Letter: War turned me into a Democrat
Friday, September 26th, 2008
The most important day this year will be Nov. 4.
People should look at each candidate very carefully, but Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama would do this country some serious good. We have more problems on our own soil that are not even being looked at because of the war in the Middle East. Why is it that helping a country more than 10,000 miles from Washington create a democracy is more important then helping our own citizens?
People in this country need jobs. Franklin Roosevelt knew that our nation was in trouble, and he helped fix it in the 1930s with the New Deal. Obama will do the same. He knows that we as a country are in an energy crisis. He knows that Americans are going hungry because their jobs are being moved to foreign soil. He knows that men and women in the armed services are dying for a cause that is pointless. One country can’t fix centuries of war.
I was a huge Republican supporter until about three months ago. I worked at a camp this summer, and the first week of camp was a free camp for children who had parents overseas in the military. One of my campers had a father who was working with the Marines in Iraq. His father was shot and killed while trying to save a Marine’s life. Seeing the look on a 10-year-old boy’s face when he found out that he would never see his father again was one of the most painful things I have ever had to go through. His father died trying to ensure another man’s life. And why was he killed? No one knows because no one knows why we are still in Iraq.
Obama supports our troops, not the war. He wants to ensure that not another child has to suffer from knowing he will never see his parent again like this camper did. Not another wife will have to raise her children alone, like this mother did. No other parents have to realize that they outlived their own child.
Obama supports peace, and peace is what this country needs.
—Michael A. Cerier is a freshman from Beverly Hills, Mich.
Discussion
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And why was he killed? No one knows because no one knows why we are still in Iraq.
This man died honorably, and far be it for anyone to say that no one knows why he died. Based on your own story, he died saving another man's life. Based on what I know, he died doing his job, more specifically going well above and beyond the call of his job. How much more honorably can you go? Let the war sway your vote where ever it may go, but let's keep one thing very clear.
I do solemnly swear,
That I will support and defend,
The constitution of the United States,
Against all enemies, foreign and domestic,
That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same,
That I will obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the Officers appointed over me.
According to regulation, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice,
(So help me God)
This is the Oath of Enlistment; everyone serving in the military has taken up this oath, or the very similar Oath of Office. There is absolutely nothing in this oath about the particular president in office, or about how you feel personally with respect to where the military is in the here and now. Military service is just that. A public service. Those who have worn the uniform (and hopefully their families) know this. And as horrible as it is for this little boy and the other survivors in his family, in my mind this man did his job to the best of his ability. However senseless this war may seem to you, he had a job to do, and he did it. When you say that nobody knows why he died, you disrespect him, you disrespect his family, and you disrespect the thousands of men and women still deployed who just so happen to believe that they're making a difference in this very volatile yet very crucial part of the world.
em1 raved:
"When you say that nobody knows why he died, you disrespect him, you disrespect his family, and you disrespect the thousands of men and women still deployed who just so happen to believe that they're making a difference in this very volatile yet very crucial part of the world."
I don't think this article disrespected the soldier at all. Get off your high horse, dude.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Yes, because we all know how dangerous those Iraqis are to our free speech...
sigh...
Good editorial and thank you for sharing your philosophical shift with us all. I feel you 100%. I too was one of the hardcore Republican voters who believed that they were absolutely steering this country back to its greatness. Unfortunately they have become a one issue Party and the war is that issue. They will except any ideology under their wing as long as that ideology doesn't oppose the war. It is upsetting as well as sad. We need a moral Party in power again. One that looks out for the individual rights and respects for the people. Sending hundreds of thousands of men and women to fight an illegal war and have those here at home suffer economically and give up something as great as their children for a lie isn't moral. All of you need to check out the KU Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War and their Supporters and get on board with changing our foreign policy and the abuse of our troops.
It's the Soldier, not the reporter
who has given us the freedom of the press.
It's the Soldier, not the poet,
who has given us the freedom of speech.
It's the Soldier, not the politicians
that ensures our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
It's the Soldier who salutes the flag,
who serves beneath the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag.
Anonymous
Enjoy your freedom of speech. Our family bleeds for it. We die for your right to degrade us, spit on us and burn our flag. Enjoy all the freedoms that you have that many countries don't that we earned for you and you enjoy without lifting a finger for but would die without. Enjoy what you did not earn but are given freely without any question from us and our families. Enjoy biting the hand that feeds you.
"He wants to ensure that not another child has to suffer from knowing he will never see his parent again like this camper did. Not another wife will have to raise her children alone, like this mother did. No other parents have to realize that they outlived their own child."
WOW What a guy! No more senseless death at all? You mean no child will have a deadbeat father that runs off again? No child will have their parent keel over while doing a "regular" job and die? No parent will ever have a child killed by drugs, alcohol, or drunk driving?
well i appreciate the feedback. for those of you who agree i appreciate the support. for those of you who don't i would like to tell you that this man did his job, and then some. he was stop lost. while waiting in the airport for his c130 to take him home he was sent back for 6 more months. i believe that i also tried to make it clear i support our troops 100 percent, and i know the oath that is taken by a soldier very well, i did in fact attend a military academy for my high school education.
and cath0830 i believe you have exaggerated my point on families loosing loved ones. i was merely talking about military families loosing loved ones, sorry for the confusion. i think we are all aware that no president can save all of us.
thanks again for the feedback
Unfortunately, as for the stop loss part, when you sign, you sign for 8 years (3+ years active, the rest in the IRR). It sucks, but it is in the conract and a reality. Also, this is a volluntary contract. No one forced him to sign and he wasn't drafted, like those in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc, had. The fact that the man died saving another speaks volumes to his character, and his love for his country and fellow Marine. No one gives his life saving another for something he doesn't believe in.
I still think what this man died for is Honorable and should be respected, not pitied. As a mother, I would be proud to see my son go in this way, saving the life of another, as opposed to getting run over by a drunk 18 year old (a senseless and completely preventable death). I woudl also hesitate to make a political scene out of the death of my child.
Beyond the War (which, yes the Democratic congress approved and continues to fund) there are other things to look at when choosing a candidate. And BTW, a majority of the wars in the last century have been entered into by Democrats, not Republicans.
(and yes, I was being sarcasic in my comments above. I knew what you meant, just pointing out you may want to word things a bit more clearly in your arguements.)
PS You do realize that after WWI people were protesting our entry into "Europe's War" so much that it prevented our entry into WWII? (why we didn't enter the war until attacked on US soil- and allowing more Jews to die than could have had we entered earlier)
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