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Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Members only
Due to some automated spamming comments I have received on this blog, I am forced to limit comments to those who take the time to become a member. It is free and painless. I regret placing the restriction, but I really have no choice but to take the step before things get out of control. Thanks for your understanding and participation, and we'll talk soon.
Assuming, of course, anyone even reads this damn thing.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
An open letter to Cindy Sheehan
Ms. Sheehan:
Before I say anything, let me express my heartfelt condolences for the loss of your son. I cannot begin to imagine what you went through emotionally, and I won’t waste your time with platitudes that, given the context of this letter, you may not believe anyway. Just know that I am truly sorry that your son died.
That having been said…please shut up and go home.
I believe in our country, ma’am. There are many things about it that could use a little improvement, but I like the Constitution the way it is, especially the First Amendment. Soldiers like your son have fought and died for generations to keep our country free, and to protect the rights that you and your supporters freely exercise today. Many of us are exercising the right to not listen to you, especially now that your message has become more strident and angry, and the words from your lips seem written by the pens of others.
I just wanted you to know that I see clearly, and I can see right through you. You and your friends obviously have an agenda, and you are associated with people who will stop at nothing, stoop to any level, tell any lie, and do anything they can to further their cause, no matter who it hurts or whose memory it dishonors…including your own son’s. You were an activist for left-wing causes long before your son was killed, and your unreasoned hatred of our president and our nation is clear in every sarcastic, spiteful word you have said and continue to say. Expressions of dissent are admirable and patriotic, but in terms of taste, decency and truth you are way out of bounds. Using your son’s casket as a soapbox is reprehensible, and it totally diminishes whatever points you are trying to make.
Personally, I think the President should talk to you. I think he should come right out to the road and talk to you in front of everyone. Then, when you lose what is left of your mind and start shouting and spitting your hate and contempt at the man, the entire world will see you as you really are, and there’ll be no way to spin it around. It won't happen, of course, but it would be very enlightening for many people.
I hope that you get to feeling better, and pray that you find a healthy way to heal your wounds. But your fifteen minutes are way up. Please, in the name of decency, just go home.
Sincerely,
Mark Key
American by birth, Native Texan by the grace of God, and Conservative by Reasoned Choice.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Texas - the all-too brief version
Well, we did make it out to Texas this summer. In addition to just wanting to see as much family as we could, the trip had a special sense of urgency because our son-in-law Nathan was due to be deployed to Germany in late August for up to three years. The possibility of not seeing our three grandchildren for that long made everything we did a little more urgent.
We did get to spend our grandson's fifth birthday with him, which was a blast. Just a nice, small party, but it was fun to watch Michael open his presents, play with his friends and be the center of attention. I thought about how cool birthdays used to be when we were young. He had a grand time, and we got some great pictures.
It was great spending time with them just playing or reading or doing absolutely nothing. I got to re-meet the middle child, Bailey, who was just a small baby when we last saw her. She is quite precocious, and loves getting her picture taken and just hamming it up in general. Aislynne is just a handful of weeks old, so she won't remember us, but it was nice to get to know her too. Diane is preparing some video and picture montages to send to them so they will at least sort of know who their maternal grandparents are.
We took a break on Wednesday, rented a Jeep Liberty and drove all over the state trying to see as much family as we could. We went to Lake Livingston in East Texas to see Diane's dad and his wife, who were doing all right. Carla's had emphesyma and some other problems, but Carl seemed to be the same feisty old redneck he has always been. He also got to meet his great-grandson, who rode along with us.
We drove down to my hometown of League City to see the house I grew up in. It was sold when Mom passed away, and it doesn't look the same. The people there are really not taking care of it very well. I guess you can't go home again. I also stopped at the cemetery and paid my respects. The town really looks different...it has grown so much. We drove by NASA and aroun dthe lake as well. We got to see Diane's brother Curtis and her niece Michelle, then drove up into Houston. Talk about looking different! We hadn't been downtown since they put the monorail in, and we also saw Minute Maid Park and the Toyota Center for the first time up close. Then we went to my brother's house. I was very, very upset that time constraints prevented me from seeing my sister Maggie. We didn't have the time to double back to Friendswood, and she couldn't make it up to my brother's house since it was a weekday. It took me a while to get over that. I swore to myself that the next time I came out here that I would spend all the time with my family since they got short-changed again this go-round. I did have a nice visit with my brother and his wife, and we spent the night there. The next day we drove back to our daughter's house.
We really are very proud of Jennifer. Trying to make ends meet, raise three kids as a stay-at-home mom and keep it together while Nathan was in Iraq...she's doing it all, and doing an awesome job. The kids are so wonderful, and we found it very hard to say those final goodbyes.
I like living in South Carolina, and I'm doing well here with my job and the band, but a large part of me wil always yearn for Texas. There's no place like it in the world. And yes, we did have Mexican food and barbeque while we were there!
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