He stated he was right. The war has been over for sometime in Iraq, but, the 'terms' the USA desires is not met and that is why our soldiers are being killed and maimed.
I said to him, "You know Dad, this old marine is coming off as a senile old man who is caught up in emotion and not logic. People is saying Bush is president and it is he we should be abiding by that."
My father wiser than I could ever hope to be stated. "Who did you vote for?"
I told him, "John Kerry."
"Why" he wanted to know.
I said because Bush had no workable solutions for any of the nations problems.
He stated, "I thought is was because of those wildly spinning clouds of yours."
"Well, isn't that one of the nation's problems?" I stated.
He chuckled and said, "Yes, of course, it is. Do you want to know why I didn't vote for that lunatic in the White House?"
"Sure, of course, I am interested in your reasons." I stated.
My father of seventy five years, a chemist, a former Air Forces Officer whom worked in munitions in North Korea, a retired long time employee of a former chemical company where he worked in the capacity of 'Emergency Coordinator' to be sure there was no Bhopal Incident in the USA in Bound Brook, New Jersey answering only to the Plant Manager, a dedicated husband and father; looked me with a strange look in his eyes, betrayal maybe, "I could not vote for a man who lost the Korean War after all these years?"
I paused and realized he was deeply pained over the now eminent threat that North Korea was to this country and the world after all the sacrifice of his generation and he blamed Bush. This is a man not unlike Representative Murhta who believes in service to his country, the defense of his nation but also the high integrity of the USA Armed Forces. This is a man who never wanted his grandsons to serve in this war and not because he wouldn't be proud but because he never believed in this president, vice president or this administration due to it's corrupt nature. He never thought he would see this country in the condition it is today or the lack of international esteem it faces. He is 75 years old and he feels his grandchildren are more in danger by their leadership today than ever in the history of this country. He wonders why he waited until he did to marry his sweetheart as he served to be sure his family including his grandchildren would not have to face any threat. He could raise his family in peace looking forward to prosperity.
That may seem 'old fashioned' but my father is a citizen of this country who has seen a war he rather not talk about and by damn it he has a right to his opinion.
