Wednesday, July 08, 2009

values - A Soldier's Rant on pop stars & Heroes

From: thy
I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villain to many people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point of my rant.

Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to flock to a memorialin Hollywood, and even Congress sees the need to hold a "moment of silence" for his passing?

Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America. Where is there moment of silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more people saying "good riddance," and "thank God for IEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop Icon?"

I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them. But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.

Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Feel free to pass
this along if you want.

Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military: "So that others may live..."

2 comments:

  1. amen to this. God bless you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The thing about a pop star's death, is that the mourning is superficial; he is mourned by millions who never even knew him.

    When a soldier dies, their passing is more meaningful. Do they need an entire country to mourn their death when they have friends and loved ones who are TRULY heartbroken that their life was lost?

    I don't know about this soldier, but I would rather be genuinely mourned from the heart by a select few friends and family, those who actually cared, rather than superficially mourned because people need something to talk about.

    My cousin died just north of Baghdad by a roadside bomb. We have had moments of silence for him, and Remembrance Day now holds a special meaning to me and my family. Soldiers and veterins have their own day, a day to remind people of the sacrifice being made. In a few months, MJ will be old nows, but November 11th will always be celebrated and unforgotten.

    So soldier, don't stress. Those of us with a good head on our shoulders ackowledge and appreciate what you are all doing for the rest of us.

    ReplyDelete

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