It seemed almost surreal.
Then came my reality check, delivered with all the politeness of a French waiter. Carol Short, who has been a good friend to not only me, but many others here at DSP, wrote us to let us know her nephew was shipping out for Iraq. He was headed to a place that claimed young American lives on a daily basis.
Funny how quickly your priorities can change. Suddenly, all of this seemed somehow less important, as if though all the hard work done had fallen under a shadow. A friend was going to send her family off, possibly to never see him again.
It really set me to thinking. The more I rolled it around in my head, the more I began to understand something. My feelings that DSP had suddenly fallen a few rungs in significance were wrong, and in many ways, did nothing to support either Carol, her nephew, or anyone else.
It took me a bit to really get my head around it, but it's like this. The simple fact that Digital Syn Publishing exists at all is due to the noble and selfless actions of men and women just like those serving in our military today. It's existence should stand as a testament to what they do now.
When this great nation of ours was founded, our ancestors fought and died for the right to be free, to live in a world where they would not be threatened or killed because of what they believed in. Sure, taxes and thus, money, played a roll, but it doesn't change what those men wrote on the Declaration of Independence. It does not, will not, and should not lessen the basic concepts of freedom and liberty they expressed that day.
Because of them, and all those who have followed in their footsteps, right up until today, myself and the others involved in founding DSP, had the right and the freedom to do so.
We live in a nation founded on the principles of life, liberty, and justice for all. My rights, my freedoms, my liberties, all taken for granted for so many years now, have finally come home to me. I understand now, like never before, what it really means to live in America, and what it really means to have another fight, and die, so that I can live the way I do.
Politics come and go with each new administration. Government corruption will always exist. The wealthy will always seek to get wealthier. These are constants, and unavoidable. We do not live in a perfect world, but I feel we do live in the best part of the world we have. I would not choose to live anywhere else but here, especially now that I truly understand what it means.
The men and women who are serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and everywhere else in this imperfect world of ours, are risking their lives right now so I can sit here, at my desk, and run an upstart little e-book publishing company. They fight for me personally. They fight for my rights, my freedoms, and my future.
Many people say we have no business in Iraq. I disagree with them. If I may be so bold as to borrow from one of our great master storytellers, With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility. We have a duty to protect freedom. We have an obligation to put down tyranny. We have a responsibility to safeguard basic liberties for all those who deserve them.
Politics be damned. Anywhere people are having their freedoms with held from them, we have the obligation to go there and do whatever we must to put a stop to it. How can we really see it any different?
Some may say that I am naive. Perhaps I am. Better that than to not care.
I could easily live in a place where the military takes away my freedoms. I could easily live in a place where I would be shot for writing the stories that I do, much less for publishing the work that DSP does. I could easily live in a place where I had no hope, no future, and no way to defend myself from my own government.
But I don't.
To the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, I say this; Thank you. You are the true heroes of this imperfect world. The shining examples of selflessness and justice we all should be looking to these days. You, each of you, personally made Digital Syn Publishing a possibility. Without you, this world would be a dark and terrible place.
I have little to give besides these words. The ability to write what I feel was the one great talent given me in life. I sincerely hope that they are enough, for to me, even now, they only poorly convey how proud you all make me feel.
I salute you. DSP salutes you.
Come home safe. We'll be waiting for you when you do.
Tommy Stoned
Head of Digital Syn Publishing
- Edmund Burke
