One of our soldiers, Sgt. Jim Wilt, who is fighting for us in Afghanistan to preserve our way of life, is quoted in this story as asking that we as a society pay the same respects to one of our soldiers when he falls in battle as we have done to the victims of last week’s massacre at Virginia Tech. I will go one step further and ask that we pay more respect to each fallen soldier because they each – with forethought and well before the day of their death – put their life on the line for us. Those killed at VT initially did not — although we all have heard of the hero professor who did put his life on the line for his students after the shooting started — and he paid for his decision with his life. The respects that we have all paid to the murdered at VT was by order of our President Bush, who ordered that all flags at federal facilities — which includes military bases in Afghanistan – be flown at half-staff.
My statement is in no way meant to diminish the lives or deaths of those who were murdered — I am outraged that such evil is in the world. None of them deserved to die like that. The bastard should just have turned the gun on himself and put us all out of his misery.
Sgt. Wilt – I — and many other Americans –appreciate the sacrifice that you are willing to make for us. Such is an expression of true love, when a man is willing to lay down his life for one whom he does not even know exists.
The flag should not have been flown at half-staff for these murder victims in the first place. It is not appropriate to fly the flag at half-staff at the passing of ”ordinary” Americans — including myself. Each one of their lives was as precious as anyone else’s life. But, in the same sense as any soldier, they were not “special enough” to warrant a symbol of national mourning at their passing from among us. That honor is reserved for our most public figures — and none of these people were known to any significant portion of the public before the bastard openned fire — not even the hero professor.
