Holte's corner

Two thousand dead.

Two thousand dead, and,
they might as well have put a bullet in my own head.
I look up the sky and cry.
I look down at the ground and frown.
I look all around and there is no one to blame,
...to the people who should care,
it all is a big game.
They are getting the contracts,
reaping the chaos,
and only the moldering dead
are gathering moss.

These men gave their lives for a cause,
They did it for the honor of comrades,
for the sake of their friends,
They told no lies, they fought with honor.
They did their best, they tried to do right.
No matter the lies that sent them,
these are the fundamental truths that guided them,
Loyalty, honor, dreams of peace.
Freedom, Democracy, dreams of harmony.

Look you on the dead as I see them:
their bodies lined up as they are.
In standing ranks, young old,
cut off at the stem,
all with unfinished business,
Look at them I say!
They stand up from their graves on this day,
and ask you to look at them.
Focus your eyes, see them!!!

They deserve no shame,
But we who sent them do.
We don't watch them,
we don't see them,
for us there is no war.

We have turned our backs while they've been betrayed.
Those who spoke truth, were lied about, or betrayed.
Those who warned truthfully, were ignored.
Those who protested, were put in jail.
Those who fought bravely, were undermined by civilians.
They cry to us:
"When we were sent, it was without armor.
When we were hurt, we came to a country that didn't care.
We put up buildings, they tore them down.
We built bridges they blew them up.
We defeated Saddam Hussein, they raised up a worse enemy.
And they call us traitors for feeling shame.
They who will accept no blame, have no sense of shame,
blame us for falling for their game."

"They profiteer from our deaths,
They refuse to look at our caskets.
We give their money to Halliburton,
While saving the Armor for their own cars.
They paid contractors,
While leaving us hungry and near naked.
They passed out, and pocketed, uncountable millions in bribes,
While turning the old police and troops into enemies,
They left the people unclothed, penniless,
without power or water, fuel or shelter.
They used shock and awe, and cluster bombs, to destroy a country,
and then stir in enough chaos to set brother against brother.
And when the people rose, they said "bring it on!"
Mission accomplished."

We looked the other way while our leaders lie and cheat
Maybe you feel no shame,
But this man is looking in the mirror in shame,
and can only say, what have we done?
I believed them. They are We.

These men, and these women, gave their lives for a cause,
No matter the war-profiteering that sent them.
No matter the lies decided on in committee,
that sent them to their deaths;
If others profit, that is to their shame,
but not that of the honored dead,
They may steal flags from the dead to wrap themselves in.
They may steal honor from the men on the ground, to win elections.
They may give profits to cronies and buddies;
but they will not enjoy the profits of their deceit;
An Army of dead will haunt them to their graves.

Answer you! the mothers cries.
Answer you! Why did you lie?
Answer you! Could there have been another way,
to make peace than killing by the hundred thousand?
Is Total War the answer to the mothers tears?

If somehow we manage to win,
despite all the snafus, the lies, the squalor;
It will be because of the honored dead,
both our own, and those we killed for profit,
It won't be our victory,
But that of these martyrs to a higher cause.
Not because of the clever and cynical strategists,
But because of the engineering of the unsung uncounted.
Somewhere in all people is good sense.
Somewhere sometimes buried deep down,
Even the profiteers feel it somewhere,
Even those lost deep in lies.
There is a common felt need for rights and freedom.
And this will prevail despite our "shock and awe."
Jefferson's words are truer than he knew.
Those truths are self evident.

And the walking wounded, they should bear no shame,
We owe you our lives!
We owe you for redeeming our honor.
They stole and you kept giving,
until they could steal no more.

If the military promises help,
and sends the wounded home hurting,
while cutting medical services,
why we'll have to pitch in to heal them.
If the military cuts services to veterans,
to pay for contractor stock options,
we'll find a way to help them.
They deserve at least this.
The honor is with them.
And we have to redeem our dishonor.
We owe a debt that will be repaid one way or another.
Better to repay it right.

I pray that the thieves fail.
And that those who have earned gain by theft end up in jail.
But even if they get away with their theft,
This is a debt we are all bound to repay.

Chris

Note: The military and Veterans are cutting medical services such as
psychiatric help -- even as soldiers are starting to show an
epidemic of post traumatic stress syndrome.

Posted by cholte at October 27, 2005 08:20 PM