Vietnam Memorial on Capital Grounds

      Soldiers for this country of ours are some of the greatest heroes anyone can look up to. They fight, bleed, suffer, and die for our country. Why should we not see them as heroes?
      One man by The name of Alan Erwin has started a movement to have a monument erected on Texas capital grounds. He is trying to convince those that were against that war to reconsider there views and not confuse the war with a warrior. Whether the cause of that war a number of years ago was just, the men and women who died during that war should be honored and commemorated for their service and the blood they shed for our country. He States that several state officials already give it support, including Governor Rick Perry and Lt. Governor David Dewhurst. Other supporters include state Senator Juan Hinojosa and state Representative Wayne Smith who both happen to be Vietnam war veterans. This dream of his is becoming a reality through the support of the people and the Texas Historical Commission. It is also spreading through newspapers websites and by word of mouth, because of sponsors and editorials such as this the movement for this memorial will hopefully become a reality soon. I can in no way see a single person denying that those Texans that died during the Vietnam war deserve recognition for the loss of their lives in that event in history. However we are given the right of free speech in this country and to each his own, despite moral standings that may be obvious to some.

A Politician's Voice

     We all know that politics takes a certain amount of pandering to public viewing. In order to make the politicians seem more appealing and therefore worthy of the everyday man's support the politicians must talk directly to the sources that will give them the most votes. Governor Perry give a prime example of this when he spoke publicly at an evangelical college. Yes it is necessary in a campaign of this magnitude to cover all bases but to change a demeanor of public speaking is an ethically questionable move.
     The article states that Perry spoke more as a preacher than as a politician. I may be wrong, but it is in my opinion that politics and religion should remain separate. Not to say that the Governor shouldn't have spoken in this particular venue, but only that Perry should have retained his political demeanor and remained on the political side of things instead of differing to his audience and speaking in a fashion that they would both sympathize with and support.
     I'm not a huge fan of politics as it is but when a politician is able to switch from speaking style to speaking style, as a snake switching from skin to skin, and not remain true to one voice this has a disturbing effect on me. Call me strange if you will.