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[Triumph]

On the day of the year when we're all supposed to reflect on and honor the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform who fight to keep this nation free(ostensibly), Sehome High School had three veterans speak to the student body. It absolutely DISGUSTS AND REVOLTS me that some people could be offended that these men stood up and advocated for peace, on a holiday that originally was commerorated to celebrate the END of a war.

Here's the link:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=WA Veterans Day Apology

My mind is boggled. The principal apologizes for the presentation being too "one sided". What, is this FOX news? No. These men were there to speak about what soldiers actually go through and why it is so important to make sure that they go through that for just reasons. It is not dishonorable to desire peace.

Fuck this country. Seriously. The day that some slug of a principal feels the need to apologize for brave men who watched their brothers in arms die next to them when they want to advocate peace is the day we have lost our way as a nation. War is not a preferrable state of being for us as a nation.

Fuck.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

"Our community speakers had agreed that this assembly would honor our veterans. We deeply regret that they did not."

>_<

 

[fennec fox]

People who are pro war don't like it when anti-war people have a speech? Shocking!

 

[sc0la]

faith in human kind falling.

;_;

 

[bishoptl]

Ah, wonderful Bellingham. Good for shopping at Bellis Fair, sleeping with ditzy co-eds at Western Washington University, and not much else.

 

[Jim Bowie]

"The speakers were incredible," said Elizabeth Rocks, mother of junior Erika Harrington. "They were veterans who said what it meant to be in a war. I think kids need to hear that. I can see how people can say it's one-sided, and yet it's just as one-sided to have a Veterans Day assembly that's full of nothing but flags and patriotic songs."

How can you argue with that? Elizabeth ROCKS!

But seriously, >:/

This was meant to show all the sides of war. What it does to the soldiers. The soldiers take on the war. To say that it was terrible and one-sided makes me a little sick. This man risked himself for the country, made it out, and told it like it was, and now they have to apologize for him? Sadness...

 

[Triumph]

Honestly, I'm not as shocked as I was making out to be. "Civilized" society has long had trouble lending credence to the things that soldiers tell when they come home. The Vietnam Veterans for Peace were regarded with distrust or open opposition from people that had never been to war when they started demonstrating and speaking out. And as we learned earlier this year, some people STILL haven't let it go.

 

[Idle Will Kill]

I swear to God I remember reading something exactly like this on an SAT or PSAT or something.

 

[Zaptruder]

They should've stood back up and said:
I wanted you all to honor our veteran status, the lives of friends and collegues who went to war and died, those who came back from it... by not without the gravest consideration send our grandchildren... and your sons and daughters into the horror of war that we had witnessed and are back to tell you about.

 

[Drozmight]

Ah, wonderful Bellingham. Good for shopping at Bellis Fair, sleeping with ditzy co-eds at Western Washington University, and not much else.

What? There aren't any hot girls at Western.

 

[B-B-Bomba!]

"I want to apologize for making any student or staff member uncomfortable because the presentation at Sehome's Veterans Day Assembly today was used to advance a particular political agenda,"

WTF does this even mean? Hard to credit that a school principal could write something so unintelligible.

"a bagpipe rendition of "Amazing Grace."

:lol

One way to look at this is that, basically, we need to ensure people are happy to go off and fight in our names, and that for the sake of our ongoing ability to defend ourselves from attack, we can't afford to let the perceptions they bring back from the hell we send them to have an effect on our pressing need to not give a shit.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

They should go back next year, pause for reflection, walk up to the mic and say, "We bombed the wrong people."

 

[bishoptl]

What? There aren't any hot girls at Western.

There were from 1990 through 1994. A true "coalition of the willing".

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

this country is doomed. and i for one am not shocked.
i'm also not shocked when seven ABC affiliates all over the country fear showing saving private ryan because *GASP* it has cursing (never mind the flying body parts and blood and guts) CURSING IS DESTROYING THIS COUNTRY!!!!! F-BOMB!!!

 

[M3Freak]

I have this little theory that the people with money in the Southern states are still pissed that they lost to the Northern States in the civil war. I think they're secretly wishing the U.S. was split in two.

 

[videogamer]

"I believe it was totally inappropriate for the venue," said Amy Thomas, mother of Sehome junior Hannah Thomas. "It was an assembly to honor the veterans. This gentleman (Polin) used it as a platform for his political agenda. I thought it was disappointing, and hurtful to any veterans who were there."

Thinking about the dead sounds like a good way to honor the vets....

 

[GG-Duo]

"I believe it was totally inappropriate for the venue," said Amy Thomas, mother of Sehome junior Hannah Thomas. "It was an assembly to honor the veterans. This gentleman (Polin) used it as a platform for his political agenda. I thought it was disappointing, and hurtful to any veterans who were there."

Wait, so she's saying that Polin was... hurting... himself... by promoting peace??

 

[jooey]

Ah, wonderful Bellingham. Good for shopping at Bellis Fair, sleeping with ditzy co-eds at Western Washington University, and not much else.

HEY!

if you list the stores in the mall individually then we seem a lot better!

 

[videogamer]

Wait, so she's saying that Polin was... hurting... himself... by promoting peace??

as if promoting peace was somehow counter to the honoring of veterans

 

[GG-Duo]

too ... many... levels... of... absurdity.......