Eyes Wide Open Brain Completely Closed

The Gwinnett Citizens for Peace have arranged for the display of an Empty Boots exhibit in front of the Snellville City Hall, these displays are meant to some how show support for our soldiers and also make a political statement against the war. You can read about this event here:

But in an effort to reduce traffic to their site I will excerpt some of the post here:

The post states:

[We] hope you can make time for these two inspiring political events during the next ten days before we take a little personal time for the holidays.
Special December Iraq Moratorium Event:
Thurs., Dec. 20, 4–6 pm
Eyes Wide Open: Cost of War to Georgia

Display of over 100 pairs of empty combat boots symbolizing U. S. soldiers from Georgia killed in the Iraq War and Occupation with a ceremony recognizing U.S. military and Iraqi deaths. Come see this moving exhibit recognizing the U.S. and Iraq loss of life and support our peace and justice organizer-friends in Gwinnett.

Snellville City Hall in Gwinnett County
2342 Oak Road, Snellville, GA 30078 at the intersection with Hwy 78
Just 35 minutes from Atlanta straight east on Hwy 78 (Stone Mt.
Expressway)!

Sponsors: Gwinnett Citizens for Peace, DeKalb Citizens for Peace ,American Friends Service Committee, and Georgia Peace & Justice Coalition.

For more information:
Dorothy Shaw shawdot1@bellsouth.net 770-922-9293
Christina Repoley crepoley@afsc.org 404-561-7903

Now before some moonbat gets up in arms about me posting someone's personal contact information in an open blog post, if you decide to follow the link to their misguided site, you'll see, I'm only reposting what they have already posted. If they are concerned about someone contacting them, then they should have taken the trouble to hide or protect their information better.

Mr Stokely responds to this group by sending this email:

[T]his group has a traveling exhibit of combat boots symbolizing the fallen Georgia soldiers and it is, as they say in their own article, a political event. Obviously, the intent of this traveling exhibit is not to honor our fallen soldiers, but to glamorize this group's own agenda, which they claim is predicated on peace. Certainly, they seem to hope this exhibit will help them increase their membership numbers in 08'.

These "Friends" are those of the Quaker religion and I find it a paradox that they gladly politicize the death of these soldiers so they can ram their free and religious speech down our throats at Christmas, of all times. Christmas is a time for family to rejoice the birth Jesus, and the message of hope his birth brought to the world. For our family, like many others, it is tough enough rejoicing when it is evident that our loss is still ever fresh. Just yesterday, I sat at Mike's grave, early on Sunday morning, and placed a Christmas arrangement on his grave. I trimmed the grass that even in the drought and now frigid cold, was trying to grow around his grave marker. As these "Friends" want to open "our" eyes to the cost of war, I need no such help. I have Mike's actual combat boots with his dog tag still on his left boot lace and the memory of his answer to my question why it was there, "Dad, where we are going guys get blown apart and this helps them get us "back together...."; We live with hearts that never let us wander far from the blunt reality of what we have lost. It is insensitive to say the least that this group has picked this time of the year to do this. But then, that is "politics", right? I am saddened by the irony that Snellville, Georgia, as much as it did for Mike Stokely and our family, now allows their city hall to be the display point of this political message. And the paradox I spoke of is that this makes use for its own political purpose free speech they are about to use in such an insensitive way only because such freedom was purchased with the tremendous sacrifice of so many who have given so much, and some, who gave their very life.

We often hear that Freedom isn't free. Well the truth is that Freedom is free if you don't have to do anything but take advantage of it, as these "Friends" are going to do. For the families whose fallen soldiers they will trade upon to make their free speech political point, we have paid a lifetime of love so they can have the privilege of poking us, and our fallen loved one, in the eye at Christmas.

Robert Stokely
proud dad SGT Mike Stokely
KIA 16 AUG 05 near Yusufiyah Iraq
E 108 CAV 48th BCT GAARNG

I don't think I can add anything else, at least not which can be said in polite company.