Memorial Day, 2006
Reporter: Mr. Harrison, with all that’s going on in the world today, why did you decide to focus on this (Bangladesh)?”
George Harrison: “Because a friend asked me to help.”
from a press conference for the Concert for Bangladesh
this diary is dedicated to all who suffer because of war and other disasters
we honor courage in all its forms
cross-posted at DailyKos, Booman Tribune, European Tribune, My Left Wing, and TexasKos.
image and poem below the fold
The casket of Marine Lance Cpl. Adam C. Conboy, 21, rides on a horse-drawn caisson through Westminster Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., Wednesday, May 24, 2006. According to a military news release, Conboy, of the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, died ‘as a result of a non-hostile incident’ in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar.
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Uncle Sam Blues
as performed by Hot Tuna
Got my questionnaire baby
You know I’m headed off for war
I got my questionnaire baby
You know I’m headed off for war
Well, now I’m gonna do some fightin’
Well, no one knows what for
Well, Uncle Sam ain’t no woman
You know he sure can take your man
Said Uncle Sam ain’t no woman
You know he sure can take your man
Well, there’s 40,000 guys in the service list
Doin’ somethin’ somewhere they just don’t understand
Well, I’m gonna do some fightin’
Of that I can be sure
Said I’m gonna do some fightin’
Of that I can be sure
Well, now I want to kill somebody
Won’t have to break no kind of law
I got my questionnaire baby
You know I’m headed off for war
I got my questionnaire baby
You know I’m headed off for war
Well, I want to kill somebody
Won’t have to break no kind of law
– – –
Join CIVIC’s “I Care” photo campaign
put a meaningful magnet on your car or metal filing cabinet
read Ilona’s important new blog – PTSD Combat
view the pbs newshour silent honor roll (with thanks to jimstaro at booman.)
take a private moment to light one candle among many (with thanks to TXSharon)
support Veterans for Peace
support the Iraqi people
support the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC)
support CARE
support the victims of torture
remember the fallen
support Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors – TAPS
support Gold Star Families for Peace
support the fallen
support the troops
support Iraq Veterans Against the War
support Military families Speak Out
support the troops and the Iraqi people
read This is what John Kerry did today, the diary by lawnorder that prompted this series
read Riverbend’s Bagdhad Burning
read Dahr Jamail’s Iraq Dispatches
read Today in Iraq
witness every day
The candle that DianeL first lit many months ago, and which has become such an important part of these diaries since, is still available here.
You can copy that image into your own comment (you can leave it on my server), craft your own image, and/or rate this one – not for mojo, but to leave a small mark after taking this moment – as a sign that you know, but do not approve, and are not resigned.
“It is like trying to ignite – to pass on the responsibilities as much as possible to everyone else.”
Ravi Shankar
Ghosts upon the road
we were ghosts upon the road
just ghosts upon the road
eric anderson, 1988
peace
2 CBS crew members killed in Iraq bombing
Voices of the Living.”
Light A Candle For
Peace, Tolerance, Understanding
and For The Children – Innocence Lost!
“Silence of the Dead, Voices of the Living.”
Photo: Terry Foss / AFSC
See a slideshow of the Washington, DC events.
Remember And Resist
by James Carroll, The Boston Globe
Honor the fallen, not the war.
Dying For A Mistake
by Paul Rogat Loeb , TomPaine.com
What does it mean to die in a war so founded on deception?
“My Soldiers, My Veterans”
by John Nichols, The Nation
On this day above all others we should understand that wars are conceived by presidents and prime ministers, not soldiers.
After the bloodiest and most divisive of America’s wars, the poet Walt Whitman offered a dirge for two soldiers of the opposing armies — Civil War veterans, buried side by side. As John Nichols writes, his poem is an apt reminder that, when the fighting is done, those who warred against one another often find themselves in the same place. It is appropriate that we should garland each grave, understanding on this day above all others that wars are conceived by presidents and prime ministers, not soldiers.
Remembering the Survivors on Memorial Day
05.28.2006 Jon Soltz
We Iraq veterans will spend Memorial Day thinking about our friends we lost in battle, but also about those who survived them.
THINK FIRST
Morning Edition, May 26, 2006
Part 2 Civilian Contractors With PTSD, Neglected!!
Civilian Drivers Feel Neglected After Working in Iraq
All Things Considered, May 25, 2006
Part 1 KBR Getting Millions Of No-Bid Tax Payer Monies. NOT Protecting Their Employees!!
The Trucker’s War: On the Road in Iraq
…that will further pave the path towards Peace.
if we could forget about war. If war didn’t exist.
If we could remember that war is wrong.