I am not desirous of disparaging our brave military personnel. They put their lives on the line every day to protect freedom.
I will, however, bring up the question of women in the military. I think of the line from The Pirate Movie where the father says, "With women leading our armies, we'll never have another decent war again." I'm not saying women don't have the ability; however, is it something they should be doing? Take this case: why should women have to choose between family and military? I don't think we should point the finger at the military, however. One who enlists basically knows what they're getting in to, and families will have to be left behind. There seems to be a growing trend of single moms enlisting because of the economic benefits; yet, what about the children left with others while mom goes into potentially deadly situations. Sure, dads do that too, but usually there is a surviving parent. Not so with single moms (ok, sure the dad may be around somewhere, but obviously not involved with the child's life).
Those who push for women to be equal to men (not equality but EQUAL) would reject this antiquated notion, but just because "we girls can do anything" doesn't mean we should. Maybe that's just another sign that my thinking hasn't evolved.
Showing posts with label war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label war. Show all posts
Friday, February 12, 2010
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Chill Out, Dude
Rating: MS
When I was a kid, we would often go to air shows. There was even one at the local airport. The worst part of these events were that they took place in the summer when the temperature topped 100 and, being at an airport, that meant absolutely no shade--unless one hunkered down under the wing of a bomber. Other than melting in the summer sun, I enjoyed the shows. I especially loved the Blue Angels. Once I even got to see an aircraft that was just out of being top-secret. It was flat and weird-looking. It was supposed to be undetectable by radar. Yeah, you know the one I'm talking about. Anyway, I didn't know I was being brainwashed by these displays of military might. I didn't know my father's boss was a horrible militant for having restored an old Sopwith Pup and flown it in the local airshow and demonstrating a dogfight between it and a tank on the ground. Ah, how naive I must have been, not knowing that these were merely a display of "how pervasive militarism is in American society."
According to MPR, there will be a group protesting at the airshow in Duluth, MN, this weekend. They are protesting the military bent of the airshow, saying it is no longer a celebration of aviation, but a show of military might.
The woman quoted said, "It's part of our schools. It's part of our education. It's part of our leisure. It's television. It just seems to be everywhere. We became a military industrial society a long time ago. And when you become that it becomes your identity. And so, many us are questioning, 'is that how we want to be known in the world, as a militaristic society?'"
If she is asserting that it is part of our schools and education, why are the schools also leaning toward teaching that our policy on Iraq is wrong? Sounds like we'd rather confuse our kids.
It seems to me that if people want to truly fix what is wrong in our country and world, they would aim their efforts elsewhere. Protest teaching our children that sex outside of the context of marriage is wrong. Promote peace by not destroying someone's character on My Space. Encourage racial harmony not through tolerance but through recognizing that we are all God's beloved children and that should be the basis, not which holiday one celebrates at Hanaramakwaansmas.
Maybe I sound like an idealist. Maybe I sound like a raving lunatic, but I think that many people who are working for change are actually making the division worse by creating problems where no one would think to look for one. It's one thing to protest (PEACEFULLY) outside an abortion clinic. It's another thing to protest outside an air show. One has the clear and present danger. The other is just a place for families to go and enjoy seeing loud aircraft, and the largest dangers are sunburn and hearing loss.
I guess the peace activists don't remember that is wasn't the pacifists who won them their rights of freedom of speech and assembly.
When I was a kid, we would often go to air shows. There was even one at the local airport. The worst part of these events were that they took place in the summer when the temperature topped 100 and, being at an airport, that meant absolutely no shade--unless one hunkered down under the wing of a bomber. Other than melting in the summer sun, I enjoyed the shows. I especially loved the Blue Angels. Once I even got to see an aircraft that was just out of being top-secret. It was flat and weird-looking. It was supposed to be undetectable by radar. Yeah, you know the one I'm talking about. Anyway, I didn't know I was being brainwashed by these displays of military might. I didn't know my father's boss was a horrible militant for having restored an old Sopwith Pup and flown it in the local airshow and demonstrating a dogfight between it and a tank on the ground. Ah, how naive I must have been, not knowing that these were merely a display of "how pervasive militarism is in American society."
According to MPR, there will be a group protesting at the airshow in Duluth, MN, this weekend. They are protesting the military bent of the airshow, saying it is no longer a celebration of aviation, but a show of military might.
The woman quoted said, "It's part of our schools. It's part of our education. It's part of our leisure. It's television. It just seems to be everywhere. We became a military industrial society a long time ago. And when you become that it becomes your identity. And so, many us are questioning, 'is that how we want to be known in the world, as a militaristic society?'"
If she is asserting that it is part of our schools and education, why are the schools also leaning toward teaching that our policy on Iraq is wrong? Sounds like we'd rather confuse our kids.
It seems to me that if people want to truly fix what is wrong in our country and world, they would aim their efforts elsewhere. Protest teaching our children that sex outside of the context of marriage is wrong. Promote peace by not destroying someone's character on My Space. Encourage racial harmony not through tolerance but through recognizing that we are all God's beloved children and that should be the basis, not which holiday one celebrates at Hanaramakwaansmas.
Maybe I sound like an idealist. Maybe I sound like a raving lunatic, but I think that many people who are working for change are actually making the division worse by creating problems where no one would think to look for one. It's one thing to protest (PEACEFULLY) outside an abortion clinic. It's another thing to protest outside an air show. One has the clear and present danger. The other is just a place for families to go and enjoy seeing loud aircraft, and the largest dangers are sunburn and hearing loss.
I guess the peace activists don't remember that is wasn't the pacifists who won them their rights of freedom of speech and assembly.
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