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Badtux the Snarky PenguinIn a time of chimpanzees, I was a penguin. Religious fundamentalists are motivated by the sneaking suspicion that someone, somewhere, is having fun -- and that this must be stopped. |
Friday, February 09, 2007Young Woman Meets Tragic EndNo, not that former Playboy bunny. Editor & Publisher reports on another woman whose death was tragically reported on the very same day. But unlike the useless parasite with no redeeming social value, this woman was a far more serious person. Her name was Jennifer Parcell. She was 20 years old. She joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2005 and was killed in Iraq. She doesn't get a Wikipedia page. She doesn't get press coverage. She doesn't get thousands of photos of her on the Web. Yet she was a far, far better person than the useless parasite.Says Centcom's statement: "Cpl. Jennifer M. Parcell, 20, of Bel Air, Md., died Feb. 7 while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Parcell was assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan." That dry paragraph doesn't say anything about how this young woman sponsored a child in Africa. About her service providing humanitarian assistance in Pakistan after the earthquake there, or about the six medals she earned in her short two years of service. It doesn't say anything about her love of the water, scuba diving and boating, or her hobbies of yoga and music. It doesn't say anything about how she was taking college courses towards her degree, even from Iraq, thanks to the miracles of the Internet. It doesn't say anything about how much she loved her big brother Joseph and wanted to be a Marine like him, and made it come true. It doesn't say much of anything except that she's dead. She will never again scuba dive or hug her brother or help others. She's dead. Dead dead dead. And the world is a worse place for it. A right wing poster, in a response to a previous posting on my blog, says "The public debate and political disharmony that should never accompany a military mission, justified or not, has put the situation where it is." I respectfully disagree. We live in a democracy, not a military dictatorship. Public debate is what happens in a democracy when our leadership goes to war when it is not clear and obvious that war is necessary. Public debate and political disharmony is a symptom, not a cause. It was the lies that took us into Iraq, and the incompetence thereafter, that cause the public debate and political disharmony, not vice versa. As long as there are young men and women like Jennifer Parcell being placed into harm's way, as long as there are young men and women like Jennifer Parcell being injured, disabled, or killed, we have a right, nay, a duty, as citizens of a democracy to question whether this is a wise and appropriate use of the best of our youth. And if our leaders cannot answer that question to our satisfaction, it is not only our right, but our duty to debate and dissent. That is our duty as a citizen of a democracy. It is sad that some people view it as more important to unify behind leaders who have shown that they are not worthy of such. But as a citizen of a democracy, I have both the right and the duty to respectfully disagree. --Badtux the Citizen Penguin
Labels: iraq Posted by: BadTux / 2/09/2007 10:06:00 AMComments:The world is a worse place without her. :-(Dave # posted by : 9/2/07 11:05 AM
Well said my tuxedoed friend.
what is stopping anyone from making a Wiki page in her memory?
A penguin from outside says Yo, what you and Dave said. |
About Me
I am a black and white and yellow multicolored penguin making his way as best he can in a world of monochromic monkeys. ArchivesApril 2004 / December 2004 / January 2005 / February 2005 / March 2005 / April 2005 / May 2005 / June 2005 / July 2005 / August 2005 / September 2005 / October 2005 / November 2005 / December 2005 / January 2006 / February 2006 / March 2006 / April 2006 / May 2006 / June 2006 / July 2006 / August 2006 / September 2006 / October 2006 / November 2006 / December 2006 / January 2007 / February 2007 / March 2007 / April 2007 / May 2007 / June 2007 / July 2007 / August 2007 /
Cost of the War in Iraq
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"Keep fighting for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce." -- Molly Ivins, 1944-2007
"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."
-- Plato
Are you a spammer? Then send mail to my spamtrack mailbox to get permenantly banned! Remember, that's iamstupid@badtux.org (hehehhe!).
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