Dear TNCP,

Memorial Day is a very sad day for me.  I’m a military veteran (Army, infantry, Viet Nam) and as I get further down the path, my grasp of life and humanity increases.   We are all on this planet together and we are all related.  The Golden Rule applies to everyone.  “They” are not the “enemy”.  The “leaders” tell us that if we (the working class) send our children to kill all of “them”, then we will be safe and our children who die or are physically and/or mentally wounded are heroes.  The words of the “leaders” are hollow.  They sell fear and we buy and become the pawns.
 
Two time Medal of Honor recipient Marine Major General Smedley Butler said “War is a racket”.  I agree.  Weapons are our #1 export product.  To keep our weapons industry going we promote conflicts and wars.  We have over 700 military bases in over 140 countries.  Our military is the largest violence educational institution in the world.
 
On this Memorial Day think about the death and destruction that is being perpetrated in our name all over the world.  It’s not about freedom or democracy, it’s about profit.  It’s for “US interests”.  As I read about Memorial Day events I get sad.  I suspect many of the people who attend are thinking like pawns.   
 
Arnold Stieber
Grass Lake, MI