I recently had the privilege of visiting our nation’s capital for a few dayswhile I was in town for an accounting conference. While in the area, I wasable to visit some of the historical attractions around the city. Themonument that spoke to me the most wasn’t the Lincoln or the World War II Memorial, it was a new display honoring those killed in the ongoing war in Iraq.
The exhibit features a caricature portrait of every man and woman who hasdied thus far in the Iraqi war. Within minutes of walking through thememorial, studying the faces of those who bravely gave their lives for ourcountry, I was literally in tears. I had to put on my sunglasses to avoidlooking like Adam Morrison after an NCAA loss. It was not the picturesthemselves that touched me as much as the objects their friends and familyhad attached to their pictures.
Seeing pictures of their surviving families taped to their portraits withcaptions like “we miss you” and “wish you were here,” reading notes writtenin crayon by their children saying “I miss you Daddy,” and realizing thatmany of the deceased soldiers in these pictures were my age (22) made mefeel emotions that I had never felt before.
While I am goofing around in college and writing articles, my peers are overin Sandland facing death everyday, many of whom never return home again.
The strange thing is that it wasn’t sadness that I felt as much as anger whenI thought to myself, “What did these people die for?”
After almost three and a half years of war in Iraq, there appears to be noend in sight. We are no safer now than we were when the war began andIraq is not any better off now than it was when Saddam was in power.
There was a time in our history when war actually meant something. TheRevolutionary War was for our independence, the Civil War was fought to keepthe Union together and WWII was fought to protect the world from a trulyevil empire. We used to fight for freedom; we used to fight for ideals. Whathappened?
President Bush spoke in Washington, D.C., on Monday regarding the war in Iraq.According to CNN.com, the president said here would be no quick exitfrom Iraq and that, “Leaving before the job is done would be a disaster.”
That’s great Mr. President, but do you have a plan for getting the job done?
CNN also released the results of a recent pole on Monday, with opposition tothe war reaching a new high. Of the 1,033 adults surveyed, 61 percent nowoppose the war.
It’s nice to see everyone jumping on the “anti-war” bandwagon. Too badeveryone couldn’t have jumped on it three years ago when it might have made adifference. However, with the Hurricanes season over, we need a new bandwagon tojump on. I always prided myself on staying off the bandwagon, cheering forthe Jazz against the Bulls and anyone against the Lakers and Yankees.
However, I am glad to see that the majority of adults are against the warnow, but it is sad that people take political positions with the same herdmentality as the sports teams they cheer for.
While visiting the presidential exhibit at the Smithsonian, I remembered allthe great leaders our country has had over the years. As I read through thetimeline of presidents, certain names stuck out — “Washington… Jefferson… Lincoln… Roosevelt… FDR… Bush.”
Bush?
Seeing George W. Bush’s name among such other great leaders made me sickto my stomach. I am surprised Jefferson and the other presidents have notdrafted a document declaring independence from Bush’s exhibit. I don’t knowwhy, but I just can’t get behind Bush. I feel like everything he says iseither a lie or a joke. He is a cross between George Costanza and aventriloquist dummy.
A sign in the presidential exhibit read something like, “The goal of anypresident should be to leave the country better off than when they foundit.” When Bush leaves office in January 2009, I cannot imagine the countrybeing better off than it was eight years ago.
I guess what I am trying to say is that my recent trip to D.C. made merealize something: I love my country, I just hate the government.
E-mail Todd at [email protected].
