SPEECH: Or put it in writing?

My good buddy, Mervin, has seen many Fourth of Julys come and go, and has become possessed lately with the notion that he should give one of the speeches. In all the others that he’s heard, there’s been something missing … or so he says.

“Honesty,” he says to me, waving his hand, “that’s what’s missing. We can’t honor anyone by lying to them. Just a little over 10 years ago is all, we sent thousands of young men and women into Iraq on false pretexts. There were no weapons of mass destruction there. No need for a pre-emptive strike. Iraq posed no threat to us, blah, blah.”

Mervin plans to write up a proposal, and present it to all the veteran groups in the area. He’ll tell them what he plans to say, and thinks at least one of them will give him a chance next 4th to spout off.

“It would be mainly about the flagrant and massive war profiteering; the corporate cancer, the runaway corruption … rampant, you know, right from the start, from the invasion on. And none of it seriously investigated, much less punished. Truman, I swear, rolled over in his grave. Young people should know before ever enlisting. You know? Honor them by forewarning them. Right? How much sacrifice do you suppose they’d be willing to make for Halliburton and that ilk?”

At that point in the conversation, I’m left speechless, and then I have to tell him what I really think. “Mervin, my man. There’s no way any vets group is going to give you the green light for a speech against war profiteering. I can’t imagine it. Wouldn’t you be better off just writing a letter to the editor?”

He jumped up out of his chair, shouting, “What did you say? A letter to the editor!? What the hell good is that going to do?”

DEL CAMERON

Coeur d’Alene