My "Blue" Friday

It took me a lot of time to pick the fractal for today’s post. In the end I settled on Midnight Lotus because of the predominance of “blue” color in the image and because I thought a serious post like this one needed a seriously pretty image to go with it. So, enjoy your “cookie” as you read on…
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Yesterday my sister Jane forwarded an e-Mail that got me fired up. At first I decided to hit REPLY ALL and send my commentary to everybody who had gotten the post with me--but then I decided it would be better to simply “blog” about my feelings. ANYway--you are about to read a Left Wing Political Rant. Please STOP NOW if this is going to offend you!
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Here’s what set me off . . .
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Blue Fridays. -Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing blue every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority' We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing. -Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that .. every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something blue. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of blue much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in BLUE and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is ..'We need your support and your prayers.' Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something blue every Friday.
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There’s so much about this that bothers me that I’m not even sure where to begin. So, in no particular order--here are my objections . . .
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1) ENCOURAGING THE “EMPTY” GESTURE: I think this trend started with those damned “Yellow Ribbons” during the hostage crisis in Iran. Now it seems EVERY cause has it’s Ribbon, Wrist Band, or Lapel Pin so the wearer can share their cause with the world. Rather than actually DOING SOMETHING (raising money, donating time, writing our Congressman) we slap on a ribbon and call it good. “Blue Friday” is the latest permutation of that.
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2) NASTY IMPLICATIONS; things like this that subtly indicate that if we don’t support the War in Iraq you are both unpatriotic and somehow un-American. What happened to the days when we could respectfully agree to disagree? Here’s my favorite bit from the post: “if every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in BLUE and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side.” I’m sorry folks--it is entirely possible to love this country while not agreeing with everything the leadership does. Those who TRULY love our Country will work to change to change the things that are wrong--and there ARE things that should be changed!
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3) BLAMING THE MEDIA: every time I hear this old saw I want to pull my hair out and scream. Here’s another bit from the post (more than the media lets on). Quit blaming the media for reporting what Americans are saying and feeling. Talk Radio (and much of television) is dominated by the Right and so many of these folks seem to be doing their best to squash debate by name-calling, insinuation, and outright ridicule of anyone who happens to disagree with their narrow viewpoint. The White House has forbidden Press coverage of bodies and wounded troops returning from Iraq--indeed most aspects of the war. (I grew up watching the Viet Nam “Conflict” on television over dinner: I truly believe that if the American Public saw how horrible the War was there would be even more opposition than we already have.)
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4) BEING LESS THAN TRUTHFUL: I was curious to see if I could find out where this started. It led to a group called Blue Fridays.Org. Their web site is quite nicely done and easy to do. Still, it bothers me that the site offers a lot of “Blue Fridays” merchandise for sale: I don’t know what the profits are going to and that makes me uncomfortable. I have no solid evidence but there’s something about this organization that strikes me as fundamentally dishonest.
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During the Gulf War there were a lot of bumper stickers reading SUPPORT THE TROOPS NOT THE WAR. It’s easy to do: you can…
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* write letters (I’ve been using Operation Dear Abby since the Gulf War.) The troops really do appreciate it and it is something every American can do and doesn’t take much time.
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* pray: couldn’t hurt--might help.
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* send “Care” packages: lots of groups do this. Show your support for the troops by doing something Concrete and sending them items they need and/or will make them more comfortable as they do their duty in a nasty environment.
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* contact your Representatives in Washington: it is shocking to see how our troops are treated by their own government. They are often deprived of items that could be used to save their lives. Worse, the treatment of wounded soldiers who return is a national shame. These brave men and women are fighting for us and they sacrifice a lot to do that: we as a nation should honor that sacrifice by taking care of them in their time of need.
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I wasn’t able to find an exact count but I know over three thousand American soldiers have died since the war began. Over twenty thousand have been wounded--many of whom will need medical care for the rest of their lives. Our national debt has doubled in the past eight years (which will affect the children and their children) and the price of gas has more than doubled (and it will keep going up). These things are largely due to the war. Sooner or later we are going to have to deal with ALL the aspects of this mess.
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Think about it . . .