I received this in my inbox today.
THIS WAS WRITTEN BY A SOLDIER IN IRAQ
I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael Jackson . As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villain to many people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn’t the point of my rant.
Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to flock to a memorial in Hollywood , and even Congress sees the need to hold a “moment of silence” for his passing?
Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he’s a freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America .
Where is there moment of silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more people saying “good riddance,” and “Thank God for IEDs?” When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a “Pop Icon?”
I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan .
They need to PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them.
But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.
Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it.
Feel free to pass this along if you want.
Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military;
“So that others may live…”
– Isaac
Shoot First Eat Later 
I just wished that I can email this ‘Isaac’ to express my disappointment. Why use Michael Jackson as an excuse for a path he chose. Michael was more than an entertainer because of the things he did. How about his humanitarian efforts and the barriers he broke to pave the way for the African American to be recognized in the field of arts and politics? Does he really think that Michael made a villain of himself or were we just fed with malicious lies that the media created and belived them? Where is the leader that sent him and the other soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan? Why isn’t he ranting about this leader’s decisions? Michael has nothing to do with the media frenzy he is receiving and to use him as an excuse for the lack of attention Isaac thinks he and the other defenders of freedom deserve is unfair.I am offended and am taking this personaly. Why apologize if he knows he would hurt people who think otherwise? My heart hurts and I am STILL mourning. I will never understand Isaac’s pain nor he will understand mine.
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I knew you would react and I’m glad you did. Let it all out. It’s part of your healing process.
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I grieve for all soldiers that has died for this country . And i grieve for MJ toTo alll the fallen soldiers RIP you fought a good fight you finish your course thankyou for protecting my freedom and to every soldier that is still over there I am praying for your return to your families and for the soldiers that made it home welcome home
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I have to agree with Isaac. When CNN ran the story of Michael Jackson’s death ahead of the story of the withdrawal of troops from Iraq I wrote this piece on their blog:Every news station is subject to ratings and tries to please its audience, but I object to the order of your stories on Anderson 360 June 30th. While I don’t understand or agree with the hype surrounding Michael Jackson’s money and personal life, I can respect the fact that other people find it more interesting than I do. However, leading the news with this story and following it with news of withdrawal from Iraq displays a very skewed sense of priorities. If the King of Pop is more important than six years of war and the 4319 service men and women we have lost to it, not to mention the others on all sides unaccounted for by this category, then we are surely off course as a country. I hope the order of material presented does not accurately reflect America’s values.
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