VALLEY PATRIOT EDITRIAL
December, 2005
Each month the Valley Patriot honors Veterans of the U.S. military who fought for this country at great personal risk and tremendous personal sacrifice.
Normally, we prefer to use the limited space within this newspaper to showcase the great bravery and selfless dedication our veterans have exhibited for the safety of our nation and the rest of the world.
We call our monthly feature “Heroes in Our Midst.”
And normally we wouldn’t waste a drop of ink giving American traitors and terrorist appeasers the publicity that they so desperately seek. But, this month we break with our usual policy.
For the past two weeks, newly elected Lawrence School Committeeman Martina Cruz has been actively promoting a deserter named Camilo Mejia.
According to the fliers Ms. Cruz has been circulating, former staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia joined the U.S. Army to get the benefits of a free college education. Shortly after being assigned to fight terrorism in Iraq, however, Mejia deserted his post and refused to return to duty. He spent a year in prison and is now making the lecture circuit.
Mejia now gives aid and comfort to the terrorists by promoting the myth that our troops are in Iraq to torture civilians, abuse prisoners and engage in a war that he calls “illegal and immoral.”
He does not put the misdeeds of a few in context, but instead twists them to smear his country and undermine its efforts to defeat terrorism. Wednesday Camilo spoke at the Lawrence library at an event sponsored by a terrorist appeasement group called “United for Justice with Peace” and “Merrimack Valley People for Peace.” Two groups that see the United States as the source of evil in the world and not dictators and terrorists such as Saddam Hussein or Usama bin Laden.
We find it disturbing that Mejia has received a heroes welcome by anyone in the Merrimack Valley, especially on Spanish language radio by “Latino” immigrants who should be grateful that they are now living in a country where young Americans are willing to fight around the world so that all Americans can live here in comfort and freedom.
Mejia is no hero! His actions verge on treason, he has ignored his obligation to the U.S. Army and now he tours the nation spreading the terrorist’s propaganda about our brave American troops (and their mission to defeat terrorists) – the same rhetoric used by the defenders of Usama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
Shame on Camilo Mejia and shame on Martina Cruz for promoting him as a hero when he should be condemned for his betrayal of our country and its ideals.