I hadn’t prepared anything new for this Armistice Day, but do see this “Lives During Wartime” feature at the New York Times. And did you know that Maj. Dick Winters died earlier this year?
At ease, soldiers.
The Mahablog
Politics. Society. Group Therapy.
It’s also 11-11-11, a time of Great Cosmic Portent, or just another day, depending on who you listen to. One of the things I love about LA is that there are a lot of people here in the former camp. I’m going to a crystal bowl meditation tonight (I love the sounds of these things).
The 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, was to signal the end of “The War to End All Wars.â€
A tad over-optimistic, weren’t they?
And yes, thank you to all of the veterans who’ve served.
But when will we have a day for all of the civilians who were wounded and killed, and who wanted no part of any of the wars (not that all of the vet’s did)?
What about the civilians who died around Flanders Field?
Or were killed, wounded, or displaced by the armies gathering at The Battle of the Somme?
Or the families around Stalingrad, like my mothers, who lost family members and had to go through Hitler Camps, and then the Displaced People Camps, before they found that after 10 years of war and wandering, they were going to America, ‘the Promised Land,’ instead of back to the USSR and certain death.
The people of Korea?
And Vietnam?
And Iraq?
And the countless other wars that we weren’t directly involved in?
I’d like to see a “Civilians in War Day.†A day to remember the people who went through the horrors of war every bit as terrible as those with uniforms and dog-tags.
Just another Liberal’s pipe-dream!
Cundgulag, not that it’s relevant or anything, but your post reminded me of one of my favorite signs seen at OWS:
“I’ll believe that corporations are persons when Texas executes one.”
Cheers,
I knew about Winters, but thanks for passing on that NYT series.
And yes, thank you to all of the veterans who’ve served
Your welcome, at the time I did what I could
But when will we have a day for all of the civilians
not today, today is Armistice Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThH9UrJiG4o&NR=1
Thanks to all the veterans.
But when will we stop using our kids to sell product and do remarkably stupid things, while getting killed in the process?
If there were a rational war to fight (e.g., our nation were actually in peril), I’d be there, and advise my kids to be there.
But, so long as this kinda-so-so nation views war as spectator sport, I pity all the kids who join with Candlewick and find they have been turned into donkeys. Even more, I pity all the ones who never figure out they have been turned into Republicans, er, donkeys…