Honoring a soldier

Ron Edmonds / Associated Press
President Bush looks on after presenting the Medal of Honor to Tom, left,

and Romayne McGinnis, the parents of Army Pfc. Ross McGinnis of Knox, Pa.

President Chimpy awarded a Medal of Honor to a fellow Pennsylvanian, Pfc. Ross A. McGinnis, for saving the lives of four comrades by jumping on a grenade and absorbing the blast himself. He was killed, but his four comrades lived.

How many of us would choose such a fate? Luckily for me, and for my family, I don't have to make that choice. I chose not to sign up for the military, back when I was young enough to do so. Now, I don't have to go to Iraq to serve in an illegal occupation of a once-sovereign nation.

Pfc. McGinnis had a choice too, and he chose to serve--and serve bravely. For that, he deserves the Medal of Honor and our eternal thanks for his sacrifice.

What he does not deserve is to have that medal presented to him by the man who started this illegal war, who continues to pour soldiers' lives and our nation's future into an abyss, and who didn't even have the personal courage to go to war himself. Instead he played around in the Texas Air National Guard, going AWOL for up to a year and avoiding combat altogether.

From the LA Times article: "During Monday's ceremony -- only the fourth time the Medal of Honor has been presented for exceptional valor in the Iraq war -- Bush was noticeably choked up." (way to glorify the Idiot, LA Times.)

I bet he was "choked up."

I bet he cried like a fucking baby, thinking about this soldier's sacrifice. After all, this is the same president who claimed earlier this year, when speaking with American troops in Afghanistan,

I must say, I'm a little envious. If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed. It must be exciting for you … in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks.

How romantic and exciting and fantastic--right, Chimpy? If he'd ever been to war, he'd know what a fantasy world he's living in. He'd know what all soldiers know: that war is hell..

This 19-year-old kid probably wasn't thinking any of those idiotic things when he saved his fellow soldiers' lives; he probably wasn't thinking about making history.

How romantic and exciting and fantastic it would be to have Bush make some history of his own and turn himself over to the authorities for war crimes.

But we all know that's not going to happen. Instead, he'll continue his war of aggression, his occupation in various countries the world over, his complete divestiture of our nation's wealth and future.

In a bizarro world somewhere, the true George Bush--the one who knows what a fuck-up he is, and knows how he's driven this country into the shitter--really IS crying. Real tears, not that fake acting bullshit he pulls in front of the media when his handlers tell him to think of something sad, like his puppy dying, so the reporters will get a good shot of him.

In that bizarro world, Chimpy would cry because he would know--deep down inside that chicken heart of his--that he never even came close to giving his life in military service for his country. He would know he's a spoiled rich-boy coward whose family name and money got him his sweet little Guard duty instead of a tour or two in Vietnam.

He would know he's no fighter jock; he's a stuffed jock.

He would know he's not the real elected president; he's a C student whose father's political connections bought him the White House.

He would know he doesn't deserve to stand on the same stage as Pfc. McGinnis' parents.

He would know that he should be apologizing to them every single day from now on for starting this whole war and occupation that led to the death of thousands of American soldiers like McGinnis, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens.