Tomorrow, we Americans will celebrate Memorial Day. This is a day that was set aside in order to honor those who gave their lives to give us our freedom.
I spent my day preparing everything for friends to come over for the traditional BBQ and kick-off of summer. With Ken, our minds are always on our Veterans and our men and women in the military still serving, but we also remember to love each day and celebrate. However, I know that there are many who do not understand the importance behind this day off from work which is why I linked the site to explain the history behind the Federal holiday.
Cartoons have been put into papers for years to remind people that this is a solemn holiday:
However, while I was wasting time on Facebook, I saw this posting:
IT'S A TRADITION FOR THE U.S. PRESIDENT TO LAY A WREATH IN ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY AT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER ON MEMORIAL DAY. BUT IT WON'T HAPPEN THIS YEAR. THE PRESIDENT IS TAKING A VACATION TO CHICAGO!! WAY TO SHOW RESPECT TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIFE TO PROTECT THIS NATION! IF YOU AGREE THIS IS WRONG......COPY AND POST IT TO YOUR FB PAGE (shame on you Mr. President)
I could not believe this! I did not want to believe this. There have been many things said about Barack Obama before and after he won his presidency, but this was too much for me. Why would our President skip the annual trip to Arlington to go home for a visit with friends? This is war-time and our troops need to know that we remember the sacrifice that so many have given and some will still give.
So, I went to the Internet and was appalled to find that this was not a hoax or Obama-bashing. It was the truth - President Obama is heading home.
Fox News reported it with this headline:
Stressed Out or Tone Deaf? Obama Chicago Vacation Raises Eyebrows
There is another blog, The Foundry, that talks about things from the right-wing stance:
This weekend, President Obama will skip Memorial Day services at Arlington National Cemetery, and instead he will take his family to Chicago for rest and relaxation. The gesture has rankled many on the right and caused the left to swing into full ‘defend Obama’ mode. However, the fact remains that during a time of war, it is extraordinary that the Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces would choose not to be at Arlington on this solemn occasion.
First, it must be said that the president is not skipping out on his official duties entirely. At the start of the weekend, the president will travel to Louisiana to survey the response to oil spill; only his second trip to the region since the disaster over a month ago. And on Monday, the president will deliver remarks at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, IL. In between these duties he will spend a “casual weekend with friends” and then fly home in time to make a White House tribute to Paul McCartney on Wednesday evening.
So what’s the big deal? As leftist columnist David Corn writes: “[D]oes it matter if Obama throws some leaves on a tomb?” Well, apparently to liberals, it does not matter and to Corn, even wondering why the president would miss the occasion in itself dishonors lost soldiers. Seriously. Somehow, wanting the president to appropriately honor the troops who paid the ultimate price is chalked up as “political ammo.”
This is too much for me. After reading all of the information that was available, I went straight to the source - The White House. What I found was a video on the President's Blog stating why Memorial Day is so different from other holidays. It was eloquent and moving, but then I remembered that he's going to be "celebrating with friends" as well rather than honoring those who made it possible for him to be the President of the United States.
But, I found that while I was listening to Obama speak, I was not feeling better, but more angry about this situation. I really want to believe that the man that was voted by the American people to be our President, to lead us and guide us and ensure our standing in the world was a good man despite my own personal misgivings and mistrust. I have overlooked the lies that I read for myself in his books, I overlooked the lies that he told while campaigning for Office, and I held out hope that he would prove to be effective.
The only thing that I can say for sure is that Barack Obama is an effective speaker. His words hold no value, but he sounds good speaking them.
In order to be as fair as possible, times change and traditions change as well. George W. Bush spent 2002 in Normandy, France in order to honor the fallen on D-Day. At the time, I thought that even he should have stayed in Arlington, but the location of the honor had an impact on me, and I understood the symbolism behind it. However, changing locations from Arlington to the National Cemetery in Illinois is suspicious to me. Obama wants to go home for the holiday. Should be no problem, except that he continues to show his deference for the American people with his actions while sweet-talking everyone with his words.
I can imagine the honor that the local people are feeling in Elwood, Illinois, but I would still be angry about his deviation from tradition even if he had decided to attend the festivities at the Riverside National Cemetery where my own grandfather is buried and where my dear husband will be buried when the cancer takes him.
No matter how I look at all of the information, and no matter how much I try to take everything with the proverbial grain of salt, I agree with the Facebook statement, Shame on you Mr. President.
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