A mother's love

On Dec. 27, 1966 two naval officers arrived at our home and my mother heard the words, "We regret to inform you that your son was killed while serving his country."

Anyone who has ever heard those words and witnessed the devastation that they reap could never doubt the sincerity of Cindy Sheehan. Those that do or those that mock are those that have never suffered that kind of loss. Those are people like Rush Limbaugh who found a way out of serving and now criticizes others. Rush Limbaugh is a hypocrite.

My brother was the oldest of a family of six kids. While it was during another time of an unjustified war he was on duty in the Mediterranean working the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. My brother had six months left. My mother has since died but she never forgot the pain or the loss of her son.

Things happen and people die. There are noble causes and things we would all give up our lives for. Some critics of Ms. Sheehan say no one made her son volunteer. That is true. But that is a feeble excuse for the lies and deceptions we were all told by the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of Defense. These gentlemen, along with their political advisor Karl Rove, all conspired to manipulate intelligence and mislead the public in pursuit of a political ideology and as an instrument of gathering public support to foster in these philosophies and to ultimately win re-election.

We as a nation were attacked on Sept. 11. The President promised to capture or kill those that attacked us. The President has failed in his promise. When he had the audacity to go before the public as a megalomaniac and pronounce "Mission Accomplished" it should have been for the fulfillment of that promise.

Iraq had no Weapons of Mass Destruction and the President knew that. Iraq had no connection with the attack of Sept. 11, and the President knew that as well. The President, in one of the most irresponsible of moments and a clear example of his lack of respect for those he sends off to war, told our enemies to, "Bring it on". But once again it was the megalomaniac up on stage, it was the words of a godless man who is willing to sacrifice the lives of our children and our nieces and nephews without any regret? The President of the United States sent our loved ones off to fight a unjust war without providing them with the best we have to offer, without body armor, armored vehicles or a comprehensive strategy.

The President and his gang of liars use phrases like, "We must stay the course", "freedom and liberty are on the march", and " the noble cause". What do these words even mean? They are just hollow words meant to satisfy the uncurious.

The President will be giving a series of pro-war speeches. He will stand before us and spread more lies, more deceptions, and more misleading statements. He will promote the fallacy that the only way to support our troops is to keep them in harms way for reasons that shift like the desert sands.

The only people making sacrifices in Bush's war are those that have lost loved ones. Those people like Cindy Sheehan. The rest that plaster "Support Our Troops" bumper stickers on their vehicles, listen to the news or read the papers. They have nothing invested but support for a political party and the questionable motives of a megalomaniac. They have placed political party support over love of country. They are the false patriots. Ask them to make a sacrifice and watch how they squeal. If Bush's cause is so noble, then why doesn't he send his daughters off to possibly sacrifice their lives.

A mother has lost a son. She wants to know why. The public wants to know why. There is no power on earth stronger than a mother's love.

Jim Ridout

Albuquerque, N.M.

Donate to nhonews.com Report a Typo Contact
Most Read