"The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations."
-David Friedman
To some, the crosses on the hill in Lafayette, California, are simply crosses on a hill. To others it is a travesty, and to a different group of folks it represents the lives of the men and women who gave their lives for the service of their country. This simple memorial has been maligned, and vandalized. It has been protested and has been the scene of classing ideals. A part of me is still surprised that it was allowed to remain, but indeed it has quietly stood up to the controversy over the last few years, and it continues to honor those brave souls who died in Iraq for the freedom to make this statement.
Dick Cheney chose to ban the images of flag draped coffins returning home from Iraq. An apparent move to suppress the hurt we all felt because of these losses, hidden under the guise of respect to the fallen. It's hard for me to believe that true respect for our military was a priority for the Bush Administration, when we have been lied to so much. Respect? Was it respectful to start an unnecessary war? Was it respectful to send those men and women off to fight a war with poor, or substandard equipment? How about all those no-bid contracts? How about paying private security firms to patrol in Iraq at higher pay then we were giving our military? Was it respectful when the Bush Administration failed to send the proper amount of military personal in the beginning? How about how the soldiers that came back? Has anyone ever explained why the conditions at Walter Reed were allowed to fall to where they were?
Bush and Cheney have been working at rewriting history. Dick Cheney has admitted to war crimes. If either of these two men think that one day history will show them in a positive light, they are oh so wrong. I am hoping when Tuesday comes and goes the only time I will ever hear of these two men again, will be in the context of a trial and conviction for their many crimes against America and humanity... but I won't hold my breath. I suppose all I can really hope for is a quiet goodbye come Tuesday. There is a part of me who never believed Bush would actually leave office. I feared that he would come up with some sideways move no one saw coming, as an excuse to stay in power. I will not rest easy until I see Obama take the oath of office. Then I will believe Bush is finally gone. The oppression we have been forced to endure has been at times overwhelming, and it has left us tired, broke and beaten down.
The crosses on the hill in Lafayette is, and will always be, Bush's legacy.
"Sometimes I think it should be a rule of war that you have to see somebody up close and get to know him before you can shoot him."
-Colonel Potter, (Henry Morgan) M*A*S*H
-Carly
"Crosses On The Hill"
Lafayette, California
January 17th, 2009
Afternoon
