I grew up in a fiercely blue collar Democratic household, and have been a registered Independent for 20-odd years, but I have come to respect Mitt Romney for his honesty and ability to vote with his conscience, rather than sticking to party lines. I also greatly respect John McCain - so much so, that when he ran against Barack Obama (another good man!) in 2008, it would have been a difficult choice for me, except for the fact that Mr. McCain, for reasons mysterious to me, chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. I'm just not a maverick kind of person, I guess, and the idea of Sarah Palin as vice president gave me the willies, so I voted for Mr. Obama. If the Republican party can produce more people like Mr. Romney and Mr. McCain, it might be saved... just a humble opinion from a political ignoramus.
Thanks, Garrison, for that thoughtful column. I know many friends and relatives who died in Vietnam and many who did not die there but they got involved with Agent Orange and napalm and wounds which ruined their lives. We often think that our wars are fought on the backs of the dark-skinned and the poor and that is largely true. But there were a number of men like your friend who could have gone to college or otherwise avoided service in the military but who volunteered to serve. I don't think that this country appreciates these special people who do serve. Too many of us love "chicken hawks." For those who don't know, chicken hawks are people who love war and the military but avoid service in the military for themselves. In other words, they think war is great for other people to fight.
During the Civil War, the north had a tremendous advantage in industrial capacity and population but the out come of the war was much closer than most people realize.
Mitt Romney is a fine person and would make a good President. But in today's politics he could not get the nomination of his party. And in many red states, he could not be elected to the Senate.
Uniting the country is a nice idea but don't expect it. There are too many people in the media and political arena who benefit from division and discord. Fortunes and political careers are being made by sowing hate.
But the country has been divided during much of its history and it is still here and will go on well into the future. There are predictions of another civil war but that will not happen.
The worlds real problems are over population and climate change and the scarcity of drinking water in many places. We are so busy fighting over pronouns and who can use which bathroom that we don't have time to deal with population, climate, water.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. And Garrison, thanks again for your thoughts.
Back then, in our zeal to oppose communism, we partook in several "conflicts," carefully not labelled a "war."Though a conflict, people died as if it were a war.
I was a teacher in an inner-city school, so I was exempt. I had no close friends who died in the Vietnam conflict and being a WW2 kid was patriotic and trusted what our political leaders said about the expanse of communism. First, Korea resulted in many lost lives and that ended in a stalemate at the cost of 40,000 American lives. Then 58,000 died in Vietnam. It was all horrific, and patriotic soldiers like Henry, but who did survive came back to be spat upon.
What wakened many of us who were teachers was the protest of the students we taught. At first we believed in our political leaders, but it eventually became clear that our kids were right: those conflicts were not to be won, as they were in the wars against Germany and Japan. There were many lives lost in those senseless "conflicts." And there have been many more since.
This coming weekend, when we hear the bugles play taps at the many graveyards, let us remember the many costs paid. And also ask ourselves if the ends justify the means. The kids back in the late 60's knew.
When t-rump came into our lives, it was like he opened a Pandora’s Box. Since he injected himself into the world it seems like anything goes. There is no more civility, courtesy or decorum. He has allowed people to not only maybe think what they do but act on their thoughts. That it’s all perfectly okay to make fun of handicapped individuals or purchase that weapon and use it. Not that it’s not occurred before this era of “anything goes” but it is rampant now.
Republicans are the reason we have no gun control whatsoever voting that anyone can purchase a gun with no background checks. So to say yet another republican would be a good leader sets me on edge. In Texas, the NRA is having another convention next week in which their governor and Cruz are speaking. They will do nothing, but what do they say to the press? They say under Biden crime has gotten worse. Blaming him for what THEY are doing is incomprehensible.
Mitt Romney has voted 99% of the time w the GOP including voting against election reform and womens equality. He remains a wolf in occasional sheep’s clothing
Romney continues to vote the discriminatory anti-women's and voter's rights, votes against gun control and for right wing judges and policies that betray our democracy just like all the other Republican senators. He is a wolf who occasionally clothes himself in sheep's clothing.
It's more than unfortunate that it took our leaders decades to realize the Vietnam war was a tragic mistake. I support your decision not to go and think it's wholly appropriate to say so especially on Memorial Day weekend. But beware the verbal assault that is sure to come from your wonderful readers, and in the words of the character Nigel Kipling - played by Stanley Tucci - in the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, "gird your loins."
For all the political shenanigans he's favored and then recanted, then favored, then recanted and onward....I'd still go for a relatively moderate Mormon, magic underwear and all.
As a teenager during WW2 I recall the patriotic zeal that was heavily promoted in the schools as
In all the country; our Glee Club Chorus gustily singing all the quickly formulated patriotic music, sung at all school assemblies- “America I love you, (you’re like a sweetheart to me”)… “Praise the Lord, and Pass the Amunition,” - and, of course, “God Bless America.” Always assuming that this was a “Good War that would End all wars.” That our “fallen heroes will not have died in vane.”
Over the ensuing years, (and many ensuing wars,) I’ve learned much from the reading of History and from observation of the shenanigans of government and the he misuse of the word Democracy,
In thinking back over my 95 years I recall often using this statement in our days of opposition to the “Vietnam Conflict,”. “What if They declared a War, and Nobody Came??”
Raised as a Democratic - morphing into an Independent, I remember the essence of the words of President Eisenhardt’s warning about the Military-Industrial Complex “getting out of the way of the People wanting Peace.”
And Pete Seegar singing, “Oh when will We Ever Learn??z” When, Indeed??!!
Garrison, I appreciate and admire your wanting to stand aside so that the younger among us can readily take the helm. While I agree they should, you and the rest of our generation need to be at their side, ready to offer perspective and hopefully some wisdom gained over our years. They will better lead us when they have the benefit of the insight we might be able to offer. We were witness to the past and might help prevent repetition of some of the mistakes.
My dad died in August 1968 and my brother Jim went into the Marines the next month, having signed up when he graduated high school at 17. By April 1969 he was in Viet Nam.
My senior year I was keeping stats at a high school track meet; my mom was sitting in the bleachers. Even from a distance I knew something was off.
After the meet, she showed me the telegram she had received: my brother had been medivac’d out in a gas attack.
Brother Jim lived. I have a sister-in-law and niece I adore.
Memorial Day is for those whose family didn’t come back to live and love.
And it is for us too, to protect our fragile democracy. The ones who didn’t return cannot.
I grew up in a fiercely blue collar Democratic household, and have been a registered Independent for 20-odd years, but I have come to respect Mitt Romney for his honesty and ability to vote with his conscience, rather than sticking to party lines. I also greatly respect John McCain - so much so, that when he ran against Barack Obama (another good man!) in 2008, it would have been a difficult choice for me, except for the fact that Mr. McCain, for reasons mysterious to me, chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. I'm just not a maverick kind of person, I guess, and the idea of Sarah Palin as vice president gave me the willies, so I voted for Mr. Obama. If the Republican party can produce more people like Mr. Romney and Mr. McCain, it might be saved... just a humble opinion from a political ignoramus.
Thanks, Garrison, for that thoughtful column. I know many friends and relatives who died in Vietnam and many who did not die there but they got involved with Agent Orange and napalm and wounds which ruined their lives. We often think that our wars are fought on the backs of the dark-skinned and the poor and that is largely true. But there were a number of men like your friend who could have gone to college or otherwise avoided service in the military but who volunteered to serve. I don't think that this country appreciates these special people who do serve. Too many of us love "chicken hawks." For those who don't know, chicken hawks are people who love war and the military but avoid service in the military for themselves. In other words, they think war is great for other people to fight.
During the Civil War, the north had a tremendous advantage in industrial capacity and population but the out come of the war was much closer than most people realize.
Mitt Romney is a fine person and would make a good President. But in today's politics he could not get the nomination of his party. And in many red states, he could not be elected to the Senate.
Uniting the country is a nice idea but don't expect it. There are too many people in the media and political arena who benefit from division and discord. Fortunes and political careers are being made by sowing hate.
But the country has been divided during much of its history and it is still here and will go on well into the future. There are predictions of another civil war but that will not happen.
The worlds real problems are over population and climate change and the scarcity of drinking water in many places. We are so busy fighting over pronouns and who can use which bathroom that we don't have time to deal with population, climate, water.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. And Garrison, thanks again for your thoughts.
Back then, in our zeal to oppose communism, we partook in several "conflicts," carefully not labelled a "war."Though a conflict, people died as if it were a war.
I was a teacher in an inner-city school, so I was exempt. I had no close friends who died in the Vietnam conflict and being a WW2 kid was patriotic and trusted what our political leaders said about the expanse of communism. First, Korea resulted in many lost lives and that ended in a stalemate at the cost of 40,000 American lives. Then 58,000 died in Vietnam. It was all horrific, and patriotic soldiers like Henry, but who did survive came back to be spat upon.
What wakened many of us who were teachers was the protest of the students we taught. At first we believed in our political leaders, but it eventually became clear that our kids were right: those conflicts were not to be won, as they were in the wars against Germany and Japan. There were many lives lost in those senseless "conflicts." And there have been many more since.
This coming weekend, when we hear the bugles play taps at the many graveyards, let us remember the many costs paid. And also ask ourselves if the ends justify the means. The kids back in the late 60's knew.
you need to change "its no time" to "its now time"
When t-rump came into our lives, it was like he opened a Pandora’s Box. Since he injected himself into the world it seems like anything goes. There is no more civility, courtesy or decorum. He has allowed people to not only maybe think what they do but act on their thoughts. That it’s all perfectly okay to make fun of handicapped individuals or purchase that weapon and use it. Not that it’s not occurred before this era of “anything goes” but it is rampant now.
Republicans are the reason we have no gun control whatsoever voting that anyone can purchase a gun with no background checks. So to say yet another republican would be a good leader sets me on edge. In Texas, the NRA is having another convention next week in which their governor and Cruz are speaking. They will do nothing, but what do they say to the press? They say under Biden crime has gotten worse. Blaming him for what THEY are doing is incomprehensible.
Mitt Romney has voted 99% of the time w the GOP including voting against election reform and womens equality. He remains a wolf in occasional sheep’s clothing
Romney continues to vote the discriminatory anti-women's and voter's rights, votes against gun control and for right wing judges and policies that betray our democracy just like all the other Republican senators. He is a wolf who occasionally clothes himself in sheep's clothing.
Love the singing of Aoife O'Donovan. She also sang with Joy Kills Sorrow.
It's more than unfortunate that it took our leaders decades to realize the Vietnam war was a tragic mistake. I support your decision not to go and think it's wholly appropriate to say so especially on Memorial Day weekend. But beware the verbal assault that is sure to come from your wonderful readers, and in the words of the character Nigel Kipling - played by Stanley Tucci - in the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, "gird your loins."
You did the right and courageous thing to refuse to serve. I write this as a Vietnam veteran.
For all the political shenanigans he's favored and then recanted, then favored, then recanted and onward....I'd still go for a relatively moderate Mormon, magic underwear and all.
Received this column the day after killings in a school in Texas. Yes, it’s time to go to the graveyard again. More lives lost to senseless actions.
As a teenager during WW2 I recall the patriotic zeal that was heavily promoted in the schools as
In all the country; our Glee Club Chorus gustily singing all the quickly formulated patriotic music, sung at all school assemblies- “America I love you, (you’re like a sweetheart to me”)… “Praise the Lord, and Pass the Amunition,” - and, of course, “God Bless America.” Always assuming that this was a “Good War that would End all wars.” That our “fallen heroes will not have died in vane.”
Over the ensuing years, (and many ensuing wars,) I’ve learned much from the reading of History and from observation of the shenanigans of government and the he misuse of the word Democracy,
In thinking back over my 95 years I recall often using this statement in our days of opposition to the “Vietnam Conflict,”. “What if They declared a War, and Nobody Came??”
Raised as a Democratic - morphing into an Independent, I remember the essence of the words of President Eisenhardt’s warning about the Military-Industrial Complex “getting out of the way of the People wanting Peace.”
And Pete Seegar singing, “Oh when will We Ever Learn??z” When, Indeed??!!
Garrison, I appreciate and admire your wanting to stand aside so that the younger among us can readily take the helm. While I agree they should, you and the rest of our generation need to be at their side, ready to offer perspective and hopefully some wisdom gained over our years. They will better lead us when they have the benefit of the insight we might be able to offer. We were witness to the past and might help prevent repetition of some of the mistakes.
My dad died in August 1968 and my brother Jim went into the Marines the next month, having signed up when he graduated high school at 17. By April 1969 he was in Viet Nam.
My senior year I was keeping stats at a high school track meet; my mom was sitting in the bleachers. Even from a distance I knew something was off.
After the meet, she showed me the telegram she had received: my brother had been medivac’d out in a gas attack.
Brother Jim lived. I have a sister-in-law and niece I adore.
Memorial Day is for those whose family didn’t come back to live and love.
And it is for us too, to protect our fragile democracy. The ones who didn’t return cannot.
In the song by the Indigo Girls, Jonas and Ezekiel, one line is “ Prophets in the graveyard.”