I know everyone in the U.S knows it is Memorial day tomorrow... Monday the 25th of May... So what does everyone have planed to celebrate our military heros. Who do you have in your family that served? To help fight for the freedom we have. I have two uncle's that served during the 2nd world war, and another uncle and ex father in law that served during the Vietnam war. I also have a second cousin in the Navy now. Who else has family or may it's you that served in defending our freedom? I want to thank you all for serving!
I would like to thank all the tireless heroes who fought valiantly for our freedoms, and for the ones fighting for our safety in these trying times. My hat's off to the medical professionals who heal the sick and take care of the injured for whatever reason.
Eagle by Spectacles posted May 25, 2020 at 2:53 PM Photo by Frank Glick 2011 at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. 'The eagle couldn't have picked a better person'
I hope this doesn't come across wrong, and I don't mean to insult anyone. BUT... Memorial Day (at least, as it's observed in the U.S.) really has nothing to do with Veterans. I'm a Veteran, and it's nice when people show their appreciation for our service. And that is what Veteran's Day, November 11th, is about. That's not the purpose behind Memorial Day. Memorial Day is to remember those service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice, in defending their country. So, even though I realize that people have the best intentions when they thank me for my service...I find it embarrassing and wrong when it happens on Memorial Day. I do not deserve any particular attention on this day, that is an honor that can only be earned in blood. God bless our fallen heroes.
Completely understand where you’re coming from. I’m thankful when people thank me for my service on Memorial Day because it allows me to reflect on all the good times I had with all my brethren who have passed- totally not about me.
The U.S. has killed 20 to 30 million people "defending our freedom" since WWII, few if any of which represented an existential threat to the United States. When is their "Memorial Day"?
Would it make you feel better about “Memorial Day” if the casualties of War took place in your back yard,
Give or take 10 million people? Meh... I agree that we've had unnecessary wars, and casualties. You can thank the warpig politicians from both parties for that - but don't tarnish the memory of those that were either drafted or volunteered to serve and made the ultimate sacrifice. The U.S. is still one of the greatest countries in the world despite our worthless political representatives.
What does that say, when telling the truth is considered to be "tarnishing the memory" of someone? The U.S. spends about twice what other high-income nations do on health care but has the lowest life expectancy and the highest infant mortality rates in the industrialized world. 66.5% of American bankruptcies are due to medical bills; which happens nowhere else in the industrialized world. 32.8 million Americans can't afford health insurance, but don't qualify for Medicaid. Among industrialized countries, the U.S. ranks 39th in child well-being. U.S. life expectancy has been declining since 2015, the only industrialized nation to experience this. The U.S. ranks 28th in literacy. The U.S. is 2nd highest in poverty, slightly lower than Hungary. A minimum-wage worker has to work a 78-hour work week to be able to afford a 1-bedroom apartment anywhere in the U.S. 38 million Americans are hungry. On any given night half a million Americans are homeless. Of America’s increase in wealth between 2006 and 2018, over 87% went to the top 10%. Over 60% went to the top 1%. The top .01%, just 32,669 Americans (who hold roughly the same share of America's wealth as the bottom 90%; 295 million Americans), grabbed over 23% of the country’s increase in wealth. Nearly 10% of that increase went to the 400 wealthiest Americans. The bottom 50% actually lost wealth over the same period. That is a $50 trillion transfer of wealth from the poor to the obscenely wealthy (and this was prior to the Republican's tax cuts for the rich taking effect). The U.S. has the highest rate of deaths from gun violence in the industrialized world; more than eight times as high as the rate in Canada, and nearly 100 times higher than in the United Kingdom. More Americans have been killed by gun violence since 1968 than in all U.S. wars combined. The U.S. is the world's largest arms dealer, controlling 37% of the global arms market. The U.S. military budget is higher than the next ten largest militaries combined. The U.S. drops a bomb somewhere in the world every 12 minutes. The U.S. has been at war somewhere with somebody for 226 of the 244 years since it's establishment in 1776. The U.S. comprises 4.25% of the global population, but consumes 24% of the world's natural resources, and is second only to China as the world's leading producer of greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. imprisons a higher percentage of its citizens than any other nation in the world. Despite comprising 4.25% of the global population, the U.S incarcerates 25% of the world's prisoners. The U.S. suicide rate has increased 25.4%. Suicide is the second most common cause of death of American children; the 4th among adults. When someone claims that America is the greatest country in the world, I always wonder by what metrics they arrived at that conclusion.
