Speaking Up for My Brother
Well, it’s happened again. I found yet another retelling of my brother’s life online. They also include a transcript of the source material. The new format lends an extra air of credibility to this essentially false story. So, I’ve finally taken the next step—asking the distributor to withdraw the CD and MP3 about my brother. I’ve also emailed the organization with the online article. (For background, see earlier post, “Tabloid Thinking.)
The ball is in their court. I’m not sure how they will react to someone telling them that their inspirational story about martyrdom in Cambodia is essentially false. I wish I could help them with the real story, but it wouldn’t serve their purposes. Brian was no big sinner, no martyr, just a typical young person who was trying to sort things out but ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
That doesn’t mitigate the tragedy of his death. I still miss my brother. I just don’t want to support false witness against him. I’ll be posting some poems I’ve written about Brian. I hope that anyone who has lost a loved one, especially if the death was not fully resolved, can find some consolation in them.
(BTW, thanks for everyone who is reading these posts about the “heavier” side of my life. “Cowbag clover” means the downside and the upside of life over fifty—so much to work through and resolve, and yet so much to be grateful for. I prefer to write about joyful and goofy things, but that’s just part of the story. My brother was pretty goofy, though, so I promise more goofy posts soon, including “evil oatmeal,” bwa-ha-ha.)