Today’s Must-Read Essay

Cassandra has nailed it today.

So the next time you hear a lot of overheated pontification about how our precious freedoms are being eroded by the Bush administration, the Patriot Act, or the war in Iraq, ask yourself this question: precisely what is the speaker willing to give up to guarantee those freedoms for future generations? Which of his precious rights will he give up in service to a greater good? Which of his luxuries?
I can almost guarantee you the answer will be: not one damn thing.
Ask yourself a second question: what has the speaker risked by saying what he or she just said? Again, the answer is clear: despite all the blather, absolutely nothing.
When is the last time a big Hollywood star like George Clooney was sent to Guantanamo Bay for making a movie like Syriana? His “speaking truth to power” cost him exactly nothing. Contrast his “courage” with the unbelievable bravery on display every day at Walter Reed Hospital, where our combat wounded face painful and debilitating injuries with a fortitude Mr. Clooney can’t even begin imagine. That’s a power he can’t begin to speak truth to: the indomitable power of the human spirit when it believes in something more enduring than simple self-interest.

She writes of the Death of Honor, of sheeps and sheepdogs, and of selfishness and demands without appreciation or sacrifice.

Please take your first break today to read the whole thing. It is brilliant writing.

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