I didn't post yesterday for a very specific reason. Memorial Day is sacred. As an American, especially an American who hails from a LONG line of soldiers on both sides of my family, Memorial Day means a lot more than great bargins, pool openings, and the first grilled steak of the season. Memorial Day is just that, a day to memorialize, to remember, and to thank those men and women who gave their lives so that I could live mine. It is a somber, sacred occasion, so forgive me if I NEVER hold a BBQ. It is NOT a day to have a party, take a trip, or see a movie. It is NOT the "official start of summer". It is, in short, our true Thanksgiving Day.
Our nation has been engaged in several types of wars, some in which our country and it's livelihood were ACTUALLY at stake, and others, like Vietnam and the Gulf Wars, in which we fought only for the profit of the wealthy and powerful. Either way, soldiers died truly believing that they were defending this nation and its people. A sale and a BBQ is not an appropriate way to mourn the loss of those lives, and certainly doesn't celebrate the reason for their sacrifice. Yesterday we mourned the loss of friends, family members, and complete strangers who gave their lives so that, if we're lucky, our unborn son will never be in the difficult and disturbing situation our soldiers find themselves in today. Don't we owe these men and women a little more remembrance than bargains and BBQ's?
UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that Google does not change their logo on Memorial Day like it does for other holidays. Though this may seem like a small thing, it is important that we recognize the importance of this day as something much more than a day off. I will be writing a letter to Google to encourage them to change their logo next year, and I encourage you to do the same.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
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9 comments:
Excellent post. I spent the day decorating graves and spending it with my family quitely, as it should be.
Good for you. Un fortunately, very few people give the "holiday" the reverance it deserves.
You know, it's funny. I had this same discussion with my kids. Due to our mold problem, we didn't get to do what we originally planned, but we did pray for the soldiers.
When we watched the news most of it was dedicated to holiday travel and gas prices, which I understand, in a way, but at the same time I kept wondering why the media is so intent on encouraging people to travel on such a sacred day. Business is down because of the rising gas prices, but all I could thing waqs, "Does it really matter when we've had soldiers dying in a war for the past 4 years? Shouldn't we be thinking about them, their families, and their sacrifice? Not to mention the thousands of men and women who have died in wars that have shaped the way we think as a nation."
Some writers tried to take google to task for not changing their logo on Memorial Day, as they do for other holidays, in various countries. One of the examples was they did one for Martin Luther King's birthday, but not for Memorial Day.
Big difference. All the other days are actually celebrations, even MLK is for his birth, not his assassination. Memorial Day should not be a celebration, it is a day to hounor and to mourn the war dead.
Google also does not change its logo for the Canadian Remembrance Day or any other country's special days to honor and mourn the war dead.
Bud,
Thanks for that information. I will definitely write a letter to Google and encourage others to do so as well. I think it's really important, especially now, that we call attention to the war dead and remember and honor them in every way we can. My husband and I were not able to go to DC this weekend, but we plan on going next weekend to pay our respects. Again, thank you for that important piece of information.
Great post...
You are spot on about Google. I wonder how it can be brought to their attention, since they change it for the olympics and other events of less significance.
Write letters to the Google Corproation and have blogers like us post the information!
I wrote a post on the Friday before Memorial Day.
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