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fontman
05-26-06, 07:12 AM
May 25, 2006
By Alex Epstein

Every Memorial Day, we pay tribute to the American men and women who have died in combat. With speeches and solemn ceremonies, we recognize their courage and valor. But one fact goes unacknowledged in our Memorial Day tributes: all too many of our soldiers have died unnecessarily-because they were sent to fight for a purpose other than America's freedom.

The proper purpose of a government is to protect its citizens' lives and freedom against the initiation of force by criminals at home and aggressors abroad. The American government has a sacred responsibility to recognize the individual value of every one of its citizens' lives, and thus to do everything possible to protect the rights of each to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. This absolutely includes our soldiers.

Soldiers are not sacrificial objects; they are full-fledged Americans with the same moral right as the rest of us to the pursuit of their own goals, their own dreams, their own happiness. Rational soldiers enjoy much of the work of military service, take pride in their ability to do it superlatively, and gain profound satisfaction in protecting the freedom of every American, including their own freedom.

Soldiers know that in entering the military, they are risking their lives in the event of war. But this risk is not, as it is often described, a "sacrifice" for a "higher cause." When there is a true threat to America, it is a threat to all of our lives and loved ones, soldiers included. Many become soldiers for precisely this reason; it was, for instance, the realization of the threat of Islamic terrorism after September 11-when 3,000 innocent Americans were slaughtered in cold blood on a random Tuesday morning-that prompted so many to join the military.

For an American soldier, to fight for freedom is not to fight for a "higher cause," separate from or superior to his own life-it is to fight for his own life and happiness. He is willing to risk his life in time of war because he is unwilling to live as anything other than a free man. He does not want or expect to die, but he would rather die than live in slavery or perpetual fear. His attitude is epitomized by the words of John Stark, New Hampshire's most famous soldier in the Revolutionary War: "Live free or die."

What we owe these men who fight so bravely for their and our freedom is to send them to war only when that freedom is truly threatened, and to make every effort to protect their lives during war-by providing them with the most advantageous weapons, training, strategy, and tactics possible.

Shamefully, America has repeatedly failed to meet this obligation. It has repeatedly placed soldiers in harm's way when no threat to America existed-e.g., to quell tribal conflicts in Somalia, Bosnia, and Kosovo. America entered World War I, in which 115,000 soldiers died, with no clear self-defense purpose but rather on the vague, self-sacrificial grounds that "The world must be made safe for democracy." America's involvement in Vietnam, in which 56,000 Americans died in a fiasco that American officials openly declared a "no-win" war, was justified primarily in the name of service to the South Vietnamese. And the current war in Iraq-which could have had a valid purpose as a first step in ousting the terrorist-sponsoring, anti-American regimes of the Middle East-is responsible for thousands of unnecessary American deaths in pursuit of the sacrificial goal of "civilizing" Iraq by enabling Iraqis to select any government they wish, no matter how anti-American.

In addition to being sent on ill-conceived, "humanitarian" missions, our soldiers have been compromised with crippling rules of engagement that place the lives of civilians in enemy territory above their own. In Afghanistan we refused to bomb many top leaders out of their hideouts for fear of civilian casualties; these men continue to kill American soldiers. In Iraq, our hamstrung soldiers are not allowed to smash a militarily puny insurgency-and instead must suffer an endless series of deaths by an undefeated enemy.

To send soldiers into war without a clear self-defense purpose, and without providing them every possible protection, is a betrayal of their valor and a violation of their rights.

This Memorial Day, we must call for a stop to the sacrifice of our soldiers and condemn all those who demand it. It is only by doing so that we can truly honor not only our dead, but also our living: American soldiers who have the courage to defend their freedom and ours.

--- Alex Epstein is a junior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute (http://www.aynrand.org/) in Irvine, CA. The Institute promotes Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand-author of "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead."

Food for thought...

thedrifter
05-27-06, 06:35 AM
May 26, 2006, 7:00 a.m.
Not Just a Day Off
Remembering our fallen on Memorial Day.

By Myrna Blyth

Too many people today tend to think of Memorial Day as the three-day weekend when the pools open and the grill gets fired up for the first time of the season. But, of course, it is a lot more significant than that.

The holiday, you may know, was originally known as Decoration Day, when flowers were laid on the graves of the Civil War dead, both Union and Confederate. After World War I, observances began to honor all who had died in any of America’s wars. Today, amidst family picnics, the end of school, and, yes, the opening of pools, there are still many observances of the solemn nature of the day. Flags are lowered to half-staff from dawn until noon and many communities observe a moment of remembrance in ceremonies throughout the nation.

I have been working on a book entitled How to Raise an American. In the book my co-author Chriss Winston and I not only explain why instilling patriotism in the young can be so very challenging these days; we also give lots of practical suggestions about how to deal with this situation. Some of our ideas, we think, will help parents make their kids understand the meaning of our country’s most important holidays.

What are some the things you can do with your kids this Memorial weekend? Here are just a few suggestions:

One friend of ours who lives in Washington, D.C., takes his young children to the Vietnam Memorial at dawn each Memorial Day. It has become a family tradition, and every year, as his children grow, so does their understanding of the meaning behind this holiday. But you don’t have to be in Washington to honor those who have served our country so honorably and with such courage. Almost every community has a war memorial where you could take your children for a silent salute.

There are also many observances at military bases, in churches, and put on by veterans’ organizations throughout the country. Your best bet to find out what’s happening in your area is to check with your local American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars posts.

Remember those who fought and lived to tell about it. Have your children take some flowers, books, and cookies to a near-by veterans’ hospital, or invite a family member or friend who is a veteran to your holiday barbeque and ask them, if they are comfortable doing so, to tell the children about their experiences in the service.

Watch a TV show about our fighting men and the most famous battles of the past. This year the History Channel is premiering a new movie, Washington the Warrior, on Memorial Day.

Or watch your personal favorite war movie, whether it is The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan, with your older kids. and talk to them about the events they are watching be reenacted.

Of course, war movies may be too much for younger kids, so try some craft activities with them instead. Have them design a poster to mark the day or a postage stamp to honor our soldiers. Very young kids can print out and color the flags of the Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy, which can be found on www.enchantedlearning.com. And on the web site www.billybear4kids.com, they can print out “God Bless America” book marks, stationery, and a symbol for their web page if they would like to design one honoring our soldiers for the day.

You can also print out a Medal Of Honor Coloring Book from the web at www.homeofheroes.com/coloringbook. It gives the history of the Medal of Honor and tells the stories of those bravest soldiers who won our country’s highest award.

In case they want to make a medal of their own, they can do that, too. Click on www.va.gov/kids/k-5/medal.asp and kids can create their own version of a Silver or Bronze Star. Ask them what act of bravery they think would deserve such a medal.

It is also really important that you and your kids do something special to support our troops, especially those wounded in battle. For a place to start, go to the web site www.Americasupportsyou.mil, where you’ll find a list of over 150 organizations that support the military and their families. On the site, you can also read messages from the troops which tell you how important the support of those back home really is. One such message we read was from a soldier in the 101st Airborne. He wrote from Iraq, “I would like I to say God bless those who care about me and all the troops that are deployed. I tell you that this is the fourth deployment for the 101st in Iraq and it is a good feeling to know someone out there cares about us. It makes all the difference.” Your children could be helping make that difference.

And if you live around New York City, do me a personal favor and attend one of the events of Fleet Week. During Memorial weekend you can visit ships such as the USS Anzio and USS Ramage at Pier 88 in Manhattan, or the USS Shreveport and USS Nitze which are docked at Stapleton Pier in Staten Island. There are also Navy Band concerts, Marine Corps helicopter displays, and lots of other activities, as well a the chance to interact with the remarkable men and women who now serve in the Navy and Marines.

My son, Lieutenant Jonathan Blyth, who is in the Naval Reserve, is working hard helping to promote Fleet Week and would be grateful if you and your kids take part. It is an experience that will help make them proud of our country, and that’s exactly the way they should feel.

And, yes, I know, I was very fortunate to raise a very patriotic American.

Ellie

All Have a Happy and Safe Holiday!

thedrifter
05-27-06, 08:31 AM
Sent to me from hubby....fontman

Ellie

With war on, Americans have troops in mind
By Brad Knickerbocker | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

Americans will still fire up their barbecues, watch parades, and go
camping this weekend. But for the first time in a generation, Memorial
Days are coming during prolonged armed
conflict. That has strengthened ties between civilians and soldiers,
bringing a marked change in the way people will observe the holiday this
year.

Politicians of all persuasions are pushing for better veterans'
services, including healthcare for the living and survivors' benefits for
those who've lost loved ones. Many states are
now providing free tuition at public colleges and universities for the
children of those killed in war zones.

Since terrorists attacked the United States in 2001, communities around
the country have begun to bring back traditional Memorial Day
ceremonies - many of them featuring Iraq
war vets.

It's part of growing public interest in military affairs, historians
say. And this time, unlike in the Vietnam era, declining support for the
war has not eroded backing for the troops, say
many of those taking part in Memorial Day cer- emonies.

Gainesville, Ga., started having parades again in 2003. On Monday,
about 700 veterans, police officers, firefighters, marching bands, baton
twirlers, and Boy Scouts will march up
Green Street, a shady lane bordered by antebellum homes. Charlie
Company of the local National Guard unit, recently returned from Iraq, will
serve as honorary grand marshal.

"We just decided that it was time to bring it back with the main thing
being just to honor our veterans," says organizer Cheryl Vandiver,
whose son is an Iraq war veteran.

In Chattanooga, Tenn., the Command Post Military Museum, which was
started to commemorate World War II, now includes the current conflict in
Iraq and Afghanistan. While
"reenacters" will dress as soldiers from earlier wars this weekend,
recently returned Iraq war GI's will bring real-life immediacy to the
displays of uniform and military gear.

"What we try to impress upon students, especially with the current
conflict going on, is that we're not here to glorify war," says museum
curator and former middle-school history
teacher Louis Varnell. "We don't want to lose sight of the fact that
war itself is terrible."

Many of those involved with Memorial Day ceremonies see a marked
difference with the last era of sustained US military combat abroad.

Despite mounting criticism of the war in Iraq, American support of
troops serving there has not waned, says Jerry Rivers, director of
veterans' services in Montgomery County,
Tenn., which is near Fort Campbell, home to the US Army's 101st
Airborne Division. "We wanted to make sure at least in our community that they
weren't treated as poorly as those
guys that served in Vietnam."

Part of this post-Vietnam urge to separate the warrior from the war has
to do with the portrait of the typical soldier today. Unlike his or her
father, who probably would have gone to
Vietnam right out of school, today's GI is more likely to be older, to
be married, and to have children. Especially among those in National
Guard or Reserve units, he or she is likely
to have strong work and community connections.
Taking care of soldiers' families

More family men and women in the war zone also means more dependents to
care for in the wake of combat casualties. The 2,404 men and 55 women
killed in Iraq have left an
estimated 1,700 children without their parent.

In concluding his second presidential inaugural speech in 1865, Abraham
Lincoln spoke of the need "to care for him who shall have borne the
battle and for his widow and his
orphan."

In that same spirit, Congress this year voted to increase the "death
gratuity" for service member survivors from $12,000 to $100,000 and to
increase group life insurance payments
from $250,000 to $400,000.

Last week, members of Congress heard testimony on the estimated 200,000
homeless veterans. "In the battlefield of life, they are wounded, and
we cannot leave them behind,"
said Rep. Bob Filner (D) of Calif., who convened the forum.

Like other programs in at least three dozen states, the University of
Minnesota this fall will begin waiving tuition costs for children of war
casualties. "It's our responsibility to watch
over the families of those soldiers who have watched over us and paid
the ultimate price," said state Rep. Lloyd Cybart (R), an Air Force
veteran.

Communities and local businesses around the country are finding ways to
bring a bit of home to service members halfway around the world.
Earlier this month, Vermonters sent
825 gallons of maple syrup to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.

"Memorial Day is about thanking those who are there and honoring those
who didn't come back," says Rick Marsh, president of the Vermont Maple
Sugar Makers' Association.
"So we're sending them a little bit of Vermont, a little thank-you."
Soldiers' heartfelt letters

Meanwhile, some Memorial Day services this weekend will bring the war
closer to home. At Shiloh National Cemetery in rural Tennessee, a
children's choir will sing the National
Anthem and military hymns. High school thespians will read last letters
sent home by American soldiers.

Among these is one that Marine Cpl. Blake Mounce meant for his wife
after his death. Killed last July when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb,
he was buried on his 23rd birthday.

"To read that over and to know that he was aware of the danger that
might possibly happen and wanted to send that last message to her, that's
especially poignant," says Woody
Harrell, superintendent of Shiloh National Military Park.

In addition to the parades and speeches, many Americans will observe
the official National Moment of Remembrance (one minute at 3 p.m. local
time).

Rita Payne, who runs Roman Catholic programs at Fort Campbell, sees a
growing reverence for Memorial Day.

"There is a more deepening of faith, of spirituality and just
prayerfulness," she says. "People take it upon themselves to do something
positive, and prayer seems to be our
greatest weapon right now."

thedrifter
05-28-06, 09:51 AM
Guest columnist
America at war on Memorial Day

By James M. Dubik

Special to The Times

Since assuming command of I Corps and Fort Lewis in November of 2004, I, along with my wife, have attended more than 40 memorial services for soldiers killed in action in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Prior to each of the services, we both hold in our arms the grieving parents, spouses and children.

Words simply cannot express the depth of sympathy we feel for those who have lost loved ones or the depth of respect we have for those who sacrificed themselves.

Only close, human contact and tears can begin to convey that depth. When the bugle plays taps at the end of the service, all are reminded that America remains at war this Memorial Day, as it has for four years.

Our experience is repeated around the country at nearly every base, camp, post and station. No one can doubt the courage and sacrifice of the men and women — soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors — who fight and the families who support them and await their safe return. How different is this war compared with any of our recent experience? In the words that follow, I'll provide my answer, an answer with which some will agree and others not. This war is difficult to understand; it's hard even for those of us who have studied war's history for more than 30 years. For some, it's so different, they have a hard time calling it a war, yet it is. Our enemy has clear political and ideological aims that are directly counter to U.S. interests, and it is using violent force to achieve those aims — the classic definition of war.

And we do have an enemy — al-Qaida and its associated organizations. This enemy began as a somewhat disparate, hardly affiliated group of terrorists with only common hatred of the United States and its influence and a common dissatisfaction with members' lives. Over time, a set of leaders developed, with Osama bin Laden ultimately emerging as the head of that set. A common ideology also emerged, one that combined the pre-existing hatred with an extremist interpretation of Islam. Even though the terrorist groups remain globally distributed, the emergence of leadership and a common, motivational ideology resulted in collective behavior that continues today.

This collective has as its short-term aim to force the withdrawal of Western and other "infidel" presence and influence from the Middle East, Central Asia and Northern Africa. Its long-term aims include: the destruction of, or at least a crippling blow to, the U.S. economy, thereby threatening our and the world's free-market economy; the establishment of an Islamic-governed caliphate that adheres to its radical beliefs from North Africa, through Central Asia and the Middle East, to South and Southeast Asia — then to the rest of the world. The recent letter from al-Qaida's leader-in-hiding, Ayman al-Zawahri, to its lead agent in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, clearly spells out its strategy. After they overthrow Iraq's budding democracy, Zawahri writes, they intend to establish an extremist authority as a platform to extend "the jihad wave" to the neighboring countries. (Read this for yourselves at dni.gov) Think of what their success would mean to America and so many others around the world.

As a collective, our enemy has declared this war and these aims publicly, repeatedly and consistently from 1996 to 2006. Equally important: It has sufficiently organized the globally distributed, associated terrorist groups into an effective network; established and sustained funding; armed itself with both sophisticated and lethal weapons; and created an information network that promulgates its ideology, an ideology that is very compelling and motivating to those it seeks to lead.

Further, America has been under attack for at least 25 years: in 1979, the hostages in Iran; 1983, bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon; 1993, the World Trade Center bombing, the Kasi attack on CIA employees, and the attempt to assassinate former President George H.W. Bush; 1996, the Kobar Tower bombing; 1998, the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania; 2000, the attack of the USS Cole and the foiled millennium plot — and these are just the major events preceding the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. These attacks — initially planned and conducted by separate and unrelated terror groups — ultimately changed character some time in the early to mid-1990s. When leadership, common ideology and sufficiently collective behavior emerged, so did an enemy. Individually and cumulatively, these acts can be seen as a campaign to attain political and ideological goals.

For more than a decade, in my view, our enemy has been waging a protracted, global insurgency that seeks to exploit local and regional tensions and movements that serve its transnational agenda. The letter to Zarqawi instructs him, for example, to maintain popular support — at least until jihadist rule has been established. Like other insurgents in history, those we fight make public some intentions but hide others, attempting to deceive both their enemies as well as their temporary allies-of-convenience. Our enemy understands the centrality of the war in Iraq for its global jihad, and it understands that "more than half of the struggle" is information and psychological warfare that plays itself out in today's media-rich environment. It is vicious, cunning and patient. It is motivated by its ideology and relentless in pursuit of its political and ideological aims.

This insurgency, like others, flows back and forth among three distinct sets of activities. First, insurgencies require a period of proselytizing ideology and growing a military capability. The second consists of irregular warfare used to expand appeal and establish "legitimacy." If they are successful in irregular war, a period of conventional fighting is often necessary to achieve final victory over the governing authorities. Conditions dictate to the insurgents when and where to move from one set of activities to another. Having two or more sets of activities going on simultaneously is common.

The insurgency we fight is no different in this regard. For example: In Afghanistan, we defeated our enemies after they had succeeded in establishing Taliban rule using a combination of irregular and conventional combat. Those who survived that fight have reverted to proselytizing and regrowing a fighting capability. Similar low-level insurgent activities — disguised as "legitimate" and often using the cover of the democratic laws they seek ultimately to destroy — are ongoing in other places around the world. In Iraq, our enemies are fighting an irregular war using both unconventional and conventional weaponry and equipment. Historically, insurgencies have taken place within a single nation-state with the purpose of replacing one form of government with another. The insurgency we fight, however, is not limited to just one nation-state — it is global.

As insurgents, our enemy seeks to operate in that gray area between combatant and criminal. It uses democracy's openness for its camouflage. In democracies, the set of organizations, procedures and laws governing war are separate from those governing crime. Our enemy understands this distinction and its importance to the way of life it seeks to destroy or discredit. It chooses, therefore, to act in the space between, hoping to use our legal and political structures to its advantage and our disadvantage.

Simply put, our enemy is not mere random groups of terrorist criminals. It is using terror and irregular warfare as a means to conduct a protracted, global insurgency. It is waging war of a kind and scope rarely seen before. As incredible as it may seem to us, this is the nature of the enemy we face.

For all these differences, significant though they are, some aspects of war endure. War remains brutal, face-to-face, a matter of survival. Innocents suffer. The enemy hides and deceives, so war is still the realm of fog and uncertainty — regardless of technological advances. War requires skill, cunning, imagination, sacrifice and leadership. Once war starts, its outcome is unpredictable. Straightforward cause-and-effect logic only partially applies to activity in war, for emotion, chance and the human heart reign as much as reasoning. War remains a clash of wills, a duel where guts and staying power count.

America and her allies have fought a hot, sustained, global campaign against enemies who sought to impose an ideology on the world before. Then, however, the threat was clear and unambiguous, for the enemy was a set of nation-states and they fought conventionally. Clarity and conventionality went a long way to sustain the national will necessary to persevere when times were bleak; maintain support for those in uniform and their families; welcome home with open arms those who fought; and rightly continue to show appreciation for their sacrifices year after year, Memorial Day after Memorial Day.

The enemy we are fighting today has chosen means that exploit ambiguity and lack clarity. Eroding our national will is its very intent — all the while acting to achieve its political and ideological aims. There are soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors who are fighting this very day and this very night to prevent the enemy from achieving its political and ideological aims. They and their families need our continued support, our perseverance and our open arms. The shape of our future is literally in their hands.

But in today's environment more than ever before, the future is also in your hands. In a conflict where the erosion of your will is a major goal of our enemy, you are a soldier as well.

Our frontline servicemen and women are doing and will continue to do their jobs — it is my hope that those of us in the rear will match their courage and determination.

Those who fight are changed forever — as are their families. This Memorial Day, please remember the soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors and their families who have served us in the past as well as those sacrificing on our behalf now.

Understand that your support is not just needed, it is essential if we are to succeed.

Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik is commanding general of Fort Lewis Army Base and I Corps (First Corps), which encompasses some 40,000 active-duty and reserve troops across the country, including Fort Lewis.

Ellie