An unfulfilled duty to our soldiers

Gilroy Dispatch, Monday, June 06, 2005
Dear Editor,
In the wake of this Memorial Day, I was reminded of the duties that all Americans have toward you, our soldiers in the field. I was especially struck and with the sense of that duty after being reminded of the huge concerns that we continue to have toward this destructive war in Iraq.

The truth is that we had a duty to you that we did not fulfill. We failed to speak out in sufficient numbers to turn the tide and prevent this destructive war. We who knew the truth about this war bore a higher burden of responsibility than those who bought the lies. Some of us tried harder than others, risking jail and loss of jobs and scorn of family members, but most of us remained silent. Simply put, we were afraid. We were afraid of what people would think of us. We were afraid of their power to damage us - afraid they would think we were unpatriotic, that we hated America, that we loved the terrorists; in short, that the criticism leveled against all dissenters of conscience might stick.

We certainly didn