From: Steve Grammont (islander@midmaine.com)
Date: Wed Feb 05 2003 - 10:53:10 PST
David,
>We see every day on the evening news
>that the group of anti-war protesters are growing. It does dishearten us.
One should never confuse a lack of support for military action with a
lack of support for the military men and women who will be tasked with
that action. In fact, most domestic anti-war protesters state very
strongly that they value the lives of their military men and women so
much that they do not want to see their lives thrown away in pursuit of
goals they feel are inconsistent with the spirit of their nation.
Unfortunately, there is legitimate reason to not fully trust political
leadership. They have shown themselves fully capable of allowing its
military personnel and/or civilians to be sacrificed for futile and/or
poorly conceived and/or immoral actions in pursuit of corrupt and/or
flawed policies. There is no nation on Earth that has a clean record in
this regard, so I am not singling out any one government.
Here in the US we live in a Democracy. No one side should be able to
shout down another, especially when it is sizeable, simply because they
"don't want to hear it". Dialog over disagreements are what makes a
nation strong, not weak. Beacuse the US' military power is so vast and
intergal to world stability, it finds itself in the akward position of
needing to hear the voices of citizens from other countries on how the US
conducts itself since its actions rarely just affect US interests. Of
course, the US has the inailiable right to disregard such voices if it so
chooses, but it should never shut out feedback from both friends and foes
when setting orth policies. To do so would be pure folly and play right
into the hands of terrorists all over the world.
In short, do not be disheartened by those who take issue with the
political leadership and decisions you are being asked to carry out.
Especially those protestors here in the US. Instead, thank US
protestors for being a part of the Democratic system and, by and large,
having your safety and the safety of the civilians you protect at the
forefront of their concerns. Also thank others for voicing their
opinions because this is one world we live in and we must respect the
fact that what we do potentially affects more than our own interests. On
the other hand, condem and alienate any protestor which can not seperate
the individuals tasked with following lawful orders from those who issue
them (i.e. politicians). Such people have nothing positive to contribute.
I have many friends in the military. In fact, one of my best friends was
mobilized yesterday (Naval Reserves) and ships out next week to a hot
spot. If we are to go to war against Iraq I feel it is my obligation as
their friend and a citizen of this fine country to be sure war is the
best option. I've been listening to the UN meetings all day today in
order to help determine this in my own mind.
>... it is all of you most of all I hope we make proud.
Whatever happens, I have no doubts that you will. I wish you and your
shipmates a safe and speedy return from your mission, whether it involves
combat or simply being positioned to keep the peace. One can not have a
strong Democracy without a strong military, which is something nobody
should forget.
Steve
P.S. One of my good friends worked various positions on the deck of your
ship in the early 1990s.
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