A Tribute & Silence

One thing is troubling me that I did not blog about at the time. What just brought it to mind was watching the Republican Convention tribute to Petty Officer Michael Monsoor, the SEAL recently awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. He died after he fell on a grenade, protecting his comrades in arms. His life and his death had tremendous meaning. His legacy will be an example to every soldier, sailor and marine wearing the uniform or who signs up to do so.

Petty Officer Monsoor's parents were in attendance at the convention. The tribute to him was moving indeed and engendered loud applause at the convention.

It brought to mind the acceptance speech of Joe Biden at last week's Democratic Convention. He started into his speech and was giving the preamble. The crowd was applauding loudly, until he said the line:

And I am truly honored -- I am truly honored to live in a country with the bravest warriors in the world.

My hat is off to Joe Biden for mentioning our soldiers in his speech, and doing so in a setting that portrayed them as something other than victims in need of more government handouts. But the crowd was confused. Their applause dropped off significantly. A few applauded. Clearly Biden was nonplussed, but then continued on.

When I listened to the tribute to Petty Officer Monsoor tonight, I was deeply moved. And then I immediately thought of the attendees present for Biden's speech. And I really am left wondering, what is wrong with these people?