I Cogitate
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An Open Letter to Zell Miller
Zell Miller spoke these words during his steroidal speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention but Augusto Pinochet could not have done better. Same for the late Idi Amin. Yum, that's a thought to gnaw on (yes, me bad, very bad).
"...It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who give that protestor the freedom he abuses to burn that flag..."
Let's look at it another way, with a few substitutions.
How about it is Oliver North, not Seymour Hersh, Daniel Ellsberg or Bob Woodward (at least back when he Zell Miller-like fire in his belly) who has given us freedom of the press.
Or, it is William Calley (yeah, probably a cheap shot), not Thomas Jefferson, who has given us freedom of speech.
Try this conundrum on for size: It is John Kerry, not John Kerry, who has given us freedom to protest.
Well Zell, now soldier isn't exactly the first image that comes to mind when one thinks of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Don Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, Saxby Chambliss, Gary Bauer, Tom DeLay, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage (are you nodding off yet?) This group displayed sprinter speed (well, white man's sprinter speed) pedaling backwards from the opportunity to serve their country and protect all those cherished freedoms you mention above (to your credit at least you served in the U.S. Marine Corps).
But Zell, your bile doesn't appear to extend to these fine, healthy human specimens. Is that because this group has the backbone to initial marching orders? The strength to create the frenzy and fervor necessary for sending other men and women, other sons and daughters, other husbands and wives, off to kill and die?
Just asking.
And Zell, leadership isn't confined to staged 'Mission Accomplished' photo-ops.
Plus, selling one's soul for a prime-time speaking engagament doesn't exactly burnish your credibility. I understand your point to some degree but, like so many, you cheapen it with a half-baked, incomplete-by-choice analysis. Your March 1, 2001 speech at Georgia's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner praised John Kerry as one of America's authentic heroes, one of the Democratic Party's greatest leaders and a good friend.
Zell, et tu Brute.
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