Election Season

Today, I read a fellow Gold Star Sibling's status update on Facebook and felt compelled to respond:

• So Obama announced today all troops in Iraq would be home at the end of the yr. Just in time for re-election. But One must also remember this was negotiated by Bush before he left office so Obama is not doing anything new he's just following through with plans that were already in place.

   ·  · 11 minutes ago via mobile · 

• 2 people like this.
• • 

    Karen Veater Walker Ok. Don't take offense to my remark, as you know we both have very strong political feelings as a result of what happened to our brothers, but here it is: Regardless of who is bringing our troops home, let us remember why they were there in the first place. Namely, Pres. Bush told a bit of a mis-truth when speaking to the citizens of the USA and the world community regarding all the reasons we should go to war in Iraq. Had he been honest, thousands of men and women may still be alive, including my brother. Perhaps not. Perhaps they would have simply lost their lives in Afghanistan, but perhaps not. We will never know, and I personally don't know if I can forgive him for this lack of honesty. And, this is why I hate election season. It always turns into a debate about who is responsible for what. Let's face it. Both parties share blame for most of the problems in this country. No one party can own it fully.

It's often difficult for me to see remarks about the conflict in Iraq without responding, though, my better judgement often tells me to scroll past it.  I mean, we Americans (especially Gold Star Americans), have very strong feelings about the wars, exacerbated by all of the back and forth about the reason we went to war in the first place.  Was it because George W. wanted to avenge his father's loss to the enemy?  Was it for oil?  Was it for world peace?  Was it to save the Iraqi people?  The truth of the matter is that none of us will ever know.  The only people that do know are the people that we voted into office (and yes, I voted for Pres. Bush, both times...and his father, as well), and let's be honest, we will never get an honest answer out of any of them.  All we can do is speculate, and use our feelings as a guide.  

Being raised in a military family is quite difficult when it comes to my current political leanings.  Most military families are conservative, politically speaking.  I was raised Catholic.  No abortions.  No homosexuals.  No pre-marital sex.  Nothing.  But, conversely, we were fortunate enough to benefit from several government programs: WIC, Stafford Loans, free/reduced lunch, etc.  I personally find it hard to now be around many members of my family as we approach election season every 3 or so years.

My father is the ring leader and the rest of the family seems to follow his lead.  They are staunch Republicans.  I have recently, after my brother's death, moved to the Democratic Party.  I am more in tune with the party's thoughts on homosexuality, I recognize that the military families use a lot of the resources the Republican party would like to cut, and I do harbor some anger towards the Republican Party for my brother's death.  Yes, yes, he chose to be there.  I get it.  But that doesn't mean I still can't be upset or mad about it.

But, what gets me the most angry is that every political season, they bring up the troops.  Its like each party's secret weapon.  How can we use our dead Americans to get us elected?

Republicans: Don't let them die in vain!  Don't let them take money from our troops!

Democrats:  They sent our sons/daughters to die! Their work is done, let's bring them home and focus our attention here!

Me: My brother did not and never will have died in vain, regardless of what you stupid dumbarses do with the war.  We were lied to and entered the war under false pretenses.  That pisses me off.  Bring our troops home, but not so quick as we end up creating a bigger mess than was there before we went, if that's even possible.

For this reason, I hate election season!  Stop rehashing the past as a means to assign blame and start focusing on the future.  Let me, the voter, hear how we are going to move forward and fix the problems that are plaguing our country - economy, education, conflicts abroad, jobs, the crap that the food industry sells to us, nutrition, obesity, crime, taxes, the deficit, etc... STOP USING MY BROTHER (and thousands of others) AS A PAWN IN YOUR PATHETIC GAME TO GET (RE-)ELECTED!  

Thanks!  Signed, Me 

P.S. Getting back  to where this came from, I must point out that all of us have the right to feel the way we do, based on the information we have been given or have come across ourselves.  My friend on FB has a right to post that and feel that way.  I feel no differently about her as a person.  Just had to vent and share my own opinion.