Blogging for America

IMHO, the best way to honor all our fallen women and men in uniform is to practice what they gave their lives for: democracy and peace. Remember that the Bill of Rights is not limited to only American citizens but everyone on our soil --and that includes the detainees at Guantanamo...they deserve their day in court: habeas corpus is key to our democracy. Equality means all women should get equal pay for equal work, should NOT be subject to sexual harassment, abuse or violence; that includes within the military, too. Officers are supposed to be gentlemen and role models. In our Republic, Congress should be working for the people--we hired them and pay for them to have the best health care, excellent pay (the average family in US earned $51,413 at the end of 2011, Congrssional starting salary: $174,000)--yet they are not productive. In the real world they would be fired! So, let your Congrssional reps and Snators know how you feel--many of us contacting them might make a difference; if they are too wrappd up in money from lobbyists then we need to demand Campaign Finance Reform. Speaking of Congress on this Memorial Day, they should be making sure that the Veterans Administration is fully funded so that returning soldiers have access to the best health care, including mental health; housing; education; and JOBS! Our returning soldiers along side their civilian counterparts could be fixing our failing infrastructure and/or state building in their own communities, if there was a JOBS bill! In short, we should be thankful for the men and women who have given their lives for our democracy, thus, to honor them: we should all vote, be involved in our community, and practice democracy!