(Crossposted from my own site, because I’ve been gone awhile and there are just so many hours in a day, you know?)

It’s been a long, peaceful respite, away from the news and the shameless, preening babblefest we can always expect from our government any time of the year that patriotically-themed holidays are on the calendar. We’ll be getting another in 35 short days, and then again in November. (Flag Day, June 14, seems curiously lacking in interested parties, but as it has always been focused on the cloth and not the blood spilled around it, I expect it holds too little titillation for all the armchair warriors who so enjoy blatting about the joy of death on behalf of those who can no longer give an opinion.)

But I couldn’t even get through the 10 hour ride home without my blood pressure skyrocketing to stroke level every time I heard snippets of the Memorial Day speech coming out of that slack-jawed hayseed that squats in the West Wing like a foul toadstool, let alone his riposte to the Amnesty International report, him and his henchman. Is that the best you could manage, George, you impotent worm? In one breath he pushes for a totally bogus evisceration of Social Security, saying “The easy path is to say, `Oh, we don’t have a problem. Let’s ignore it — yet again”, while almost at the same time ignoring–yet again–the thousands of pages of ACLU evidence, the army and FBI’s own reports, with the words:

“It’s an absurd allegation. The United States is a country that promotes freedom around the world,” he said, adding: “We’ve investigated every single complaint against the detainees. It seemed like to me they based some of their decisions on the word of — and the allegations by — people who were held in detention, people who hate America, people that had been trained in some instances to disassemble — that means not tell the truth. And so it was an absurd report.”

That’s right, people who’ve been trained to disassemble! As in, disassemble the truth.

But that pack of bald-faced lies and brazen Orwellisms was a mere amateur’s work compared to the Memorial Day speech. I give you:

“America has always been a reluctant warrior.”

Lies! He sought this war; he manipulated every event, turned every phrase, pressured every iuntelligence analyst, to make the war he so dearly wanted a reality. And this:

“Because of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, two terror regimes are gone forever, freedom is on the march, and America is more secure. “

More lies! The Taliban are alive and well in Afghanistan (where women are still looking for that marching freedom), making inroads just about everywhere except Kabul, and Kabul isn’t looking so well these days. The civil war we unleashed in Iraq is gaining ground and shows no sign of containment. Our own Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Strategic Communication warned last year that our actions since 9/11 have actually made us less safe. But his hubris and gall know no bounds. He reads from letters written by the dead, to families back home, reads the parts that say things like this:

“…I gave my life so you could live. Not just live, but live free”

He goes on to tie it up neatly with this:

“And we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives, by defeating the terrorists, advancing the cause of liberty, and building a safer world.”

Where did he get these letters? How did he get his hands on them? How do we even know they’re real? And how do you “defeat” terrorists, when every violent act only creates another one?

What a bitter homecoming, to have to listen to a man not fit to lick my cat’s ass “disassemble” the truth from atop the pile of dead he has made, and watch him wrap himself in the borrowed glory and pity of those lives left broken and shattered in his own hateful wake.

She drives around with a sign listing the number of dead and wounded in Iraq pasted in her car window. “I don’t care if people get uncomfortable behind me sitting in traffic. It was the body count that made people rise up over Vietnam. They are keeping this war too squeaky clean for the American public.”

Never in favor of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, Megan* has to reconcile that with the fact that her son’s a soldier. And he’s just been ordered to his second tour in Iraq, starting in October. Conversations can be hard:

“Its a touchy subject…on one hand he knows the reason we are there is wrong, on the other he is proud of the work that the engineer forces are doing there by hooking up the water, building schools, etc. He sees himself as part of the reconstruction - not the invasion.  I can’t send him into harms way thinking that we are against what he does… it’s a fine line that many family members of soldiers must walk.”
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Like many kids, David joined the Army because he didn’t see other opportunities. Not interested in college, he drifted among low-wage jobs and roommate situations, finally ending up in his mother’s basement. An unreconstructed hippie, Megan wasn’t overjoyed about his decision to join the military, but was pleased to see him making something with his life. He would have a chance to see more of the world and build experiences as well as a college fund. He shipped off to Korea, grew up, was transferred to Germany, fell in love and re-enlisted.

Then Bush began rattling his saber, planning his war, and dropping his bombs and life in the Army changed. David’s in the 3rd Infantry Division, the one that made the initial drive to Baghdad. He doesn’t say much about his time there, other than, “Mom, you wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen.” David’s first tour was mercifully cut short when he got kidney stones. (This was during the period when our troops were lucky to get a liter of water a day, thanks to the ineptness of the private supply contractors.) Megan was delighted when he was airlifted to Germany. Subsequent tests showed a cyst on his kidney, and they told him he couldn’t be deployed to Iraq again. When his company went back a second time, David stayed in Germany. His enlistment would be up in February 2006.

Fast-forward a year. Recruiting is down. David’s company is being ordered back to Iraq for a third time. For a year-long tour.

Many soldiers in Iraq develop kidney stones from dehydration and hard water. It’s no longer enough to keep you out of Iraq. So, David received his orders, and he’ll be deployed in October. His enlistment is up in February, but once in Iraq, he’ll be staying for the full year under stop-loss orders. Theoretically, he could then leave the service in October unless they extend the company’s mission.

He’s under pressure to re-enlist, which will provide a bonus and higher pay while he’s in Iraq, but then he’ll be stuck for 3 more years. Apparently, if he doesn’t re-enlist before going, his pay will be less.

And if he does re-enlist, that leaves Megan wondering, “…will this time be enough or if he will have to go yet again?” as she tries to end the war while supporting her soldier.

If you’re interested in what it’s like opposing the war while having a close relative fighting in it, Megan recommends the Military Families Speak Out website.

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.

By the way, did anyone happen to catch the Bush press conference today? Good lord. He was on full verbal stammer. Although the official transcript cuts out the stammers, here’s one of his choicest cuts, warts and all:

We proposed a plan uh that takes uh the uh — solving the uh—solving the per—the uh, the uh issue about solvency farther down the road than