WHEN DID VETERANS DAY STOP BEING ABOUT VETERANS?
How inappropriate that some people are so politically charged that they feel they must invade a Yearly Parade to show honor and respect to those that have fought to defend our nation in our wars to promote their political cause.
Left or right doesn’t matter, Veterans Day and events held in association with it are no place to promote anybodies political agenda. It is one day out of the year set aside just to honor those men and women that have sacrificed their youth to protect our way of life.
If you are wondering why I say the above, I too was taken aback to stumble across a facebook page asking others to join in marching in the Veterans Parade to be held Saturday, Nov. 7 in Vancouver to promote and gather signatures for an initiative some want to see passed to eventually overturn a Supreme Court ruling on funding political campaigns.
Organizers claim “We will have a ‘Politician’ that is FOR SALE and a ‘Corporation’ with a wheelbarrow of cash” and in some convoluted thinking, try to convince people this “honors” Veterans.
Political agendas from either side has no business horning in on an event held yearly to show honor and respect to our men and women that have served in the Military.
Telling these people as I did that a cheap political cause has no business in the Veterans Parade drew the accusation that it is me, a Vietnam Veteran that lost 13 buddies from my unit while I was in country is the one that “cheapens their sacrifice.”
My guess is that these organizers never served.
I do not know how it was ever approved that such a cheap political stunt was approved for the parade, but it is highly inappropriate and to me, shameful.
If they are permitted to march for a political cause, why not allow Tesoro to be in the parade to promote the controversial Oil Terminal at the Port of Vancouver?
After all, they could claim their cause provides jobs for Veterans, couldn’t they?
And if Tesoro was in the parade to promote their cause, it too would be just as inappropriate.
Parade Organizers too should be ashamed for allowing this. Now that they have, how do they not allow other political causes in the future?
We have a Governor’s election next year. Should we allow candidates to promote their candidacy in the parade?
Hell no!
But doing so will only discourage people from attending the Parades, already tired of contentious political campaigning in the recent election.
Veterans Day is not about politics or promoting any political cause.
It is about honoring and respecting those that gave so much to protect and defend our nation.
Leave your politics at home, people.
Show a little respect.
Update: Nov 6, 2015 at 12:30 PM
I just received the following in email;
Liberal socialists need to stop this and stop it now.
Have you no respect?
Veterans Day is about honoring and respecting our Veterans, not about promoting any political view or candidacy.
STOP CHEAPENING AND POLITICIZING VETERANS DAYS!
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