Too Many Lives Lost In War: Are Soldiers Dying in Vain? Can We Really Do Anything About This?
Posted: Sunday, May 30, 2010
by Fran Larson
http://www.franniesquotes.com/
This afternoon I will go to my community Flag Garden, along with others in my subdivision and I will remember soldiers who died for my country. After the ceremony, I will go to the clubhouse and dine on traditional Memorial Day food, such as hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, ice cream and apple pie.
I will remember soldiers who have died and for a few moments, I will feel sad. Is that enough? Do I owe the one's who have died something?
However, most of all, I owe at least the promise that I will not waste my life. If I waste my life, what they have intimately sacrificed will be in vain. I need to make every free minute count (that has been given to me) for something good and just.
We Americans need to lead lives that are useful or else every soldier will have died in vain.
America is slipping into chaos, due to a drug culture that is getting stronger and taking over our bodies and minds. 16,000 deaths annually are due to illicit drug use, but this estimate is likely to be conservative as substance abuse is indirectly associated with deaths from diseases such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis, homicides, and other violent crimes and incidental injuries. (innovatorsawards.org)
Lets not forget how alcohol is crippling our country and snuffing out lives. Research shows that excessive alcohol use is responsible for 100,000 deaths annually. Research tells us that 12.6 million Americans aged 12 and older were heavy drinkers (five or more drinks at one occasion on at least five different days in the past 30 days), and approximately one-fifth (20.6 percent) of them participated in binge drinking (five or more drinks on one occasion at least once in the 30 days prior to survey).
Crime and drugs are so prevalent, that our jails are too full to hold the criminals. Drug offender's account for more than one-third of the growth in the state prison population and more than 80 percent of the increase in the number of federal prison inmates since 1985. (innovatorsawards.org)
Our society is hungry for celebrity and narcissism. In my opinion, some of the so called "reality shows" promote a mean-spirited attitude and selfishness. We are a nation that overeats. Our children are obese. (For the first time in American History, our children won't live as long as their parents and grandparents unless their way of life is drastically changed.)
Other thankless loss of life is due to the latest addiction, texting while driving.
In my humble opinion, America's justice system has gone in favor of the criminal, instead of the victim. Our children are being raped and killed by predators who should have been serving their time in prison. The celebrities who have wealthy and famous attorneys operate under a justice system that is hungry for celebrity with a whole separate list of rules.
Having said all of the negative things about our country, I do realize there are many life abiding, productive moral citizens. For these people, our soldiers did not die in vain. I salute these individuals. However, America as a whole needs to wake up and work on the issues that are crippling and weakening our country. Someone once said, a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.
Every name cannot possibly be mentioned but every single life is important and is a loss for a family. When I watch the Nancy Grace television show in the evenings, she always mentions a man or woman who has been killed. She will always mention their family, their hobbies, how many children they have, etc. These are real people and not just statistics. Every time I hear this announcement at the end of the show, my heart sinks.
Maybe America could honor these brave soldiers by not wasting our lives and by doing our part to stamp out these issues that are weakening our country.
What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom "to" and freedom "from." ~Marilyn vos Savant, in Parade
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Your article really gave me cause to stop and think, Fran. Thanks.
Another good article Fran, yes there are many problems yet to solve in pour country. But I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
Great article Fran. It would be nice if more people woke up to the fact that our nation is becoming more and more crippled every day. Hopefully we will begin to pay more and more of a tribute to our soldiers.
Something is wrong with America. We imprison more than any other country, and yet we still don't have enough prisons.
I really appreciate this article Fran. Unfortunately, far too many do not give our military the credit and respect that it deserves. Both the present ones now living and on duty, and the ones who've served, and many died, in the past.I don't know of a single one of those who now, or ever, want/wanted to die. But yet they did what they were ordered to do even when it cost them their life. I served during the Korean war...I didn't do much, but I did what I was told to do and I was blessed in that I never had to kill and no one killed me. But all were not that fortunate. Some of the very young gave up the rest of their life. Every American who has lived a long and full life, as I have, owes their strongest respect to all those whose life was cut short just as they reached adulthood. I think there should be a law with severe punishment for those people who jeer and even spit on returning GI's. They do not belong in a civilized society.
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