SOLDIER LETTERS

From: __________
Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2003 1:24 PM
To: MMFlint@aol.com
Subject: re: Thank you
December 5th, 2003
Mr. Moore,

I understand how busy you are, and how much e-mail you must receive every day. So although YOU probably won't read this, hopefully SOMEONE will.

I am a recently turned 40, average American guy. I have a high school education, (although not for long), I am a veteran of the U.S.M.C., and I was raised, and live in greater Orlando, FL.

Growing up in the semi rural south, which Orlando used to be before Mickey Mouse came to stay, was pretty uneventful. I was an avid hunter, fisherman, drove a pickup, drank beer, etc., you know, the typical "wild eyed southern boy." The difference between me and the other people around me was that I had parents who taught me that racism, bigotry, and intolerance of other people’s lifestyles was wrong. They were staunch Democrats, originally from Boston. They were active in local politics; my Dad was a councilman in our town. They even opened their home as a crisis shelter for abused teens. As a result I grew up as a pretty well adjusted person. Your stereotypical proud young American. Believing without any real information to back it up that ours was the best country EVER! I believed in the America that was the dream of our founding fathers. As I stated earlier, right after high school, I joined the Marine Corps., to do my duty and serve our great nation. That's were the disillusionment began.

At first it was great! I fancied myself an ambassador, representing this great nation of ours that the entire world should envy. I got to travel the world, see new things, taste new things, experience new things, and most important I got to meet the people. To see how, and where they lived, to really get to know them, to discover the differences, and compare the similarities. And let me tell you the latter far outweighs the former. It seemed my parents were right; we are all basically the same. Even in other countries!

Then, with the bombing of the Marine barracks in 1983, the wool started to slip off my eyes. I began to question ... everything! What the fuck were we doing there anyway? For that matter, what the fuck were we doing anywhere? Why is it that I should hate everyone? How come we have a military presence everywhere, but won’t stand for one on our soil? Why is it that we are forever waving the flag of sovereignty, EXCEPT when it concerns our financial interests in other sovereign states? What gives us the right to tell anyone else how they should govern themselves, and live their lives? Why can't we just lead the world by example? I mean no wonder the world hates us, who do they get to see? Young assholes in uniforms with guns, and rich, old, white tourists! Christ, could we put up a worse first impression?

The more the years passed, the more cynical I became. I stopped voting. I figured "Fuck it, why waste my vote, voting AGAINST someone, I'll wait 'til there's someone to vote FOR." My Dad used to say it was like trying to pick the best turd in a pile of shit. Then, on Sept. 11th 2001, wham! Our years of complacency, and arrogance led to the country getting its first black eye in a VERY long time. And what was the resulting (knee jerk reaction)..."lets go bomb brown people"! It doesn't matter which brown people, we got hit, and by God we're gonna hit somebody back! How stupid and arrogant can we be? Last year, for Christmas, I bought my fiancé' and I tickets for a trip to Paris, in March, of this year. I could not believe the reactions of some people I had always thought of as sane, rational human beings. People were actually asking us "why do you want to go there"? What…! Uh lets see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Champs Elysees', the left bank, the Latin quarter, the food, the wine,...etc. etc. I was disgusted by them all, but at least I got to apologize (in person) for both George W. and Euro Disney. The ONLY time on the trip we were treated poorly was at JFK, in New York!

I have a brother-in-law that is the quintessential democratic, tree hugger, hippie; he's even a member of the Unitarian church. I also have another brother-in-law that is the stereotypical republican hawk, retired Air Force, works for the State Dept., hell he's been sucking on the government tit for so long it's a wonder that he has any teeth! When I talk to either one of them, they think that if I agree with them on a certain subject that I must disagree with the other...completely. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I am neither Republican, nor Democrat. I have always thought of myself as a representative of the anti-government party. I would like nothing better than to have a government, OF, FOR, and BY.....us, THE PEOPLE. What a concept!

Unfortunately, I think that that is a dream that will never be realized, at least in my lifetime. So I began making plans with my fiancée to move. Yes I, the all American kid had become SO disillusioned that I was going to become an ex-patriot. I figured "fuck 'em, let 'em have it."

Now to the point of this letter. The Thanks part. I happened to be channel surfing one night, and stopped on the Oscar awards, and I saw you receive your award, and have your say, Holding your head up, and sticking to your convictions, even while some people were booing you. And I thought to myself, "I've GOT to see this movie." I hadn't before because I wrongly thought it would be some goofy, liberal, tree huggin, bleeding heart, crap. Now I don't necessarily dislike that, it's just that I like to make my own opinions, not have them laid out for me. My fiancé and I rented it as soon as we could, and watched it with amazement. Here I was agreeing with Marilyn Manson, and seeing someone that I had grown up revering, Charlton Heston, for the tired, stupid, old useless fart that he is. Thank you for making that movie, and thank you for making that speech, and thank you for making me think. I have told everyone who will listen, to watch that movie, and have purchased the DVD, so I can loan it to them if need be. I am now reading "Dude, where's my country," (which is what prompted me to write this letter), and I am enjoying it immensely. I just wanted to say Thank you, for writing that book, because I registered to vote today. I don't know who I will vote for, but you can bet your ass it won't be Georgie Boy. My fiancé is already on the Kucinich bandwagon, I like what he has to say, I just don't know if he can pull it off. We can only hope.

In closing I want to say that I still may one day leave behind this once great nation of ours, but I will at least have TRIED to do something, and I owe you, and people like you a debt of inspiration. Thank you once again.


Sincerely,
__________

Orlando, Fl.

Read another letter
Back to the Index