Veteran's Day 2008

Today is Veterans Day, and I would like to use this opportunity to thank all of those who serve and have served in the military.

There is one veteran who is indeed close to my heart, and that is my grandfather. My grandfather has been my hero since I was a very young girl. For as long as I remember, he has been a pillar of quiet strength and support in my life, and as a kid growing up with health problems, I admired that greatly.

He served in Korea with the Army, with Battery B of the 99th Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. It is not often that he talks about the war, but when he does, I have always been amazed at the conditions that they served in, and how unprepared they were for the extreme cold. He received 2 Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. He was one of the lucky ones who came home, and for that, I am forever grateful, because my life would be so empty without him.

On this day of honoring our veterans, I hope you will take the time to think about these brave men and women who have fought and are fighting for us today. Let us learn from their actions and their courage. If you know a veteran or a currently serving member, please take the time to tell them "Thank You."

Please feel free to add to the comments a veteran or current military member's story that you think that others should know about. For within them all, there lies courage.

~Dedicated to my Grandfather, and all who have served, and in memory of those missing and those that never made it home.~

~Meredith
purplepineappletown@hotmail.com

5 Years in Iraq- Thanks To All The Soldiers

To all those who've been, or are in Iraq and Afghanistan, thank you.

For those who have lost someone, know that someone cares.

For those who don't support the war, please stand behind the troops.

They didn't choose this war, the politicians did.

So please. Stand behind your soldiers.

They are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends...

They are people like us.

~Mer

Oh, the wacky world of Politics.

What a wacky news day from the political world. Here's a summary of some of the top events today.



There's a possibility that Hillary Clinton's campaign may have charged over $3,000 on a staffer's credit card without her knowing. The victim, Kathy Callahan, left the Hillary Finance Committee after she discovered the charges. If this is true, I am appalled. Not surprised, but simply appalled. Have we come so far into this mud-slinging fight that they have to try and secretly steal money? Is this how a possible future president's Committee should be run? Stealing from their own supporters? I think that there should be a law on how much money these campaigns can receive, and they have to use that money to get elected president. Top them off at 5 million for the whole deal and let's see if the presidential race doesn't become more civilized.



Barack Obama says he will not run on the ticket as a Vice President, so those who want a Hillary/Barack ticket are in for a disappointment. I know you want to be president, but do you have to be a diva and be like this? "If I can't be president, I won't be vice president." It's like a 2 year-old throwing a tantrum. If we want a better world, politicians need to figure out how to work together with people they dislike! Abraham Lincoln, widely considered one of the greatest presidents of all time, filled his cabinet with people that absolutely hated him, and look how successful his terms turned out to be!



The Senate intelligence committee is preparing to release the 4 year in the making critique of the Bush administration's claims in the buildup to war with Iraq. I can't imagine what took them so long. Hey Senate Intelligence Committee, have you been under a rock for four years? We didn't find anything close to weapons of mass destruction, and it wasn't Al-Qadea in Iraq, it's a was a war between Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds on differences in their religions. Which brings me to my second point on that subject. If Saddam Hussein was really that dangerous, why didn't you just send in some Special Forces troops to take him out? Enough people hated him that no one would have been able to trace who actually killed him! What a novel idea... now why didn't we think of that before we went and started a Civil War?



Oh, and the Iraq War will cost us $12 Billion each month in 2008. There goes your tax money. We have bridges falling down and no money to fix them, but we can somehow find $12 Billion each month to pay for a war that we're not sure will ever end? Does anyone besides me think this is absolutely ridiculous? Surely I can't be the only one that's being driven crazy by this. Let me know if you are too.

~Mer

Questions? It's purplepineappletown@hotmail.com

The Saga Continues...

I apologize in advance if this blog is rambling, it's been a long day.
Good news is that I've made it to the main doctor again... bad news is the doc I need to see is booked up for a couple of weeks.

Now I'll get to the point- Senator Chuck Hagel today said that a US draft may be unavoidable if the war in Iraq continues.

I feel that if the war had not been mismanaged in the first place, this wouldn't even have to be considered. If you remember, we went to war on the promise of finding WMD's in Iraq, and NONE were ever found. Later, the reasons became the "War on Terrorism" and "Fighting the Global Axis of Evil." Now don't get me wrong, Saddam Hussein was a nasty guy... but look at the lives (civilian and military) that have been lost for a war that the basis for was fictitious. Wouldn't it have made more sense to send in a Special Forces team to take him out, or even try and negotiate with him? Pres. Bush says that the US doesn't negotiate with terrorists. If you don't negotiate with the people that you fear, you become overwhelmed by the fear itself. The old saying, "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer," carries real weight. In my experience, it will more often be your friend that stabs you in the back, and not your enemy.

If we continue this pattern of invading and avoiding people that we don't agree with, nothing will be gained and so much will be lost. Last spring, I spent an amazing and eye opening day with kids from military families and several service members that have been in Iraq. The kids don't understand why their family members are sent to a war that they see is pointless. The service members called Iraq, "A disastrous bloodbath."

I ask you, what have we gained with this war other than destroying lives and international relations? Access to one of the world's top oil suppliers so that the oil companies won't have to pay as much?

At what price of lives, American, Iraqi and Afghan, does it become too much? Ten Thousand? A Hundred Thousand? Would we accept the civilian deaths that we are now accepting in these wars if they were happening in the United States?

What world are we leaving our next generation?