks about George giving up golf. Video lasts about 2:53 minutes.

Comments

[Paul Powers]

Your words echo my feelings pertaining to this madness and the state of affairs in our country. I have a close childhood friend who served in the marine corps from 1977 to 1981. He recently sent me an email about "Red Friday" and how we should all wear red every Friday in support of our troops and the sacrifices they have made in the name of "freedom". The email saddened me and infuriated me. I have known this man for over 40 years. Though we live miles apart, we keep in touch via email and an occasional phone call. My first reaction was to reply and get on my 'soapbox. Problem is.. I DO know better.. he does not. The ripple effect of this war, this presidency, is beyond comprehension. I deleted the email, shook my head in sadness, and continued with my day. What every happened to 'Give Peace a Chance"?