Spent four days in Colorado last week. Add four more days to the thirtysome years of personal history with that state.While it was great as always to see relatives and friends,and of course admire those Rocky Mountains,there was a more important reason to be there this time.
You see last year,my daughter Rose made a decision to join the U.S. Army. In January,she went away to basic training,and this was her first time back home since her enlistment.
I think there comes a time in every parent's life when a child does something just about opposite of what you would do. My parents ,while being politically liberal, socially had the conservative values of most middle class parents of the era and they had to endure seeing me take my 3.8 grade point average,and nearly full college scholarship off to a commune in Alaska's Matanuska Valley!
I refused to play Army as a kid. It set me apart from all the neighborhood kids. When I was in 7th grade,my parents suspected I might be a pot smoking hippie when I spent my weekends leafleting on behalf of that poet and anti war Senator from Minnesota Eugene McCarthy. It was still a few years from 7th grade before I saw marijuana for the first time,but if being a hippie meant having peace as a core value,they were absolutely right. The anti war themes in Richie Havens' "Handsome Johnny",Country Joe McDonald's "Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die",and Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant influenced my countercultural direction before marijuana did.
With that type of background,the LAST thing you would think a child of mine would do would be joining the Army. Rose is in the Army now.
That new reality was made quite clear when I first arrived..Due to Army related business she had to attend to,it was two days before finally getting to see her.
I can say this: both Rose and I both possess a strong independent streak,and a hard core determination once our minds are made up. She believes she has made the right choice for herself and is proud to be serving. I am proud that my daughter is her own person.
Rose's unit is scheduled to be deployed to Iraq. (If you've been led to believe we're winding down in Iraq,guess again..)
Since Rose's stint in the Army began, the question has been asked of me how do I manage when this decision of hers to enlist seemingly goes against the core of my being? Any parent worth their salt is going to love and care for their child..that goes without saying,and in supporting her,I don't have to go against my values at all because as a peace loving parent,now this stuff about war becomes personal and any parent worth their salt is going to do whatever they can to keep their child out of harm's way.
Now I have friends across the political spectrum,and I remember how some of you reacted four years ago when I chose to support Ron Paul for President. I'm just letting you know I'm doing it again,and this time it's even more personal than it was four years ago. You might disagree with me,but I ask those of you who do to respect it as a parent doing his best to protect his child from harm. Ron Paul,like myself does not want to see our troops engaged in an overseas conflict that has nothing to do with the security interests of the United States,in fact harms it. I might also add that while she serves,she shouldn't have to worry about her Dad back home possibly being criminalized for the use of a plant that has inspired the writing of his plays,poetry and spoken word material,is part of his spiritual practice,and has been an integral medicine in his ongoing fight against cancer. Electing Ron Paul as President would go a long way in addressing those concerns.
Don't know when the next visit to Colorado will be,I've long given up on predicting the future,but I sure do hope that in one of those visits Rose will be there,safe and sound.
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