A Place to Talk About War

I would like to hear from soldiers who have been in combat situations, from their families, or from others interested in this conversation. I am a graduate student interested in war rhetoric. I have no preset agenda: I simply want to listen, to learn, and to be supportive.

Name:
Location: Texas, United States

Married, two kids. Worked in the defense industry for 20 years before taking a different path. I'll be starting my dissertation on the rhetoric of war in a few months. This semester I am teaching Freshman Composition. I DON'T CARE ABOUT BLOGGERS' SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, OR ANY OTHER GRAMMAR MATTERS--I JUST WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Reading List for Soldiers

I only recently became aware that there are official reading lists for U.S. soldiers, ordered by rank; e.g., enlisted personnel read these four books, captains read these five, etc.

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has knowledge of how these lists are used. If you've been a soldier, were you given lists with the option of reading the appropriate books? Were you ordered to read any of them, or rewarded for having done so? Or have you never heard of these lists?

If you have not been a soldier, do you know anyone who might comment on these book lists--dad, uncle, best friend, etc.? And if you don't live in the U.S., do you know if your country has a similar program?

Thanks! I look forward to hearing from you.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Can you get any more evil than this?

Yes, I should be working on my papers right now, and no, this post doesn't have anything to do with war as we typically discuss it in this space. But I am so filled with anger and disgust right now that I have to post something. Prepare to be outraged.

HOMOSASSA, Fla. - A 9-year-old girl was raped, bound and buried alive, kneeling and clutching a purple stuffed dolphin, state prosecutors said in documents released Wednesday.

Jessica Lunsford's body was found March 19 buried about 150 yards from her house in Homosassa, about 60 miles north of Tampa.

According to the documents, Jessica was found wearing shorts and a shirt - different from the pink nightgown her family said she was wearing when they reported her missing Feb. 24.

The body was wrapped in two plastic trash bags knotted at her head and feet in a grave covered by a mound of leaves, the state attorney's office said in the documents.

Detective David Strickland wrote that Jessica's hands appeared to be bound in front of her with speaker wire. Strickland also wrote that a medical examiner noted signs of sexual battery.
Jessica died of asphyxiation, according to a coroner's report. A convicted sex offender, John Evander Couey, 46, is charged in her slaying. He has pleaded not guilty.

I say with all sincerity, not as taking the Lord's name in vain but as a sincere plea, "God, damn this man." How sick, and evil, and depraved do you have to be to perpetrate such an act? I have had it with child molesters ever being let out of prison--ever!

You can read the whole story here: http://start.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=20050420/4265d3c0_3421_1334520050420-862713159

You can also check for sex offenders in your neighborhood here: WWW.CRIMINALCHECK.COM. But prepare to be outraged again. I looked up offenders in my zip code, and found cases that said "Aggravated sexual assault/child. Victim's age, 7. Sentence: 2 years." Two years! Are you kidding me? How about "until the day you die and go to meet your Maker."

Saturday, April 16, 2005

It's that time of the semester . . .

when I am so swamped that I can't blog or respond to others as I would like. If something important comes up and you think I should know about it, faithful readers, please email me at the link provided by blogger.

I hope to be blogging again soon.

(Steve, feel free to write a haiku about my plight.)

Credit where credit is due

Politickal recently posted an essay on Terri Schiavo written by a former professor of mine, Dr. Janet Smith. He referenced me as the source, and I just want to make sure I give proper credit to Dr. Smith. Her website is http://www.aodonline.org/SHMS/Faculty+5819/Janet+Smith+9260/Dr.+Janet+Smith+-+Welcome.htm.

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Welcome home, Adam!

Regular readers of this blog will remember when I wished Adam "Godspeed" as he headed off to his second tour of duty in Iraq after coming home injured the first time. I am happy to report that Adam is now safely home with his wife, daughter, and dauchsand.

Welcome home, Adam!

Keep America Safe--Extend Daylight Savings Time

Congress has evidently made the connection that sending dollars to the Middle East for fuel is not in the best interest of our national security. Their solution? Extend daylight savings time. Read it for yourself--you can't make these things up.

Lawmakers crafting energy legislation approved an amendment Wednesday to extend daylight-saving time by two months, having it start on the last Sunday in March and end on the last Sunday in November.

"Extending daylight-saving time makes sense, especially with skyrocketing energy costs," said Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., who along with Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., co-sponsored the measure.

The amendment was approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee that is putting together major parts of energy legislation likely to come up for a vote in the full House in the coming weeks.

"The more daylight we have, the less electricity we use," said Markey, who cited Transportation Department estimates that showed the two-month extension would save the equivalent of 10,000 barrels of oil a day.

The country uses about 20 million barrels of oil a day.

http://start.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=20050407/4254b040_3ca6_1552620050407-225271475

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

Detroit, Gas-Guzzlers, and War

Scott Burns writes a financial column for the Dallas Morning News. He recently took a small departure and accused the Detroit car-makers of being a threat to national security. I'd like to hear your opinion about his ideas. Full disclosure: I drive a 1994 Honda Civic that gets 37 mpg. Before that, I drove a 1983 Honda Civic. Clearly I do not share some Americans' taste for large or luxurious transportation.

Security threat: Detroit
Nearly 35 years ago, General Motors Corp. asked a consulting firm to examine a problem.
Imported cars, mostly Japanese, had captured 25 percent of the California car market. GM management was worried. The Big Three still had 90 percent of the national market, but top brass at GM saw California as the future.
So the study was done.
Today, General Motors' market share is down to 25 percent nationally. The Big Three have seen their share shrink to 57 percent.
Our domestic automakers, including Ford and Chrysler, have lacked foresight and innovation for so long that they are now fighting to hold market share in the big categories essential for survival: midsize cars, sport utility vehicles and minivans.
Management will blame this on intractable labor costs. Although labor costs are definitely a problem, it's time to consider a larger problem: Intractable Bonehead Management.
The same Japanese managers derided for their conformity and slow decision-making are eating Detroit's breakfast, lunch and dinner. That's a management problem.
Today, GM and Ford are well positioned to be dinosaurs. So is Chrysler. Worse, they are threats to national security.
How is this happening?
Here are three main thrusts:
• The industry has consistently lobbied against any changes to the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency, or CAFE, rules, even as our dependence on imported energy has increased. The domestic carmakers talk about a global industry but have acted as though the United States was peculiarly immune to rising energy costs. One side effect is that domestic cars are unsuited for foreign markets because foreign markets are geared to fuel efficiency.
• The industry has focused its profitability on gas guzzlers that are supersized – like the Hummer H2 (10/13 mpg), the Lincoln Navigator (13/18 mpg), the Chevrolet Suburban (14/18 mpg) and the Cadillac Escalade ESV (13/17 mpg) – or on an array of super-muscle cars that are remarkably fuel-efficient relative to their forebears but still send plenty of money to the Middle East.
• Rather than innovate and invest in hybrid technology, as Toyota and Honda have done, the industry has repeatedly labeled the most successful car introduction in a decade as a "niche market" car. Ford, belatedly, is licensing Toyota technology for its first hybrid.
When fuel efficiency becomes crucial, American consumers will have two ugly choices: Send enormous amounts of money to the Middle East for oil or send enormous amounts of money to Japan for efficient cars.
The consequences of all this are neither good for the country nor pleasant. As some talk about $3 gasoline by summer, no remedies are available in auto dealers' showrooms and lots. That's a pretty good reason to brand GM, Ford and Chrysler as major risks to national security.
Is there something we can do?
I believe there is.
A recent survey showed that two out of three Americans, including NASCAR fans and conservatives, think buying more fuel-efficient cars is patriotic. Skeptics should check out www.40mpg.org, a new organization devoted to convincing the other boneheads – the ones in Congress – that government-enforced higher fuel-efficiency standards are essential.
Conservatives have regularly defeated efforts to raise the CAFE standards, arguing against government intrusion in the private economy. I consider myself a conservative, but it's time to recognize that our national security is being threatened by Detroit.
The 40mpg Web site offers an online calculator that shows the benefits of moving from any mileage you enter to 40 mpg. You can also check the three online calculators at http://www.scottburns.com/ to see the economic benefits of driving a more fuel-efficient car.

What do you think? This was written by a conservative--is it time to rethink our Hummers?

Friday, April 01, 2005

And the war continues . . .

News the last few weeks has been dominated by the tragic Terri Schiavo case.

As an update on what's been happening in Iraq, 36 U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq in March. One of these was Spc. Eric L. Toth, of Edmondton, KY. He died March 30 on a supply route when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Toth was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 623rd field Artillery Regiment, Tompkinsville, KY. (http://icasualties.org/oif/)

Spc. Toth was 21. I am sure that his loved ones will miss him greatly and that the country at large will mourn his death, as it will the other 1,533 American men and women who have died since the war started.