Fourth Furor

This Fourth of July weekend is compromised in my mind by the knowledge that many brave citizens of the United States, men and women both, are on foreign and domestic soil around the world, unremarked and unheralded. This is a nation at war on many fronts, not just Iraq. Lest you forget, we have soldiers in such far away fronts as the DMZ in Korea, the South China Sea, Japan, the Indian Ocean, maintaining the peace in Kosovo, Croatia and other Balkan countries whose names escape me at the moment, in the Aleutian chain of Alaska, in thousands of U.S. consulates in hundreds of cities around the globe. All are guardians of our ideas and ideals, defending freedom against countless foes of all sorts. My hat is off, my heart is heavy on their behalf. As always, the squeaky wheels, in this case Iraq and Afghanistan, get the attentions of the press and the populace. Meanwhile, many thousands more guard from within and without against enemies real and imagined.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Our Troops:

Folks,

It's a tough job you are doing well, defending "Ideals" in a foreign land against very real foes who wish you dead. While I know a few of you won't make it home alive and more will leave a part of themselves behind, your selfless service is inspiring for those at home, even for those who don't support the politics of why you are there in the first place. Come home safe and sound to your loved ones as soon as you can -- they miss you terribly.

Take a moment this weekend and send a message of support to the troops. Regardless of how you feel about the U.S.A.'s presence in Iraq, the men and women serving this country have earned the right to your support. It isn't difficult to do - just go to the America Supports You web site and click on the Send A Message graphic at the top center of the page. You and the troops will be glad you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, who is guarding the Constitution? Who stands against the ignorance of the populace? Who assures that tomorrow, inside the U.S.A., your right to express your opinion in whatever legal manner you choose is upheld in the face of those who would see you silenced, your banners and words destroyed? Is it the multifarious, interlocking local, state and federal law enforcement establishment? Who protects you from a Congress hellbent on fleecing the pockets of the many to line the coffers of the rich few? Who protects your right to worship your deity in the fashion you choose at home and in your churches, mosques and synagogues? Who protects society's institutions from the predations of Religious Zealots who would force their ideas upon our children in their schools, upon our judges in their courts and upon the populace at home, at work and in public? Is it the Reverands and Pastors and other self-appointed "Men of Gawd"? Or perhaps you are deluded into thinking that the politicos have your best intersts at heart? Is it President George W. Bush, V-P Cheney, or their advisors, the Donald Rumsfelds and Karl Roves and the RNC? Or perhaps it's the Democrats, the liberals, the Senators Kerry, Clinton and Kennedy of the world?

I don't think so. It's the Military and the US Supreme Court that are protecting those freedoms and institutions cited above. What very strange bedfellows they make. And now, the infidels have the keys to the vault. It gives a whole new meaning to "May you live in interesting times."