As some of you may know, one of my sons serves in
the military. He is still stateside, here in California.
He called me yesterday to let me know how warm and welcoming people were to him, and his troops, everywhere he goes, telling me how people shake their
hands, and thank them for being willing to serve, and fight, for not
only our own freedoms but so that others may have them also.
But he also told me about an incident in the grocery
store he stopped at yesterday, on his way home from the base. He said
that ahead of several people in front of him stood a woman dressed
in a burkha. He said when she got to the cashier she loudly remarked
about the US flag lapel pin the cashier wore on her smock.
The cashier reached up and touched the pin, and said
proudly,"yes, I always wear it and I probably always will."
The woman in the burkha then asked the cashier when
she was going to stop bombing her countrymen, explaining that she was
Iraqi.
A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward,
putting his arm around my son's shoulders, and nodding towards my
son, said in a calm and gentle voice to the Iraqi woman: "Lady, hundreds
of thousands of men and women like this young man have fought and died so
that YOU could stand here, in MY country and accuse a check-out
cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen. It is my belief that had you been this
outspoken in YOUR own country, we wouldn't need to be there today. But,
hey, if you have now learned how to speak out so loudly and clearly, I'll
gladly buy you a ticket and pay your way back to Iraq so you can
straighten out the mess in YOUR country that you are obviously here in MY
country to avoid."
Everyone within hearing distance cheered. Pass it
on....
.....
.....