I’m a native Iowan with three children and three ex-husbands. The kids are great!! My first husband was Air Force, my second husband was Army, and my third husband was Palestinian. So I’m at least vaguely familiar with war and policies in the Middle East.
During the first Gulf War, my husband was deployed to Saudi Arabia/Iraq/Kuwait. I was a Department of the Army employee at an APO in Germany. As most of our post was deployed, I handled lots and lots of mail from the gulf . My ex-husband developed Gulf War Syndrome. I, of course, didn't. The government said so. Yet some days I could walk, and other days I didn’t have enough motor control to stand upright. It was at that point I began to research Bush Administration policies.
Since the Patriot Act, I’ve done my best to convince everyone who will listen that Bush’s “course” is leading to a bad place. No one was willing to listen then. Nearly six years later, they’re still pumping up the war machine and infringing upon individual rights. A noticeable number of people have begun to question the justification. Thank goodness. I am a little impatient about the amount of time it’s taking to leave the cave, but every day there are fewer people watching the shadows on the wall. There is hope. The tide has turned in the war for hearts and minds.
Operation Desert Storm, Part MMIII didn’t become personal for me until my oldest son joined the Air Force and was sent to the Persian Gulf. It’s more than a little hard for me to take. I’m the kind of mom that forced my children to read John Locke. Our favorite travel song was “Billy, Don’t be a Hero.” Where did I go wrong??? He’s now doing the same job my natural father did for twenty years. I think it was all those AF/beer truck stories!
I did all I could to convince him this isn’t 1963, but well, what’s done is done. All I can do is hope for the best—and try to change the world.
A good doctor from Texas, Dr. William Rea, helped me regain the ability to walk. When I heard another good doctor from Texas speaking of liberty at the first Republican debate, my jaw dropped. What is it with Texas docs? This is great stuff! Liberty was the LAST thing I expected to hear. Heck, I stopped doing dishes and sat down in front of the tv to listen. He seemed to be speaking as a free man instead of an aspiring superman. Wowsers. Where did this guy come from?!?!?!
In June, I went to the Des Moines rally to see for myself. At this point in my life, I’m a skeptic. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. I am completely unwilling to compromise. I vote because it is my duty as a citizen. I refuse to betray my own best interest by voting for evils—even if it is the lesser of two. In the last presidential election, I wrote in “No Confidence.” I pondered the lesser-known candidates, but honestly, I had no confidence in our election process. I voted my conscience. Dr. Paul restores my confidence.
Win or lose, I’m in. The die is cast. There’s no turning back.
