What Will You Do For Memorial Day?

[Lightning Rod]

virtual desecration of tombstones?

um...please.

any and EVERY image posted on the web is fair game to be altered, distorted, re-used, photos of monuments to the dead not excluded.

if you're so easily offended, don't post it on the internet. (that's a general, an unaddressed statement, not addressed to those here.)

L-rod just got censored plain an simple.

way to honour those who died in foreign warz, so we could take away our own freeeedom here at home.


what's next, mandatory pledge o allegiance to Bush?!

yeah dawg, I got censored
I accept it though, because I didn't ask permission
perhaps it was insensitive
I don't mean to disrespect anyone
but I am irreverent
the dead don't care
but out of respect for Sooz and Cec I changed it

good thing doreen doesn't decide what goes on SNL
it wouldn't be funny....haha

[hester_prynne]

What am I going to do today on this Memorial Day?

Today I am going to be sad in honor of all the brave persons we have lost due to war's violence. I am going to be with that sadness, I am going to feel the heaviness of the tears my eyes have cried for them today and everyday, I am going to whisper to my stoic unfeeling head from my crying, bleeding heart that I am affected by these things deeply on this day of remembering, I am going to ask people, strangers I run into, I am going to ask them, "how do I wish you a happy memorial day?", I am going to let them see my tears and take the hits of their barbequeing drunken consumerist denial, I am going to pray to whatever it is that I pray to, that beautiful thing I pray to that we will collectively learn from days like these, rather than use them as if a tin confessional, I am going to never accept this day's reason, I am going to lie down and fold my hands over my chest and be dead too, I am going to tattoo this day on my soul and forever fight against violence, I am going to remember that today is the day that stands for loving everyone from every country in peace, every belief, every victory, loss, breath and breadth, I am not going to take it lightly and squander myself on myself, my fucking self when so many other selves died for me, for some reason that was necessary or unnecessary, that doesn't matter today because they died for me, and I am going to ask you and beg you like a fool to cry too, to cry hard, to feel this day and what it means, to feel it from your very core, to be upset by it, to want wars and death from warring to never happen again,\.
Amen.

signed,
hester prynne
(AKA theda spracklin)

[mnaz]

Well said, Theda. I guess I never expressed my gratitude today for the sacrifice of those in uniform on behalf of this place. I'm always conflicted on this day because I despise the institution and phenomenon behind it, and I'm not comfortable with our military's increasing corporate/imperial dimension and attendant corruption therein. Anyway... I should put that aside for awhile. I guess I really shouldn't castigate those who genuinely want to serve for the heinous crimes of a Dick Cheney... I don't know... like I say, it's always been a conflicted day for me-- now more than ever. But... well said.

[Lightning Rod]

surgery? A little nip an tuck? how about a little history.

I started this thread as an honest invitation for others to comment on memorial day.
This post also made the comparison between the war on drugs and our other wars.
That was the topic.

Cecil posted a wonderful article documenting a trip to Fort Bliss cemetary. It had a picture of his fallen friend's tombstone.
Then, like a dummy, I got inspired to memorialize my friend O.P. and I used the photo that Cecil took of the tombstone of his friend and I photoshopped it substituting the name of my friend and posted it along with the eulogy that I wrote for him. Cecil was memorializing his friend and I was memorializing mine.
This offended Cec and Sooz. I didn't intend to offend them. I just thought that using that image instead of the generic one that is there now would maintain the continuity of the thread. I should have asked permission, but I didn't. My bad.
I am really sorry that Cec and Sooz deleted their posts on this thread because they were great and I'm sorry about the other alterations too.

[sooZen]

This offended Cec and Sooz. I didn't intend to offend them. I just thought that using that image instead of the generic one that is there now would maintain the continuity of the thread. I should have asked permission, but I didn't. My bad.
I am really sorry that Cec and Sooz deleted their posts on this thread because they were great and I'm sorry about the other alterations too. The tread makes little sense now.

I'm sorry too Clay and perhaps what you did was not that offensive but you must remember that yesterday was an emotional day for Cec and myself and we were defensive to your perceived offense.

Truth is, we shouldn't have posted a serious response to your tongue in cheek attitude about Memorial Day. We know how you feel, you were up front about it but that was what we did on that day and so we responded with our serious reply of family and friend that had died who were vets.

I don't really know how to explain to you that your altering Cecils' pic was not right and normally, I don't think we would have minded but this was different, it was a very emotional issue as you may have garnered.

Really, I am sorry for screwing up your thread, for taking the question seriously, for the emotionality of our response. We will post the pics over on Snippets where they belonged in the first place along with my Dad's recall of the bombing of Pearl.

It was a good lesson for me and I am not a grudge holder and there is no reason to be. I love and respect you bud and will continue to do so...next time, I will try and put aside my emotions and use my frontal lobes.

[mtmynd]

eLRod... I owe you an apology. I hijacked this thread with my note of seriousness which was in conflict with your brand of irreverence set in the tone of your initial post. I come along and post something way too serious for this thread. You counter with using a headstone to continue your satire. I (and Soo) get offended... we had a rather serious, but pleasant, day at the cemetery and I foolishly thought this thread was suitable for my entry. Fuck me! I was in the wrong. My post should've gone to 'Snippets" where it was more appropriate.

As you know after all our years together, Clay, I don't delete posts. Perhaps somewhere after all this time there might have been one but I cannot recall. This was a decision that Soo and I decided to do.

I'm sorry about the b.s that went down over what began as a comic relief on your part and ended with a tone of solemnity on my part. It sucked.

Let's move on... it's the only direction any of us have to go.

Peace-up!

Cecil

[sooZen]

Hah! Cecil and I must been doing this simultaneously! Yeah, Peace up!

[Lightning Rod]

cec and sooz,

I wasn't offended by cec's article being posted on this thread and I didn't think it was out of place at all. It's was a different take on the topic. But, as you know, I'm pretty hard to offend. In fact it usually takes physical insult to offend me.

I was disappointed that the deletions were made. I am glad that you put your piece up elsewhere because it's a good one.

ok, group hug

[Dave The Dov]

My dad helped me spray for creeping charlie in my backyard. It's a type of weed. Then we had brats on the grill those were yummy!!!! I don't celebrate Memorial Day because when rolls around I just cringe from it. I went through the forced patriotism of the Reagan dictorship. It just left me very cold in the end. But I figured out how get around was to fight it it. So when ever I see them try and pull it over me. I just call their bluff and it works!!!!
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[mnaz]

"forced patriotism"... good observation, Dave.

Yeah, "patriotism" has been so abused by messed up politics and corruption over the last few decades that it's hard to remember or imagine what true, or at least tru-er patriotism might look and feel like. How many Dick Cheney- Blackwater types can we shit out of our system before the public trust, what still remains, is completely shot to hell? How many unconscionable war profiteers shouting "wolf!" can the system absorb before we're ruined for dealing with a real threat, should it arise?

Glad to see we're still talking. It was a strange ride here yesterday...

[Dave The Dov]

Time to take some Pepto - Bismol that will clear things up!!!! The true patriot are the ones who go against it!!!!
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