It is one thing to be courageous or brave in the face of danger, however it is entirely different to stand up for and fight for your country in a time of war. This is a tribute to every soldier, of any nation, who has fought or died defending their country and freedom, and who has gone across vast oceans to protect and liberate other countries. While the intentions of the wars have been skewed, misunderstood or corrupted, we will always know that within your hearts you did it for the best of the world. Such bravery and sacrifice one cannot even imagine without experiencing it. To every man and woman who has given life, limb, blood, sweat or tears, you are worthy of more than a single day of remembrance or a single monument. You are worthy of the blessing of immortality in our hearts and souls, to be respected and honored…and missed. You are worthy of true remembrance and the undying affection and appreciation of your countrymen for all you have sacrificed and risked in the efforts of creating a better world. The world has to know your sacrifices as soldiers and families, a true tribute telling your story, more than the mere 5 minute coverage you receive in the news.

The immature and ridiculously sentimental attitude the world has shown a single pop star is bewildering to me. Suddenly the rest of the world has halted at one man’s death, ignoring the lives lost elsewhere. Whether you hated him, or loved him, whether you saw him as a musical icon that donated millions towards hunger, HIV prevention, hospitals, and children, or simply saw him as a musician, dancer, or a confused individual…he remains human. Such awe and fascination at his death for days on end of coverage and glorification has become absolutely revolting. The media and people of the world suddenly drown themselves in the life and death of a single man who, while he may have helped many, had a troubled and unnerving life and reputation, sacrificed little more than money and fame compared to the lives sacrificed by hundreds of thousands of soldiers and families around the world. His reputation and his music will remain for the world to see and hear and read about, but the soldiers who have lost limbs, obtained scars not merely in the physical sense, died, lost loved ones and still took up arms to stand for freedom…these people, these limbs, these memories will never be replaced. These families and soldiers will be scarred or missing something or someone that might possibly to them have completed who they were as a person, for the rest of their lives.

How dare we, as a country, as a world, halt time itself in mass glorification of a single person, at the cost of remembering many. How many soldiers have been titled as MIA or KIA, or had their lives drastically changed by injury, and the next day the world moved on. Why is it that one singer has a week dedicated to nothing else but him, with the one exception of another entire day’s worth of broadcasting being spent for a pitchman. It seems to me that we as a nation, as a world…and more importantly, our politicians like Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, who are so up in arms right now focusing their time in Congress attempting to pass a resolution calling for the “honoring (of) an American legend and musical icon.” Why is this matter so much more important than the many others plaguing our country right now? The economy, the war, our soldiers, our own people working day in and day out, the children and education system, these are all second on the “To Do” list of individuals like Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, and all of the focus and priority right now is this one man.

If there’s anything that needs to be fixed and changed right now it’s the government and the media. It’s time to make them understand it is we, as a nation, they serve or are the voices of and that the priorities that would help many people, and honor many people, are more important than those of just one man.