SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 06: A Tea Party protester holds a sign during a demonstration outside of a fundraiser for U.S. President Barack Obama on June 6, 2012 in San Francisco, California. Hundreds of spectators and protesters gathered outside of two fundraisers for Barack Obama during a four hour trip to San Francisco where he earned $2 million for his campaign. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Sixty-eight years ago today, some 150,000 Allied troops dramatically and in unprecedented fashion, invaded the beaches of Normandy, France in what turned out to be the pivotal turning point that marked the beginning of the end of World War II.
June 6, 1944, “D-Day” was the largest military amphibious invasion in the history of the world and was executed by land, sea, and air with the total operation ultimately costing over 12,000 Allied casualties.
It is a day marked by immense human tragedy and yet also highlights unparalleled bravery and heroism that should never be forgotten by any American or American leader.
So why then, has President Obama once again blatantly ignored this historic day, by scheduling absolutely no speeches or anything remotely significant to remember or commemorate the day? While Obama did give a speech back in 2009 on the 65th anniversary of D-Day, he has since ignored D-Day for the past three consecutive years – 2010, 2011 and now, 2012.
What could possibly be so time-consuming that he couldn’t take even five minutes to address the nation using todays instantly accessible communication tools that he and his campaign and administration are so fond of? There were no emails, tweets, You Tube Videos, Facebook posts, TV interviews on “The View”, nothing. In fact, the only mention of D-Day on the official White House website, is a vanilla re-post of his 2009 speech and a commentary “From the archives”. To make matters worse, that website posting isn’t even located in a prominent position. The post is located below the ‘fold’ buried near the bottom among several other posts. Is this really the best that President Obama and his team he can do? Or, has D-Day been ignored on purpose every year since 2009?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t require much research to understand that President Obama was far too busy today to acknowledge D-Day this year, because he is fully engulfed in protecting his own political interests on the west coast, with having to attend multiple campaign fundraisers in California and to promote dozens of other parties around the country.
As an example, in the past week alone, I have personally received dozens of emails purportedly from candidate Obama and his supporters urging me to donate at least $3 to his campaign to have a chance to win a fully paid trip for 2 to a Obama fundraiser and dinner party hosted at Hollywood elite Sarah Jessica Parker’s home in New York City. Clearly with all of this fundraising and partying going on, he and his team simply do not have the time to recognize the sacrifice of our parents and grandparents on a day unmatched in human history.
While President Obama has once again ignored the importance of June 6th to our country and the world, we have not forgotten. And many voters will not soon forget come the November election, either.
Ira Pickett 