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Veterans' Day
2013-11-11 08:16 amDad never talked about his experiences in WWII. I found out from his obituary that he had run radar operations in England.
(eta) Thanks, Dad
August 6, 1945
2011-08-06 09:32 amAtomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Wikipedia Peace Song. Cranes over Hiroshima by Jim Couza - YouTube sudako and the paper cranes - YouTube Thousand Cranes- Hiroshima - YouTube Bells of Sadako and her 1000 paper cranes - YouTube (instrumental, with text recounting the story in the comments.) Sadako Sasaki - Wikipedia Thousand origami cranes - Wikipedia
OMG! Navy Calls MySpace Kids "Alien Life Force" (And They Hate the War, Too)
To answer the question in my title, "not much." The Iraq war means that the military can no longer pretend to be merely a place to work with good pay, on-the-job training, and benefits. The GI Bill, that put my Dad through grad school at Columbia, has been gutted to the point where it can hardly pay for four years at a state college. And you might actually be shipped off to someplace unpleasant for an interminable war that was started under false pretenses by Bush and his gang of greedy, cynicalsycophants handlers puppet masters.
I could say something about the Vietnam here, but I think I'll pass except to say that they'll probably have to bring back the draft if they want to get us into another war any time soon.
The MySpace generation is a "somewhat alien life force," a Navy recruiting presentation contends -- with a language and lifestyle that's almost unrecognizable to adults. And because the kids are such "coddled," "narcissistic praise junkies," they'll be beyond tough to bring into the military. Propensity to join the armed forces among these so-called "millennials" has dropped to as little as 3%; that's down from 26% in 2001.(From BoingBoing.)
Entropic Memes uncovered the bleak, often unintentionally hilarious report from the Annual Navy Workforce Research and Analysis Conference, which also glumly notes that the Iraq war has brutalized recruiting efforts. Up to two-thirds of millennials are "less likely to join the military" because of the war, according to the presentation.
To answer the question in my title, "not much." The Iraq war means that the military can no longer pretend to be merely a place to work with good pay, on-the-job training, and benefits. The GI Bill, that put my Dad through grad school at Columbia, has been gutted to the point where it can hardly pay for four years at a state college. And you might actually be shipped off to someplace unpleasant for an interminable war that was started under false pretenses by Bush and his gang of greedy, cynical
I could say something about the Vietnam here, but I think I'll pass except to say that they'll probably have to bring back the draft if they want to get us into another war any time soon.
Bush Takes Blame for Mistakes in Iraq - washingtonpost.com
Usually loath to admit error, Bush said it also was a mistake to have allowed American forces to be restricted by the Iraqi government, which tried to prevent U.S. military operations against fighters controlled by the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a powerful political ally of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The president said al-Maliki had assured him that "political or sectarian interference will not be tolerated."
After nearly four years of bloody combat, the speech was perhaps Bush's last credible chance to try to present a winning strategy in Iraq and persuade Americans to change their minds about the unpopular war, which has cost the lives of more than 3,000 members of the U.S. military as well as more than $400 billion.
Bush's approach amounts to a huge gamble on al-Maliki's willingness _ and ability _ to deliver on promises he has consistently failed to keep: to disband Shiite militias, pursue national reconciliation and make good on commitments for Iraqi forces to handle security operations in Baghdad.
Why am I not particularly surprised?
2007-01-10 06:24 pmSo, the Shrub just finished his speech. But I don't recall him mentioning the fact that apparently the surge has apparently already begun. I expected the surge, but I thought he'd have the guts to admit it.
11-11 11:11
2006-11-11 11:27 amIt's exactly 11:11 now. At the eleventh hour of the eleventh month in 1918, the guns fell silent after the bloodletting of World War I. When I was young this was called Armistice Day; now it's celebrated as Rememberence Day in some places, and as Veteran's Day in the US. It's a day to remember and thank and praise the ones who served, and still serve; the reasons they went aren't important.
Dad served in WWII, defending Britain as part of what later became the US Air Force. He never talked about it that I can remember.
Boing Boing: Iraq invasion sim from 1999 warned of problems
A secret US wargame called "Desert Crossing" produced during the Clinton era showed that an invasion and post-war presence in Iraq would require around 400,000 troops -- about three times the number of troops stationed there now. Even with those resources, according to simulation output, the mission could result in chaos.Why am I not surprised. (Article includes a link to "Post-Saddam Iraq: The War Game," released November 4, 2006 at George Washington University's National Security online document archives.)
The anti-war song meme:
2006-03-29 09:32 pm(Seen all over, most recently in ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
katster's journal.)
When you see this, post an anti-war song in your journal.
Bob Dylan: Masters of War
Come you masters of war You that build all the guns You that build the death planes You that build the big bombs You that hide behind walls You that hide behind desks I just want you to know I can see through your masks You that never done nothin' But build to destroy You play with my world Like it's your little toy You put a gun in my hand And you hide from my eyes And you turn and run farther When the fast bullets fly Like Judas of old You lie and deceive A world war can be won You want me to believe But I see through your eyes And I see through your brain Like I see through the water That runs down my drain You fasten the triggers For the others to fire Then you set back and watch When the death count gets higher You hide in your mansion As young people's blood Flows out of their bodies And is buried in the mud You've thrown the worst fear That can ever be hurled Fear to bring children Into the world For threatening my baby Unborn and unnamed You ain't worth the blood That runs in your veins How much do I know To talk out of turn You might say that I'm young You might say I'm unlearned But there's one thing I know Though I'm younger than you Even Jesus would never Forgive what you do Let me ask you one question Is your money that good Will it buy you forgiveness Do you think that it could I think you will find When your death takes its toll All the money you made Will never buy back your soul And I hope that you die And your death'll come soon I will follow your casket In the pale afternoon And I'll watch while you're lowered Down to your deathbed And I'll stand o'er your grave 'Til I'm sure that you're dead Copyright © 1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music
