RSSMemorial Day: What It’s All About, Obama-Style
Gene Lalor | May 24, 2009
President Barack Hussein Obama devoted his Saturday radio address to the nation to the subject of Memorial Day and he, his writers, and his trusty teleprompter delivered a touching, patriotic speech intended to gladden our hearts and stir our emotions.
He jabbered on about the “sacred trust” he felt toward our armed forces, about never sending them unnecessarily “into harm’s way,” adding that, “it is time to remember the mission that the military serves.”
And why? Because “That is what Memorial Day is all about. It is about doing all we can to repay the debt we owe to those men and women who have answered our nation’s call by fighting under its flag:” 
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/05/obama_what_memorial_day_is_all.html
All fine and good and any decent American would concur that we all owe the deepest expression of heartfelt gratitude to our troops and veterans. Most of us don’t need reminders not to forget the mission of our defenders.
The one flaw in that wonderful address is that it reflected a shameful exhibition of the abysmal ignorance, the dearth of demonstrable patriotism, and the lack of a fundamental knowledge of American tradition and history which even a sixth-grader in years gone by would have known.
Obama, his speechwriters, and his faithful teleprompter evidently weren’t aware that as great a debt as we owe to our troops and war vets, that, Mr. President is not what Memorial Day is all about. That is what Veterans Day, 
not Memorial Day, is all about. There is a difference:
FYI, Mr. President, although efforts have been made to change the date of Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, it still commemorates the signing of the armistice that ended World War One, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month on the calendar.
May isn’t even close to November, Mr. Obama.
Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, was proclaimed in 1868 following the American Civil War and is now a day ostensibly dedicated to honoring all those who have died fighting for this country, not to honor our troops and veterans. The latter have their own well-earned national observance.
A few more FYI’s for this president and his historically-challenged writers: The Civil War was fought between April 1861 and April 1865, Memorial Day is now observed on the last Monday of May instead of the traditional May 30, and it is more recognized now as the kick off day for the hazy, lazy, crazy days of summer than for commemorating anything.
It’s not splitting hairs to expect the President of the United States to be able to differentiate between Memorial Day and Vets Day.
His Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, (not Bill Gates or Robert Gates, who our increasingly-befuddled leader seems to confuse), will no doubt clarify Obama’s Saturday remarks as not a mistake but rather an effort to equate our war veterans and troops in the field with those we memorialize.
He may even say that, “Well, some vets and some troops will die, too. So, Memorial Day and Veterans Day are pretty much the same thing, right?”
And the White House Press Corps will let him get away with it.
For anyone interested, I humbly re-submit last year’s Memorial Day article for your consideration. It includes an updated PDF file rendition of the mournful notes of “Taps,” which might help readers and listeners recall the true meaning of what Memorial Day is all about, not Obama’s interpretation: http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=139.
Before “celebrating” on Memorial Day 2009, buy a few poppies from the VFW, display America’s flag, and remember those who died for our country and for your privilege to celebrate.
Contributor's website: http://www.genelalor.com/
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