The Good, the Bad, and the Stupid

Oh boy, here we go. I've just finished adding some structural supports to my soapbox and it's ready for me to jump up and down on it. I was reading Boortz this morning and found this little number about a student senate member at the University of Washington who doesn't like Marines because they "kill people". Luckily Boortz always publishes the people's email addresses and I was able to write the following email (copied below) to this person. She will undoubtedly delete it without reading any of it, but that's ok, I feel better having written it.

To Jill Edwards (jae6@u.washington.edu)

After reading about your "opinion" that a highly decorated U.S. Marine isn't worthy to be honored at a U.S. University I have one question: Who are you? Are you living an a country where the freedom you enjoy every day was fought for and won several times over by Marines? Are you speaking your mind (and I use the term "mind" lightly in your case) without fear of governmental reprisal because somewhere in the world a Marine younger than you chose to put off college to protect the freedoms you take for granted? Here's another question: Do you think freedom is free? Please forgive my inquisitiveness, I'm trying to ascertain the depth to which your ignorance plums. I fail to understand how anyone who reads above a 3rd grade level and has lived in this country for more than a week could fathom the ideas you put forth in the recent Student Senate meeting.



Well, just for argument's sake, let me educate you on a few things.



First: We live in a world where people try to control and take things from other people, and even make other people live a certain way whether they like it or not. Those people are called "Dictators". They try to “dictate” what others do based on their own desires. The founders of this country (I’ll spare your weak, politically correct stomach the words “founding fathers”) had to fight and yes, even KILL to protect their right to live as they saw fit. Ever since then there have been attempts by other people and countries to take our freedom away and in each instance we’ve fought them off. We’ve killed them. There is a difference between protecting those you love by killing those who attack you and just killing indiscriminately. We even have laws for it. Isn’t that neat?



Second: When you speak out against someone who put their life in danger to protect your or your family’s or any other American’s life you are telling those who are listening to you that you don’t appreciate the freedoms you have and that living free from oppression isn’t worth dying for. Please stop for a minute and imagine your life right now if Marines like Gregory Boyington hadn’t fought in World War II. Can you even imagine where we’d be? Or even better, imagine your life if instead of just enjoying the freedom America provides for free you had to fight for it, personally. What if in order to live in this country you were required to serve and possibly fight in the armed forces? Would you move to Canada? To France? What would you do?



You see the problem I have with people like you is that you’ve been given a great gift, something that billions of people all over the world don’t have, and yet you spit on it. You’re so mired in your little world of “higher thought” and “academia” that you haven’t even learned the basics of what will probably turn out to be a pretty rough life for you. Soon enough you’ll begin to find that outside the cocoon of university life there are people who think their own thoughts, work where they choose, pray to whatever god they see fit to pray to, and understand that without freedom none of that is possible. People who understand that though America is the greatest country in the world and home to more freedom than any country the world has ever seen, we stand on the edge of a knife. Freedom is a living, breathing thing. When it’s neglected it suffers. It can be taken and given, and it must be cherished.



You cannot think for your freedom, you cannot talk for your freedom. You can’t even protest, march, sit in, or boycott for your freedom.



For freedom you must fight. The Marines did and do.



In my opinion they should put a monument up to Gregory Boyington and you and others of your mindset should be given the job of polishing the memorial every day so that you never forget what he and others did to keep you free.



As it is if you learn this lesson now you can save face and attribute your pig-ignorant stupidity to youth.



Best of luck,


Captain.