7.14.2007

A Reader Asked, "What Can I Do?"

Be thankful for what you have...


You stay up for 16 hours
He stays up for days on end.

We take a warm showers to help us wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.

We complain of a "headache", and call in sick.
He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.

We put on our anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with our friends.
He still fights for our right to wear that shirt.

We make sure our cell phone is in our pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.

We walk the malls, seeking the perfect pair of shoes.
He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

We complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.

We go out to lunch and complain because the restaurant got our order wrong.
He doesn't get to eat today.

We change our clothes twice a day, sometimes more.
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.

We get angry because our meeting ran 15 minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.

We have a date tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

We hug and kiss.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.

We're exhausted because the baby cried all night.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.

We criticize our government, complaining that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.

We listen to the radio.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.

We see only what the media wants us to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.

We defy authority.
He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.

We complain about being bored.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.


We complain about the barking dog, keeping us awake.
He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.

I might think it's time for our soldiers to come home, but that doesn't mean I don't love and respect every single one of them. I might not like our current president, but that doesn't mean that I don't love and respect my country.

A reader wrote, asking, "I want changes in our country, but what can I do?"
1. Register to vote.
2. Vote
3. Watch the news coming out of other countries... BBC, Reuters, IHT... and decide for yourself if this war should keep going on.
4. Join a Meet-up... for example there are Impeach Bush Meet-ups happening all across our country
5. Write letters to your Congress and Senate leaders. Let them know what you are thinking.
6. Sign a petition ... This site has searchable petitions, lend your support on the issues that touch your heart.
7. Write an editorial comment to your local newspaper.
8. Organize a local peace rally, march in a parade

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Rock on Roxy! Tears in the eyes, goosebumps on the skin. Yes, they fight for our rights, do what they are told even if they themselves do not agree. I agree fully with you and your commentary. And to all not registered to vote....really? Iraqis stood in line for hours on end after walking 2,3 and 4 hours to vote. We cannot get off our asses sometimes to vote because "it's rainy, it's cold". You do not have the right for any commentary pro or against if you don't exercise your given right to register and vote. So, please don't let me hear your voice raised unless you have done your civic duty in America and VOTED! (not talking directly to you Roxy, it's one of my soapboxes). A country gets the government it deserves by action, not sitting around waiting for the other guy to do it! Forgotten Girl!