Father's Day Reflections on a Lost Son...
Of all of the holidays a grieving father can be confronted with after the death
of his child, Father's Day is for me the most difficult.
My son Nick died in Iraq on May 7, 2004. He is buried next to my father, who
had died just a year and a half before. That is not the way its supposed to
be. Im supposed to go somewhere between my father and my son. My mother is on
the other side of my father, and my mothers parents are nearby. My proud
immigrant grandparents died first, then my parents died many years later. That
is the way it is supposed to be.
I want to make sure no father suffers the loss of their son or daughter in Iraq
or a future illegal war of aggression. I urge all those who oppose the military
occupation of Iraq and do not want to see future wars of choice to sign the
Voters' Pledge at www.VotersForPeace.US. Nearly fifty thousand people have
already signed. It will let politicians know that we will not support pro-war
candidates in the future.
There is a lot else going on that is not the way it is supposed to be. Our
leaders are not supposed to lie to us. Yet that is precisely what George Bush
and company have done. They told us to beware of weapons of mass destruction,
Iraqi involvement in 9/11, and Al Qaeda infiltration of Iraq. We now know these
were all lies, yet still my son and the loved ones of 150,000 other grieving
souls lost their lives because of them.
I have no excuse. Though I doubted the veracity of George Bushs words, I did
too little too late.
My son Nick was an independent contractor, not associated with Haliburton,
Bechtel, Lockheed-Martin, or the U.S. military. Nick was murdered in
retaliation for the atrocities committed at the Abu Ghraib prison: murders,
rapes, and torture of Iraqi citizens. Though Donald Rumsfeld says he took
responsibility for those atrocities, no consequences were felt by him, but they
were by my son and everyone who loved him. George Bush ordered Alberto Gonzalez
to rewrite definitions of torture essentially ordering these sins, and he did
so with impunity. This is not the way its supposed to be either.
Nick was arrested by George Bushs military without reason and then illegally
detained for thirteen days. While he was in custody, the revelations of the Abu
Ghraib prison scandal became public. These revelations ignited the resistance
in Iraq and made it impossible for Nick to get home alive. When Nick did arrive
home, it was to the military mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, a base from
which I and all other loved ones of the invisible deceased are barred. This is
not the way its supposed to be either.
We learn more and more of the truth of what is happening in Iraq every day. We
learn what is happening to America and our allies as a result of the voters of
these United States electing the wrong men and women: unjustifiable wars, the
undermining of vital social programs, willful neglect of the maintenance of the
infrastructure of our nation, and dangerous "ignorance" of climate change that
could result in unprecedented disaster. This is the legacy of these leaders.
Neither of the two largest political parties in this country are doing anything
to make things the way they are supposed be.
On March 17, 2006, I joined many others, both conservatives and liberals, in
taking the first steps to put things right. I had the honor to be the first
person to sign the Voters Pledge for Peace.
The Voters' Pledge on the Voters for Peace website is a project comprising many
of the major organizations in the antiwar movementUnited for Peace and
Justice, Peace Action, Gold Star Families for Peace, Code Pink, and Democracy
Risingas well as groups with broader agendas like the National Organization
for Women, Progressive Democrats of America, AfterDowningStreet.com, and
magazines including the American Conservative and the Nation. The goal of this
coalition is to build a base of antiwar voters that cannot be ignored by anyone
running for office in the United States. We want millions of voters to sign the
pledge and say no to pro-war candidates.
You can help right now by visiting www.VotersForPeace.US and immediately
signing the Voters' Pledge, which states:
I will not vote for or support any candidate for Congress or President who does
not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq, and preventing any future war of
aggression, a public position in his or her campaign.
And after you sign it, send it to everyone you know and urge them to do the
same. Together we can change the path of the United States and move ourselves
in a new direction toward the way its supposed to be, so that all fathers, all
mothers, all Americans will be able to face the next Father's Day, Mother's
Day, and Independence Day with the pride these holidays deserve.
VotersForPeace
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 240 - Takoma Park, MD 20912 - (301) 270-2355
Copyright 2006 VotersForPeace.US and Michael Berg. All rights reserved.
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