Okay. Things seem a little more settled, now that Wednesday is lined up with it's proper day and I do bid you a hearty hello on this particular
Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Every now and then a story comes along that pretty much describes where we are as a culture. A small city up in
Massachusetts had a big welcoming parade for their local singing star after she made it into the final three on American Idol. The parade route was packed and the city went all out, spending $32,000 on the event. That was in early May. In contrast, that same city cancelled their Memorial Day parade this year. The Memorial Day parade had been a regular annual observance since the end of the Civil War. Why would they do this? The mayor said the promotional opportunity for the city was just too great to pass up when it came to the American Idol contestant parade. He also said that interest in the Memorial Day parade had waned and it was not cost effective to keep it on the calendar. Some veterans expressed sadness over the decision to cancel the parade. I'm not against that city choosing whatever options they decide. But, I think it does give us all an opportunity to pause and think about the values this example puts forth. And, just so you know, popular or not, I would have gone with the parade to honor the fallen, and the veterans, and those serving in harm's way. In a heartbeat!
That story has hit the national press, therefore, I'm sure the mayor and the city council will be hearing about it from all quarters. My feeling is that if they are big enough to make that decision and then explain it the way they did, then folks have a right to let them know how they feel about it. I don't have a problem with local recognition for someone like the young lady who was in the running for winning the whole competition up to the very end. That's well and good. But, celebrity tryouts and singing accomplishments can never be compared to the sacrifices made by our military men and women. It's like a NASCAR announcer who ended up apologizing for comparing race car drivers to military heroes. He caught it from all sides almost immediately after uttering those errant words. It didn't take long for him to sincerely apologize. Why? Each week a local station in our area pays tribute to those who were killed in action during the prior week. Just solemn music along with their photo, name, rank, age, and hometown. And, we all have seen way too many images of so many of our warriors without legs, arms, or carrying a great disfigurement. That's why! This past weekend I heard a local news person interviewing a veteran who was paying special remembrance to a soldier buddy of his who had given his life in battle. The newsman said that he understood the man's friend had won the Medal of Honor. The man bristled, "He didn't win it sir, he earned it!" Amen.
As if we didn't have enough scandalous activities in progress, we now hear that the Chinese have both stolen plans for some of our newest advanced weapons as well as hacked into and disrupted their development. This is infuriating. But here's the rub. We don't know if the story was found out or strategically leaked. Why would they strategically leak something like this? In case you didn't know, the public has an extremely short attention span. If they can get as many balls up in the air at the same time, people will become weary in trying to keep up with all of them, and basically move on. That's exactly what the administration has been saying they wished everyone would do, move on. I do know this. It would not be business as usual for those charged with protecting our most valuable secrets like weapons development. It begins with it being totally unacceptable, it stays with it being totally unacceptable, and it ends with it being totally unacceptable. I actually hope it has been hyped because that would be less serious, but, I do know that our enemies are working 24x7 to infiltrate our defenses. This should of concern to us all. Have a great Wednesday and we will see what falls out for tomorrow. May God bless each one. Amen. ...More later.
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