by James Glaser
May 30, 2005

Memorial Day is a sad day in America. It is a day when most citizens remember those who gave their all for their country right or wrong.

No one can deny the patriotism of the troopers who signed up to protect their nation and whose life was cut short in battles all over this globe.

Today in America we have a President who still refuses to acknowledge these deaths by attending even one funeral for a Soldier or Marine who gave their life in George Bush's war.

Today in America it is still illegal to take a photograph of any flag draped coffin returning to America that contains the remains of one of the valiant men or women who died in Iraq or Afghanistan, fighting in Bush's War on Terrorism.

Instead of the President honoring those who gave their all for what he thinks is right, America has to look in the Sunday comics and see the list of those killed in Iraq, in the "Doonesbury" cartoon, created by Garry Trudeau. The list of deaths this year is so long that it will take two Sunday editions to list them all.

Again this year, Ted Koppel will be reading the names and showing the photos of American War dead on his Nightline program. Last year many of the Religious Right were upset with Koppel honoring those killed in War and Sinclair Broadcasting Group ordered eight ABC affiliates not to carry that Nightline program.

Americans who want to keep in touch with what is really going on in "our" war must turn to Web Pages, like Antiwar.com, because mainstream American media filters out much of the real story.

American veterans returning from the Vietnam War we both shunned and ridiculed by the American public. Those Americans returning home in a "box" were not treated with all the respect their service warranted by the public at large. Today America keeps its War Dead hidden from public view and again we as a Nation slap the faces of those who gave their all, but now it is our leaders doing the slapping, by keeping the public ignorant of the horrible human costs of this war.