{"id":925,"date":"2009-05-24T16:37:57","date_gmt":"2009-05-24T21:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/?p=925"},"modified":"2009-05-24T16:38:29","modified_gmt":"2009-05-24T21:38:29","slug":"politicians-and-memorial-day-the-guy-fawkes-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/24\/politicians-and-memorial-day-the-guy-fawkes-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"Politicians and Memorial Day: The Guy Fawkes Solution"},"content":{"rendered":"

I stopped by the Visitors Center at Manassas Battlefield Park last month and was struck by a quote capturing Georgia private B. M. Zettler’s reaction to being enmeshed in the battle of Bull Run:<\/p>\n

“I felt that I was in the presence of death. My first thought was, ‘This is unfair – someone is to blame for getting us all killed. I didn’t come here to fight this way…’<\/em><\/p>\n

An excellent sentiment – one that should not be forgotten on Memorial Day. It would have been fairer if the politicians had been in the front lines on both sides at Manassas. <\/p>\n

Sheldon Richman, the editor of the Freeman, proposes renaming Memorial Day as Revisionist History Day<\/strong><\/a>. General Patton said that an ounce of sweat can save a pint of blood. Similarly, a little reading and thinking this time of year can save a heap of grave digging in the future. <\/p>\n

Sacralizing the war dead usually results in exonerating the politicians. Rather than parades, it would be better to celebrate this holiday like the British used to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day – by burning politicians in effigy, or a reasonable facsimile. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Too harsh?<\/p>\n

Read the Pentagon Papers – and recognize the proper fate of all the politicians and political appointees who hatched and perpetuated that sham.<\/p>\n

Likewise for the Iraq war.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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