Imagine.... Marine Dad Banned

I was negligent on my blogging. I fully intended to blog about this.

I read this story on Catholic Exchange the first time, and intended to write my thoughts, but didn't. Eventually, I closed the window it was in, and forgot about it. Today, I then got an email about this situation, and wish that I had drawn attention to it sooner.

Imagine having served this country for 25 yrs as a Marine.

Imagine that part of that service was two tours in Vietnam.

Imagine (should not be hard) that part of the reason for your sevice was your devotion to the country you serve, and its guaranteed rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Among those rights are freedom of speech/expression.

Imagine that you fought for everyone's right, including those who protested the War that you fought TWO times in your career--including the rights of a future Presidential candidate, Senator Kerry, who denigrated your service over there...including those who protest today... including those who hate our country for whatever reason.

Jesse Nieto, US Marine (ret) Vietnam Vet,
Gold Star Father

Imagine having a son enter the military service.

Imagine getting word one day about that son, and 16 of his shipmates, all killed in a terrorist attack against the very ship that they served on.

It's name... the USS COLE.

The date...Oct 12, 2000.

Imagine attending your own son's funeral at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, and remember that this is a Federal cemetery.

Imagine that after retiring from your own military service, you've worked as civilian employee at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina since 1994.
Imagine that you have had various signs on your car commemorating your son, his ship, etc since the action that took his life.
Imagine that some of those signs are meant to remind us all of WHO killed your son and his 16 shipmates (one from WISCONSIN, just a short time before he was coming home to his family!)

And now, imagine being ordered to remove them from your vehicle, and later, after refusing to do so, being forbidden to drive that vehicle on ANY Federal Installations (including where your son is buried).....

Don't think it can happen here? Well, it has.

OH...and before I forget...the reason that I feel especially sad that I did not blog about this sooner... the one from Wisconsin??

Marc Ian Nieto, SON of this Marine who is first ordered to remove the 'offensive material' from his vehicle, and now.... ordered not to drive it onto any Federal installation...including to where his son, who died in the service of his country at the hands of Islamic Terrorists... is buried.

Marc Ian Nieto, 24

May he rest in peace, and may his Dad--and ANY American--continue to have the rights to express themselves (peacefully) that Marc (and SO MANY OTHERS) while in service to his country, died to protect.
Read about him, and his shipmates here.

The attack on the USS Cole was, IMHO, an act of War. There IS an enemy out there, who has been attacking us for many years.

No one has earned a right to have those decals on his vehicle WHEREVER he takes that vehicle more than Jesse Nieto, Nam Vet, US Marine (ret), and Gold Star Father and others in his shoes.

Shame on those who want to take away his right to do so!

God bless!