May 29, 2006
Memorial Day
A tattered flag on a flag pole rescued by a fleeing resident and flying proudly over the remains of Waveland MS ground zero of hurricane Katrina. Symbolic of all that unites and divides us in our nation
Memorial Day emerged out of the grim shadows of the American Civil War. Before the close of the war, women began decorating the graves of soldiers who had died in battle in that conflict.
The Practice quickly spread and a few years later , May 30, 1868 was designated as "Decoration Day" -A day for placing flowers on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers throughout the United States
In 1882, Decoration DAy became known as Memorial DAy and soldiers who died in other wars were also honored. Over the years, it has become a day when all loved ones who have died in war and peace are remembered. In 1971, the United States Congress declaired Memorial Day to be observed annually on the last Monday of May
On this Memorial Day, remember those who gave their lives for our country,But also pray for those that continue to serve to keep America free, and especially those who stand in harm's way....
The newslady read detachehedly from the prepared script...
Today is Memorial Day when we remember those that gave their lives in the service of the country..... And then began a news peice on the death of Pat Tillman...I am not going to deny that we should care about that brave mans horrible death, or not investigate how he died of wounds caused by friendly fire? But I want to speak on how ill informed we are about this holiday. For this holiday is not about service men and women that died in all of our wars, its good to honor them but we forget its true origins and the grief of a war so painfilled we scarecly speak of it ...
The Flag of the President of the Confederate States of America. This flag is the true Confederate flag and is illegal to fly in the United States. The "Stars and Bars" Flag we are more familiar with is actually a battle standard and not covered under the treaty that ended the War Between the States. Springfield Plantation, home of Andrew Jackson Springfield MS
This is about one war.
The worst of wars...
The war that tore families aprt
The war that nearly cost us a nation
The war that shook our identity
The war that cost more American lives in one day than all the lives lost in Vietnam combined
The war that today still sparks a bitter debate in the South, where the scorched earth tactics of the Union forces killed thousands of civilians...fellow Americans
A war where there was surrender, but never victory
A war still being fought today...about whose power is greater, the right of the Federal Government or the right of the State government to have the final word on the laws of the land.
The very things that caused the War Between the States are present in society today. As we deal with some of the harsh realities of life, The state vs. the federal government struggle against each other...
Do we kill children in the womb?
Are these children Human?
Do we have the right to control every aspect of their destiny. (insert Negro where I have used the word "child" you will get it....
Do we allow another 20 million illegalls in, or do we put soilders on the border with guns to stop this surging tide of humanity...
Do we as States send more of our civillian forces away to fight a dangerous war in the Middle East, or do we bring them home state by state to keep the peace and help in times of trouble here..
Do we allow the Muslin Jihadi to rule our land using fear as a restraning tool to keep us in line?
Do we allow the Feds to abuse power in the name of protecting us from the same jihadi?
Silent artillery on the Union line. Pea Ridge National Military park and Battlefield Pea Ridge Arkansas
The color line is still with us, but greater still is the "wallet line" the line between rich and poor, educated and not so much. Low wages and a incresing cost of living make a radical shift in US dealings with its self. As the poorest get poorer, You will see a new revolution rise up demaning a more equitable share in the nations prosperity
FEMA center in Natchez MS, closed when we visited because funding was not fothcomming to the area...I dont know who or how many people this affected but in in the papers today nearly a year later the money is still not flowing where it needs to go... Something is wrong with this...
We need to spend this day honoring our fallen dead, but also take stock of the living and those questions that divide us...Black, White, Red, Blue, Christian Athiest,Rich man Poor man. And lets talk about them and seek to find real solutions that work... before we wait too long and pehaps hear the guns of civil war firing over our heads once more.
