Memorial Day: A Call to Patriots

I got the following e-mail from John Edwards yesterday.

Memorial Day Weekend is a time to honor all the brave men and women throughout our history who have served in our armed forces, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice to safeguard our freedom. I believe it is our duty to use that freedom to stand up for those now serving in the most meaningful way that we can--by thanking them, supporting them, and bringing them home to a hero's welcome.

It's time to support the troops. For far too long, George Bush has abused the rhetoric of patriotism to silence his critics and paper over the devastating cost of his war to the country we love. Our troops have served bravely and sacrificed without hesitation. Yet they are now paying the price for Bush's stubborn pursuit of his failed strategy in Iraq. Our troops deserve far better, and we all have a responsibility to stand up for them.

So this Memorial Day Weekend, I'm asking every one of us to take a stand for the troops and against the war. Let's reclaim patriotism for all of us who love our country, support our troops and fiercely believe in our hearts that this war must end now.

There are many ways we can take action this Memorial Day. We've prepared 10 ideas to get you started, like sending care packages for the troops or holding public gathering to speak out for the troops and against the war. What matters most is that you take action in a way that honors our troops and feels right to you.

To sign up to take action or to see what actions others have planned near you, go to:

www.SupportTheTroopsEndTheWar.com

Thanks to your support, we were able to rush a full page ad to the Washington Post featuring most of the more than 115,000 names we've collected calling on Congress to end the war. But we have to do more. To stand up for our men and women in uniform and force this President to do the right thing, we must take extraordinary action.

For we are citizens. And as citizens, we must honor and support our troops for their service and sacrifice.

We are Americans. And as Americans, we give thanks for the blessing of their sacrifice and support, which keeps us safe and keeps us strong.

And we are patriots. And as patriots we must use our power and the responsibility that comes with it to push our government to support our troops in the most important way it can--by ending this war and bringing them home.

So this Memorial Day Weekend, let us gather as patriots. Wherever you are--with your family, with your friends, at a BBQ, at a parade--wherever you can be seen and heard, first take a moment of silence to honor the fallen, and then let us raise our voices together and say:

We support our troops. End the war. Bring them home.

Because it is possible to stop a president who believes he can do no wrong--it just takes people with the courage to do what's right.

There is a good reason behind this rally. Listen to Alex, a soldier who just got back from Iraq. He says we are spending more time defending ourselves against even children who are throwing grenades at our troops, instead of accepting our candy. The surge is not working. It's best we send our troops home and we should speak out about this.

Check out JRE's new website, http://www.supportthetroopsendthewar.com/. Sign up and click the what you wish to do. For me, it will be a sign in my yard thanking the troops and to pray for peace. You can write your Congressman, which seems fruitless where I live (my congressman is a Republican who supports the McCain doctrine), but I probably will anyway. I will definitely be writing my Senators, Obama and Durbin. This will be a test for Obama, who has stood by idly so far and did not support the Kerry/Feingold bill last year, which failed.

However, there's more you can do to reclaim our patriotism. You can attend a rally, bring a sign to a parade, or grab the mike. We cannot wait for John Edwards to get elected. We must start brokering peace by bringing our troops home and allow the Iraqis to assemble themselves to determine their own governance.

A call to patriotism. It's not new. And we will do it because it is not only for our security, but also a matter of life and death, as Edwards says. We cannot be silent anymore.