California has now reached the place where satire is no longer possible. Irish priest Jonathan Swift’s satire “A Modest Proposal” written in 1729 suggested that the problem of overpopulation in Ireland be solved by deporting Irish babies to be eaten to solve the famine problem elsewhere. What would Swift write about if the British Parliament had already enacted a law permitting cannibalism?
This must be the dilemma faced by Rick Reyes of Bell Gardens, an Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran, who, believe it or not, on Memorial Day, believes it is important to remember those who have died in foreign wars by proposing to “Save the San Gabriel Mountains.” Reyes is a member of Vet Voice Foundation of California, yet another non-profit agency most likely taking money from the babies of taxpayers by hitting politicians up for donations. http://www.vetvoicefoundation.org/
Pray tell, are the San Gabriel Mountains about to vanish and thus need saving? And from what do they need saved especially when every few years a wild fire destroys much of its vegetation? And why would you want to save the San Gabriel’s from wild fires when that provides so much employment to fire fighters, some of whom have been found to start such fires to keep their political sinecures? The fire fighters might not like you "saving" the San Gabriel's.
I give Reyes and his Vet Voice Foundation credit however for an ingenious way to hit up the wealthy gentry that live along the beautiful San Gabriel foothills to keep their non-profit veterans organization alive. How many non-profit foundations do we have already protecting the San Gabriel’s? Pasadena has 1,000 non-profits including the Arroyo Seco Foundation.
Only in postmodern California could the Iraq-Afghan Wars be blended in some mysterious way with saving open space into a single cause. The postmodern mind wants everything merged into a Mystic Matrix. The linking of such feel good causes as open space preservation and adopt-a-veteran is a blend of Blue Collar patriotism and Green activism. Call it the "Greening of the Post-Iraq War Veteran's Mind."
But, Rick, what is the implied message in your guest editorial? Might your guest editorial be misconstrued to mean that if all those wealthy gentry living along the San Gabriel’s don’t support your nonprofit that Iraq-Afghan War vets just might use their skills at using flame-throwers acquired in the military and ignite some forest fires? What a great implied message to send on Memorial Day! For sure, I will never forget such a message.
Yes, we have many unemployed veterans that have returned from wars fought in the Middle East. They need jobs for sure. But veteran's organizations advocating open space preservation on Memorial Day is right out of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” or maybe the website “The Onion.” Let’s not forget our veterans who have returned from still ongoing wars. They need jobs. But on Memorial Day let’s forget the proposal to “Save the San Gabriel’s” and save that for another day like Earth Day or Nonsense Day. The memory of those lost fighting foreign wars is too painful to cheapen it by linking it with some ecological cause to preserve the views of the wealthy living along the foothills.
I would rather have been spat on returning from the unpopular Viet Nam War than remembered on Memorial Day by advocating the silly preservation of the mountains. Let's not trivialize Memorial Day.
And I must give credit to the Pasadena Star New editorial staff for vetting this guest editorial. What a stroke of marketing genius! Just think of all the hit counts online from Pasadena Greenies reading about a veteran's organization in Blue Collar Bell Gardens? You can reach two markets in one editorial! Let's call it "Postmodern" editing.
Semper Fi! ("Always Faithful!) Or is it now Semper Fry? ("Always Fearful?")
Wayne Lusvardi is a Viet Nam War vet - apparently the last modern war fought before "Postmodern" warfare.
Note: You can read Mr. Reyes’ guest column here:
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_18166296
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