The Western world has been raised in dualism. Opposites, when they hear 2 sides to every coin, the sides are separate and that coin in the middle is nothing at all. We believe in GOOD and EVIL, black and white, male and female, war and peace, love and hate.
OPPOSITES--antonyms are not the same, for while they have opposing meanings, they are not big, and they are not the basis for having a very concrete mind. For a lot of people, KISS is the answer, from a menu to the way to run the world. (KISS is an acronym not an exchange of body fluids in this paragraph)
In nondualistic philosophies, the coin is ONE. One coin, two sides of ONE coin. Perception is not concrete. Good and evil are not opposites but a continuum--like ombre'. Black and white are nothing more than the degree of presence of light. Male and female are both humans but have either XX or XY. War and peace are not opposites, but choices of how we handle disagreements--and in peace, people still die and sometimes treat each other horribly and in war, sometimes people live and show their most humane side.
No opposites, just continuums of one thing.
ONE.
What if we focused on that oneness. What if we started with our labels. And not to take anyone's choices, but what if we start with those many RACE, ETHNICITY, CULTURE questions that are all over every form we are asked to fill out from birth on.
If we just added HUMAN to the race choices, how many people filling it out would start only using that choice. And Ethnicity, ( to a shared culture and way of life) is currently used to mean Hispanic, although it is frequently used as a choice under race where the KISS was overused. Not to overdwell, but hispanic is not a culture or ethnicity or race, its a language group, and if we expanded it to include french and italian we could use the label Romance languages. It is a choice on our labels choosing lists, because we have become obsessed with the number of people coming to the USA from noneuropean nations. I have also seen people that are here in the USA very confused by the fact that their only choice is AFRICAN-AMERICAN. I have never seen anything that offered the choice of European-American or Australian_American. And apparently, black people from Europe or Australia are also African American. If we are going to settle for a label of ultimate cradle of life--African would fit us all.
But shared culture and way of life? We all eat, sleep, drink, reproduce, are born, live, die. We all share that. But the people 2 blocks over eat different food than I do, believe different things about where we come from and where we are going when we die. They choose different words to describe things, have different goals, make different amounts of money, and like doing different things for fun. And we have all the same labels on those category choices.
Don't get me wrong. I am not asking for more choices for specificity. I'm asking if we can't have a choice of being less specific, less divisive. Why ask my sex? If you want to know if I speak English or need a translator, ask that--it could be important, but wanting to know what language my greatgrandmother spoke has no purpose. And race is not a single answer for that many people. Great and great-great grandparents occasionally led more complicated lives than the Victorian stories would like us to believe. We are complicated individuals, but we--the totality of we are pretty simple.
WE ARE ALL HUMAN.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Sunday, November 15, 2015
the answer is empathy
Every day I see at least one post from an angry friend or relative that is barely scraping by ranting about the person they saw using foodstamps that had on "nicer jeans than me, fake fingernails, 5 kids, a coach bag, jewelry all over" or worse" and they paid for their beer and cigerettes then used food stamps for their frozen waffles and syrup". The number of times this occurs at a convenience store--the equivalent of a bodega in a large urban area, just seems to make it worse, since the prices at those places are already inflated.
Those same outraged friends and relatives, when met with a person in the same store they are in, that is wearing designer everything, driving a ferrari, and paying with a credit card, they get talked about too, but it is as if the person that saw them has just spotted a celebrity and that greatness is going to rub off on them.
Apparently it is !GREAT! when the wealthy go slumming, but we want and need our poor people to know their place and stay in it.
Why the difference? Is it like our avoidance of looking at the faces of those that are horribly disfigured or is it a need to think that "if I'm doing as well as I am, what excuse do they have to not be doing as well. Is that not a kind of self-pity;a personal belief that "I have it rough, so how dare they think they have it rougher?"
Since I have rarely seen anyone (in the last 30 years--I think we might be better than we used to be) demand that the disfigured person be removed from their sight and then talked about like an affront to the sensibilities, as if they should know better than to want to be treated like a regular person, I suspect it is more closely related to the second scenario.
Being poor in this country has been a sin for over a hundred years, maybe always. If you feel that can't be true, Google Bondservant history. The new history books in Texas have nothing on the old victorian genealogy rewriting. My family has been here a long time, but until Ancestry.com, I had no idea the skeletons that could be covered up with an omission here and a brickwall there.
So, despite our "we love and fight for the underdogs" movie choices, in the real world, we back the conquering heroes not the vanquished. We love the success stories of rags to riches (amazingly, most of those rags looked a lot like my regular clothes), but not the "rags to now my family is no longer starving" stories. If little orphan Annie had spent her life in the foster system, no one would have cared a bit about her.
So can we develop empathy for those that are not doing as well as we are? Maybe we just need to look at it a little differently. Or maybe we just need to look in the mirror Who do we think we are?
Those same outraged friends and relatives, when met with a person in the same store they are in, that is wearing designer everything, driving a ferrari, and paying with a credit card, they get talked about too, but it is as if the person that saw them has just spotted a celebrity and that greatness is going to rub off on them.
Apparently it is !GREAT! when the wealthy go slumming, but we want and need our poor people to know their place and stay in it.
Why the difference? Is it like our avoidance of looking at the faces of those that are horribly disfigured or is it a need to think that "if I'm doing as well as I am, what excuse do they have to not be doing as well. Is that not a kind of self-pity;a personal belief that "I have it rough, so how dare they think they have it rougher?"
Since I have rarely seen anyone (in the last 30 years--I think we might be better than we used to be) demand that the disfigured person be removed from their sight and then talked about like an affront to the sensibilities, as if they should know better than to want to be treated like a regular person, I suspect it is more closely related to the second scenario.
Being poor in this country has been a sin for over a hundred years, maybe always. If you feel that can't be true, Google Bondservant history. The new history books in Texas have nothing on the old victorian genealogy rewriting. My family has been here a long time, but until Ancestry.com, I had no idea the skeletons that could be covered up with an omission here and a brickwall there.
So, despite our "we love and fight for the underdogs" movie choices, in the real world, we back the conquering heroes not the vanquished. We love the success stories of rags to riches (amazingly, most of those rags looked a lot like my regular clothes), but not the "rags to now my family is no longer starving" stories. If little orphan Annie had spent her life in the foster system, no one would have cared a bit about her.
So can we develop empathy for those that are not doing as well as we are? Maybe we just need to look at it a little differently. Or maybe we just need to look in the mirror Who do we think we are?
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Make Love not War!
Make love not war--a counterculture slogan from the 1960's--very hippy-dippy, very anti-establishment, very John Lennon. Images of graffiti flowers and peace symbols bounce through my head.
The USA has been in war--not WAR-- since 1961. (We were not-NOT in war before that, but our need to send our youth all over the world started with the world wars. Before that, we needed an actual threat to our own lands.
Below is a little timeline of our military activities from the 60's until present--its from wikipedia and I didn't fact check every entry, but here is the link if you find something wrong.(the use of that word was my idea of a little joke--what isn't wrong about war)
(At the bottom of the timeline is the point--a clue-- it's about PTSD.)
1962 – Thailand: The Third Marine Expeditionary Unit landed on May 17, 1962 to support that country during the threat of Communist pressure from outside; by July 30, the 5,000 marines had been withdrawn.[RL30172]
1962 – Cuba: Cuban missile crisis, On October 22, President Kennedy instituted a "quarantine" on the shipment of offensive missiles to Cuba from the Soviet Union. He also warned Soviet Union that the launching of any missile from Cuba against nations in the Western Hemisphere would bring about U.S. nuclear retaliation on the Soviet Union. A negotiated settlement was achieved in a few days.[RL30172]
1962–75 – Laos: From October 1962 until 1975, the United States played an important role in military support of anti-Communist forces in Laos.[RL30172]
1964 – Congo (Zaïre): The United States sent four transport planes to provide airlift for Congolese troops during a rebellion and to transport Belgian paratroopers to rescue foreigners.[RL30172]
1965 – Invasion of Dominican Republic: Operation Power Pack, The United States intervened to protect lives and property during a Dominican revolt and sent 20,000 U.S. troops as fears grew that the revolutionary forces were coming increasingly under Communist control.[RL30172] A popular rebellion breaks out, promising to reinstall Juan Bosch as the country's elected leader. The revolution is crushed when U.S. Marines land to uphold the military regime by force. The CIA directs everything behind the scenes.
1967 – Israel: The USS Liberty incident, whereupon a United States Navy Technical Research Ship was attacked June 8, 1967 by Israeli armed forces, killing 34 and wounding more than 170 U.S. crew members.
1967 – Congo (Zaïre): The United States sent three military transport aircraft with crews to provide the Congo central government with logistical support during a revolt.[RL30172]
1968 – Laos & Cambodia: U.S. starts secret bombing campaign against targets along the Ho Chi Minh trail in the sovereign nations of Cambodia and Laos. The bombings last at least two years. (See Operation Commando Hunt)
1972 – North Vietnam: Christmas bombing Operation Linebacker II (not mentioned in RL30172, but an operation leading to peace negotiations). The operation was conducted from 18–29 December 1972. It was a bombing of the cities Hanoi and Haiphong by B-52 bombers.
1973 – Operation Nickel Grass, a strategic airlift operation conducted by the United States to deliver weapons and supplies to Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
1974 – Evacuation from Cyprus: United States naval forces evacuated U.S. civilians during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.[RL30172]
1975 – Evacuation from Vietnam: Operation Frequent Wind, On April 3, 1975, President Ford reported U.S. naval vessels, helicopters, and Marines had been sent to assist in evacuation of refugees and US nationals from Vietnam.[RL30172]
1975 – Evacuation from Cambodia: Operation Eagle Pull, On April 12, 1975, President Ford reported that he had ordered U.S. military forces to proceed with the planned evacuation of U.S. citizens from Cambodia.[RL30172]
1975 – South Vietnam: On April 30, 1975, President Ford reported that a force of 70 evacuation helicopters and 865 Marines had evacuated about 1,400 U.S. citizens and 5,500 third country nationals and South Vietnamese from landing zones in and around the U.S. Embassy, Saigon and Tan Son Nhut Airport.[RL30172]
1975 – Cambodia: Mayaguez incident, On May 15, 1975, President Ford reported he had ordered military forces to retake the SS Mayaguez, a merchant vessel which was seized from Cambodian naval patrol boats in international waters and forced to proceed to a nearby island.[RL30172]
1976 – Lebanon: On July 22 and 23, 1976, helicopters from five U.S. naval vessels evacuated approximately 250 Americans and Europeans from Lebanon during fighting between Lebanese factions after an overland convoy evacuation had been blocked by hostilities.[RL30172]
1976 – Korea: Additional forces were sent to Korea after two American soldiers were killed by North Korean soldiers in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea while cutting down a tree.[RL30172]
1978 – Zaïre (Congo): From May 19 through June, the United States utilized military transport aircraft to provide logistical support to Belgian and French rescue operations in Zaïre.[RL30172]
1980 – U.S. Army and Air Force units arrive in the Sinai in September as part of "Operation Bright Star". They are there to train with Egyptian armed forces as part of the Camp David peace accords signed in 1979. Elements of the 101st Airborne Division, (1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry) and Air Force MAC (Military Airlift Command) units are in theater for four months & are the first U.S. military forces in the region since World War II.
1981 – El Salvador: After a guerrilla offensive against the government of El Salvador, additional U.S. military advisers were sent to El Salvador, bringing the total to approximately 55, to assist in training government forces in counterinsurgency.[RL30172]
1981 – Libya: First Gulf of Sidra incident, on August 19, 1981, U.S. planes based on the carrier USS Nimitz shot down two Libyan jets over the Gulf of Sidra after one of the Libyan jets had fired a heat-seeking missile. The United States periodically held freedom of navigation exercises in the Gulf of Sidra, claimed by Libya as territorial waters but considered international waters by the United States.[RL30172]
1982 – Sinai: On March 19, 1982, President Reagan reported the deployment of military personnel and equipment to participate in the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai. Participation had been authorized by the Multinational Force and Observers Resolution, Public Law 97-132.[RL30172]
1982 – Lebanon: Multinational Force in Lebanon, on August 21, 1982, President Reagan reported the dispatch of 800 Marines to serve in the multinational force to assist in the withdrawal of members of the Palestine Liberation force from Beirut. The Marines left September 20, 1982.[RL30172]
1982–83 – Lebanon: On September 29, 1982, President Reagan reported the deployment of 1200 marines to serve in a temporary multinational force to facilitate the restoration of Lebanese government sovereignty. On September 29, 1983, Congress passed the Multinational Force in Lebanon Resolution (P.L. 98-119) authorizing the continued participation for eighteen months.[RL30172]
1983 – Egypt: After a Libyan plane bombed a city in Sudan on March 18, 1983, and Sudan and Egypt appealed for assistance, the United States dispatched an AWACS electronic surveillance plane to Egypt.[RL30172]
1983 – Grenada: Operation Urgent Fury, citing the increased threat of Soviet and Cuban influence and noting the development of an international airport following a coup d'état and alignment with the Soviet Union and Cuba, the U.S. invades the island nation of Grenada.[RL30172]
1983–89 – Honduras: In July 1983, the United States undertook a series of exercises in Honduras that some believed might lead to conflict with Nicaragua. On March 25, 1986, unarmed U.S. military helicopters and crewmen ferried Honduran troops to the Nicaraguan border to repel Nicaraguan troops.[RL30172]
1983 – Chad: On August 8, 1983, President Reagan reported the deployment of two AWACS electronic surveillance planes and eight F-15 fighter planes and ground logistical support forces to assist Chad against Libyan and rebel forces.[RL30172]
1984 – Persian Gulf: On June 5, 1984, Saudi Arabian jet fighter planes, aided by intelligence from a U.S. AWACS electronic surveillance aircraft and fueled by a U.S. KC-10 tanker, shot down two Iranian fighter planes over an area of the Persian Gulf proclaimed as a protected zone for shipping.[RL30172]
1985 – Italy: On October 10, 1985, U.S. Navy pilots intercepted an Egyptian airliner and forced it to land in Sicily. The airliner was carrying the hijackers of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro who had killed an American citizen during the hijacking.[RL30172]
1986 – Libya: Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986), on March 26, 1986, President Reagan reported on March 24 and 25, U.S. forces, while engaged in freedom of navigation exercises around the Gulf of Sidra, had been attacked by Libyan missiles and the United States had responded with missiles.[RL30172]
1986 – Libya: Operation El Dorado Canyon, on April 16, 1986, President Reagan reported that U.S. air and naval forces had conducted bombing strikes on terrorist facilities and military installations in the Libyan capitol of Tripoli, claiming that Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi was responsible for a bomb attack at a German disco that killed two U.S. soldiers.[RL30172]
1986 – Bolivia: U.S. Army personnel and aircraft assisted Bolivia in anti-drug operations.[RL30172]
1987 – Persian Gulf: USS Stark was struck on May 17 by two Exocet antiship missiles fired from a Dassault Mirage F1 of the Iraqi Air Force during the Iran–Iraq War, killing 37 U.S. Navy sailors.
1987 – Persian Gulf: Operation Nimble Archer. Attacks on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf by United States Navy forces on October 19. The attack was a response to Iran's October 16, 1987 attack on the MV Sea Isle City, a reflagged Kuwaiti oil tanker at anchor off Kuwait, with a Silkworm missile.
1987–88 – Persian Gulf: Operation Earnest Will. After the Iran–Iraq War (the Tanker War phase) resulted in several military incidents in the Persian Gulf, the United States increased U.S. joint military forces operations in the Persian Gulf and adopted a policy of reflagging and escorting Kuwaiti oil tankers through the Persian Gulf to protect them from Iraqi and Iranian attacks. President Reagan reported that U.S. ships had been fired upon or struck mines or taken other military action on September 21 (Iran Ajr), October 8, and October 19, 1987 and April 18 (Operation Praying Mantis), July 3, and July 14, 1988. The United States gradually reduced its forces after a cease-fire between Iran and Iraq on August 20, 1988.[RL30172] It was the largest naval convoy operation since World War II.[8]
1987–88 – Persian Gulf: Operation Prime Chance was a United States Special Operations Command operation intended to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers from Iranian attack during the Iran–Iraq War. The operation took place roughly at the same time as Operation Earnest Will.
1988 – Persian Gulf: Operation Praying Mantis was the April 18, 1988 action waged by U.S. naval forces in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf and the subsequent damage to an American warship.
1988 – Honduras: Operation Golden Pheasant was an emergency deployment of U.S. troops to Honduras in 1988, as a result of threatening actions by the forces of the (then socialist) Nicaraguans.
1988 – USS Vincennes shoot-down of Iran Air Flight 655.
1988 – Panama: In mid-March and April 1988, during a period of instability in Panama and as the United States increased pressure on Panamanian head of state General Manuel Noriega to resign, the United States sent 1,000 troops to Panama, to "further safeguard the canal, US lives, property and interests in the area." The forces supplemented 10,000 U.S. military personnel already in the Panama Canal Zone.[RL30172]
1989 – Libya: Second Gulf of Sidra incident. On January 4, 1989, two U.S. Navy F-14 aircraft based on the USS John F. Kennedy shot down two Libyan jet fighters over the Mediterranean Sea about 70 miles north of Libya. The U.S. pilots said the Libyan planes had demonstrated hostile intentions.[RL30172]
1989 – Panama: On May 11, 1989, in response to General Noriega's disregard of the results of the Panamanian election, President Bush ordered a brigade-sized force of approximately 1,900 troops to augment the estimated 1,000 U.S. forces already in the area.[RL30172]
1989 – Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru: Andean Initiative in War on Drugs, On September 15, 1989, President Bush announced that military and law enforcement assistance would be sent to help the Andean nations of Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru combat illicit drug producers and traffickers. By mid-September there were 50–100 U.S. military advisers in Colombia in connection with transport and training in the use of military equipment, plus seven Special Forces teams of 2–12 persons to train troops in the three countries.[RL30172]
1989 – Philippines: Operation Classic Resolve, On December 2, 1989, President Bush reported that on December 1, Air Force fighters from Clark Air Base in Luzon had assisted the Aquino government to repel a coup attempt. In addition, 100 marines were sent from U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay to protect the United States Embassy in Manila.[RL30172]
1989–90 – Panama: United States invasion of Panama and Operation Just Cause, On December 21, 1989, President Bush reported that he had ordered U.S. military forces to Panama to protect the lives of American citizens and bring General Noriega to justice. By February 13, 1990, all the invasion forces had been withdrawn.[RL30172] Around 200 Panamanian civilians were reported killed. The Panamanian head of state, General Manuel Noriega, was captured and brought to the U.S.
1990 – Saudi Arabia: On August 9, 1990, President Bush reported that he launched Operation Desert Shield by ordering the forward deployment of substantial elements of the U.S. armed forces into the Persian Gulf region to help defend Saudi Arabia after the August 2 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. On November 16, 1990, he reported the continued buildup of the forces to ensure an adequate offensive military option.[RL30172]American hostages being held in Iran.[RL30172] Staging point for the troops was primarily Bagram air field.
1991 – Iraq and Kuwait: Gulf War, On January 16, 1991, in response to the refusal by Iraq to leave Kuwait, U.S. and Coalition aircraft attacked Iraqi forces and military targets in Iraq and Kuwait in conjunction with a coalition of allies and under United Nations Security Council resolutions. On February 24, 1991, U.S.-led United Nation (UN) forces launched a ground offensive that finally drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait within 100 hours. Combat operations ended on February 28, 1991, when President Bush declared a ceasefire.[RL30172]
1991–96 – Iraq: Operation Provide Comfort, Delivery of humanitarian relief and military protection for Kurds fleeing their homes in northern Iraq during the 1991 uprising, by a small Allied ground force based in Turkey which began in April 1991.
1991 – Iraq: On May 17, 1991, President Bush stated that the Iraqi repression of the Kurdish people had necessitated a limited introduction of U.S. forces into northern Iraq for emergency relief purposes.[RL30172]
1991 – Zaire: On September 25–27, 1991, after widespread looting and rioting broke out in Kinshasa, Air Force C-141s transported 100 Belgian troops and equipment into Kinshasa. American planes also carried 300 French troops into the Central African Republic and hauled evacuated American citizens.[RL30172]
1992 – Sierra Leone: Operation Silver Anvil, Following the April 29 coup that overthrew President Joseph Saidu Momoh, a United States European Command (USEUCOM) Joint Special Operations Task Force evacuated 438 people (including 42 Third Country nationals) on May 3. Two Air Mobility Command (AMC) C-141s flew 136 people from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to the Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany and nine C-130 sorties carried another 302 people to Dakar, Senegal.[RL30172]
1992–96 – Bosnia and Herzegovina: Operation Provide Promise was a humanitarian relief operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars, from July 2, 1992, to January 9, 1996, which made it the longest running humanitarian airlift in history.[9]
1992 – Kuwait: On August 3, 1992, the United States began a series of military exercises in Kuwait, following Iraqi refusal to recognize a new border drawn up by the United Nations and refusal to cooperate with UN inspection teams.[RL30172]
1992–2003 – Iraq: Iraqi no-fly zones, The U.S., United Kingdom, and its Gulf War allies declared and enforced "no-fly zones" over the majority of sovereign Iraqi airspace, prohibiting Iraqi flights in zones in southern Iraq and northern Iraq, conducting aerial reconnaissance, and several specific attacks on Iraqi air-defense systems as part of the UN mandate. Often, Iraqi forces continued throughout a decade by firing on U.S. and British aircraft patrolling no-fly zones.(See also Operation Northern Watch, Operation Southern Watch) [RL30172]
1992–95 – Somalia: Operation Restore Hope, Somali Civil War: On December 10, 1992, President Bush reported that he had deployed U.S. armed forces to Somalia in response to a humanitarian crisis and a UN Security Council Resolution in support for UNITAF. The operation came to an end on May 4, 1993. U.S. forces continued to participate in the successor United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM II).(See also Battle of Mogadishu)[RL30172]
1993–95 – Bosnia: Operation Deny Flight, On April 12, 1993, in response to a United Nations Security Council passage of Resolution 816, U.S. and NATO enforced the no-fly zone over the Bosnian airspace, prohibited all unauthorized flights and allowed to "take all necessary measures to ensure compliance with [the no-fly zone restrictions]."
1993 – Macedonia: On July 9, 1993, President Clinton reported the deployment of 350 U.S. soldiers to the Republic of Macedonia to participate in the UN Protection Force to help maintain stability in the area of former Yugoslavia.[RL30172]
1994 – Bosnia: Banja Luka incident, NATO become involved in the first combat situation when NATO U.S. Air Force F-16 jets shot down four of the six Bosnian Serb J-21 Jastreb single-seat light attack jets for violating UN-mandated no-fly zone.
1994–95 – Haiti: Operation Uphold Democracy, U.S. ships had begun embargo against Haiti. Up to 20,000 U.S. military troops were later deployed to Haiti to restore democratically-elected Haiti President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from a military regime which came into power in 1991 after a major coup.[RL30172]
1994 – Macedonia: On April 19, 1994, President Clinton reported that the U.S. contingent in Macedonia had been increased by a reinforced company of 200 personnel.[RL30172]
1995 – Bosnia: Operation Deliberate Force, On August 30, 1995, U.S. and NATO aircraft began a major bombing campaign of Bosnian Serb Army in response to a Bosnian Serb mortar attack on a Sarajevo market that killed 37 people on August 28, 1995. This operation lasted until September 20, 1995. The air campaign along with a combined allied ground force of Muslim and Croatian Army against Serb positions led to a Dayton Agreement in December 1995 with the signing of warring factions of the war. As part of Operation Joint Endeavor, U.S. and NATO dispatched the Implementation Force (IFOR) peacekeepers to Bosnia to uphold the Dayton agreement.[RL30172]
1996 – Liberia: Operation Assured Response, On April 11, 1996, President Clinton reported that on April 9, 1996 due to the :"deterioration of the security situation and the resulting threat to American citizens" in Liberia he had ordered U.S. military forces to evacuate from that country "private U.S. citizens and certain third-country nationals who had taken refuge in the U.S. Embassy compound...."[RL30172]
1996 – Central African Republic, Operation Quick Response: On May 23, 1996, President Clinton reported the deployment of U.S. military personnel to Bangui, Central African Republic, to conduct the evacuation from that country of "private U.S. citizens and certain U.S. government employees", and to provide "enhanced security for the American Embassy in Bangui."[RL30172] United States Marine Corps elements of Joint Task Force Assured Response, responding in nearby Liberia, provided security to the embassy and evacuated 448 people, including between 190 and 208 Americans. The last Marines left Bangui on June 22.
1996 – Kuwait: Operation Desert Strike, American Air Strikes in the north to protect the Kurdish population against the Iraqi Army attacks.
1996 – Bosnia: Operation Joint Guard, On December 21, 1996, U.S. and NATO established the SFOR peacekeepers to replace the IFOR in enforcing the peace under the Dayton agreement.
1997 – Albania: Operation Silver Wake, On March 13, 1997, U.S. military forces were used to evacuate certain U.S. government employees and private U.S. citizens from Tirana, Albania.[RL30172]
1997 – Congo and Gabon: On March 27, 1997, President Clinton reported on March 25, 1997, a standby evacuation force of U.S. military personnel had been deployed to Congo and Gabon to provide enhanced security and to be available for any necessary evacuation operation.[RL30172]
1997 – Sierra Leone: On May 29 and May 30, 1997, U.S. military personnel were deployed to Freetown, Sierra Leone, to prepare for and undertake the evacuation of certain U.S. government employees and private U.S. citizens.[RL30172]
1997 – Cambodia: On July 11, 1997, In an effort to ensure the security of American citizens in Cambodia during a period of domestic conflict there, a Task Force of about 550 U.S. military personnel were deployed at Utapao Air Base in Thailand for possible evacuations. [RL30172]
1998 – Iraq: Operation Desert Fox, U.S. and British forces conduct a major four-day bombing campaign from December 16–19, 1998 on Iraqi targets.[RL30172]
1998 – Guinea-Bissau: Operation Shepherd Venture, On June 10, 1998, in response to an army mutiny in Guinea-Bissau endangering the U.S. Embassy, President Clinton deployed a standby evacuation force of U.S. military personnel to Dakar, Senegal, to evacuate from the city of Bissau.[RL30172]
1998–99 – Kenya and Tanzania: U.S. military personnel were deployed to Nairobi, Kenya, to coordinate the medical and disaster assistance related to the bombing of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.[RL30172]
1998 – Afghanistan and Sudan: Operation Infinite Reach, On August 20, President Clinton ordered a cruise missile attack against two suspected terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical factory in Sudan.[RL30172]
1998 – Liberia: On September 27, 1998, America deployed a stand-by response and evacuation force of 30 U.S. military personnel to increase the security force at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia. [1] [RL30172]
1999–2001 – East Timor: Limited number of U.S. military forces deployed with the United Nations-mandated International Force for East Timor restore peace to East Timor.[RL30172]
1999 – Serbia: Operation Allied Force: U.S. and NATO aircraft began a major bombing of Serbia and Serb positions in Kosovo on March 24, 1999, during the Kosovo War due to the refusal by Serbian President Slobodan Milošević to end repression against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. This operation ended in June 10, 1999, when Milošević agreed to pull out his troops out of Kosovo. In response to the situation in Kosovo, NATO dispatched the KFOR peacekeepers to secure the peace under UNSC Resolution 1244.[RL30172]
Our heroes come home and find themselves with a skill set not conducive to employment, or civilized life. If they were great warriors or amazing heroes, they now have problems with things like:
hypervigilance!
jumping from loud noises!
Fireworks!
cars backfiring!
delusions!
nightmares!
feeling panicky! that other shoe will drop feeling
feeling guilty! for both what they did to survive and for surviving at all.
strange ideas about what would make the world a better place
ambivilence about the military action they were in
inability to relate to anything less than life and death, and (why is that couple arguing over the color of the couch when kids are blowing themselves up?)
lack of trust, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, feelings of impending doom, etc,etc, etc,
They self-medicate with alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal drugs, making prewar relationships and any job harder to get and hold. The only people they can relate to are others that have been there. And so many of their war friends didn't come back.
There is nothing shocking about veterans homeless and drug-addled living in the street, but then again, there is. We have known what war does to people for a very long time. While it wasn't defined as a psychiatric syndrome until the 1980s, the symptoms have been documented post-war as long as there has been war and writing.
So the question isn't really "why don't we help our soldiers more after they return" It is really, why do we keep making war. I realize there are things worth keeping, things you have to fight for, but truthfully, most of those wars and police actions involve killing massive numbers of soldiers and civilian casualties, while the people that make the decisions to have a war are never a target.
The people that decide we should go to war are also most likely the ones to profit from the same.
But they aren't the ones to risk their lives.
They don't lose limbs.
They don't lose their families to nightmares and panic and substance abuse.
They don't go homeless.
They profit. They profit from all that suffering and loss.
And the next time they beat the drum and whip us into a patriotic frenzy, we will sacrifice our children--again.
The USA has been in war--not WAR-- since 1961. (We were not-NOT in war before that, but our need to send our youth all over the world started with the world wars. Before that, we needed an actual threat to our own lands.
Below is a little timeline of our military activities from the 60's until present--its from wikipedia and I didn't fact check every entry, but here is the link if you find something wrong.(the use of that word was my idea of a little joke--what isn't wrong about war)
(At the bottom of the timeline is the point--a clue-- it's about PTSD.)
1960–1969
1961 – Cuba: The Bay of Pigs Invasion, known in Hispanic America as Invasión de Bahía de Cochinos (or Invasión de Playa Girón or Batalla de Girón), was an unsuccessful military invasion of Cuba undertaken by the CIA-sponsored paramilitary group Brigade 2506 on 17 April 1961.1962 – Thailand: The Third Marine Expeditionary Unit landed on May 17, 1962 to support that country during the threat of Communist pressure from outside; by July 30, the 5,000 marines had been withdrawn.[RL30172]
1962 – Cuba: Cuban missile crisis, On October 22, President Kennedy instituted a "quarantine" on the shipment of offensive missiles to Cuba from the Soviet Union. He also warned Soviet Union that the launching of any missile from Cuba against nations in the Western Hemisphere would bring about U.S. nuclear retaliation on the Soviet Union. A negotiated settlement was achieved in a few days.[RL30172]
1962–75 – Laos: From October 1962 until 1975, the United States played an important role in military support of anti-Communist forces in Laos.[RL30172]
1964 – Congo (Zaïre): The United States sent four transport planes to provide airlift for Congolese troops during a rebellion and to transport Belgian paratroopers to rescue foreigners.[RL30172]
1965 – Invasion of Dominican Republic: Operation Power Pack, The United States intervened to protect lives and property during a Dominican revolt and sent 20,000 U.S. troops as fears grew that the revolutionary forces were coming increasingly under Communist control.[RL30172] A popular rebellion breaks out, promising to reinstall Juan Bosch as the country's elected leader. The revolution is crushed when U.S. Marines land to uphold the military regime by force. The CIA directs everything behind the scenes.
1967 – Israel: The USS Liberty incident, whereupon a United States Navy Technical Research Ship was attacked June 8, 1967 by Israeli armed forces, killing 34 and wounding more than 170 U.S. crew members.
1967 – Congo (Zaïre): The United States sent three military transport aircraft with crews to provide the Congo central government with logistical support during a revolt.[RL30172]
1968 – Laos & Cambodia: U.S. starts secret bombing campaign against targets along the Ho Chi Minh trail in the sovereign nations of Cambodia and Laos. The bombings last at least two years. (See Operation Commando Hunt)
1970–1979
1970 – Cambodian Campaign: U.S. troops were ordered into Cambodia to clean out Communist sanctuaries from which Viet Cong and North Vietnamese attacked U.S. and South Vietnamese forces in Vietnam. The object of this attack, which lasted from April 30 to June 30, was to ensure the continuing safe withdrawal of American forces from South Vietnam and to assist the program of Vietnamization.[RL30172]1972 – North Vietnam: Christmas bombing Operation Linebacker II (not mentioned in RL30172, but an operation leading to peace negotiations). The operation was conducted from 18–29 December 1972. It was a bombing of the cities Hanoi and Haiphong by B-52 bombers.
1973 – Operation Nickel Grass, a strategic airlift operation conducted by the United States to deliver weapons and supplies to Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
1974 – Evacuation from Cyprus: United States naval forces evacuated U.S. civilians during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.[RL30172]
1975 – Evacuation from Vietnam: Operation Frequent Wind, On April 3, 1975, President Ford reported U.S. naval vessels, helicopters, and Marines had been sent to assist in evacuation of refugees and US nationals from Vietnam.[RL30172]
1975 – Evacuation from Cambodia: Operation Eagle Pull, On April 12, 1975, President Ford reported that he had ordered U.S. military forces to proceed with the planned evacuation of U.S. citizens from Cambodia.[RL30172]
1975 – South Vietnam: On April 30, 1975, President Ford reported that a force of 70 evacuation helicopters and 865 Marines had evacuated about 1,400 U.S. citizens and 5,500 third country nationals and South Vietnamese from landing zones in and around the U.S. Embassy, Saigon and Tan Son Nhut Airport.[RL30172]
1975 – Cambodia: Mayaguez incident, On May 15, 1975, President Ford reported he had ordered military forces to retake the SS Mayaguez, a merchant vessel which was seized from Cambodian naval patrol boats in international waters and forced to proceed to a nearby island.[RL30172]
1976 – Lebanon: On July 22 and 23, 1976, helicopters from five U.S. naval vessels evacuated approximately 250 Americans and Europeans from Lebanon during fighting between Lebanese factions after an overland convoy evacuation had been blocked by hostilities.[RL30172]
1976 – Korea: Additional forces were sent to Korea after two American soldiers were killed by North Korean soldiers in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea while cutting down a tree.[RL30172]
1978 – Zaïre (Congo): From May 19 through June, the United States utilized military transport aircraft to provide logistical support to Belgian and French rescue operations in Zaïre.[RL30172]
1980–1989
1980 – Iran: Operation Eagle Claw, on April 26, 1980, President Carter reported the use of six U.S. transport planes and eight helicopters in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the American hostages in Iran.1980 – U.S. Army and Air Force units arrive in the Sinai in September as part of "Operation Bright Star". They are there to train with Egyptian armed forces as part of the Camp David peace accords signed in 1979. Elements of the 101st Airborne Division, (1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry) and Air Force MAC (Military Airlift Command) units are in theater for four months & are the first U.S. military forces in the region since World War II.
1981 – El Salvador: After a guerrilla offensive against the government of El Salvador, additional U.S. military advisers were sent to El Salvador, bringing the total to approximately 55, to assist in training government forces in counterinsurgency.[RL30172]
1981 – Libya: First Gulf of Sidra incident, on August 19, 1981, U.S. planes based on the carrier USS Nimitz shot down two Libyan jets over the Gulf of Sidra after one of the Libyan jets had fired a heat-seeking missile. The United States periodically held freedom of navigation exercises in the Gulf of Sidra, claimed by Libya as territorial waters but considered international waters by the United States.[RL30172]
1982 – Sinai: On March 19, 1982, President Reagan reported the deployment of military personnel and equipment to participate in the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai. Participation had been authorized by the Multinational Force and Observers Resolution, Public Law 97-132.[RL30172]
1982 – Lebanon: Multinational Force in Lebanon, on August 21, 1982, President Reagan reported the dispatch of 800 Marines to serve in the multinational force to assist in the withdrawal of members of the Palestine Liberation force from Beirut. The Marines left September 20, 1982.[RL30172]
1982–83 – Lebanon: On September 29, 1982, President Reagan reported the deployment of 1200 marines to serve in a temporary multinational force to facilitate the restoration of Lebanese government sovereignty. On September 29, 1983, Congress passed the Multinational Force in Lebanon Resolution (P.L. 98-119) authorizing the continued participation for eighteen months.[RL30172]
1983 – Egypt: After a Libyan plane bombed a city in Sudan on March 18, 1983, and Sudan and Egypt appealed for assistance, the United States dispatched an AWACS electronic surveillance plane to Egypt.[RL30172]
1983 – Grenada: Operation Urgent Fury, citing the increased threat of Soviet and Cuban influence and noting the development of an international airport following a coup d'état and alignment with the Soviet Union and Cuba, the U.S. invades the island nation of Grenada.[RL30172]
1983–89 – Honduras: In July 1983, the United States undertook a series of exercises in Honduras that some believed might lead to conflict with Nicaragua. On March 25, 1986, unarmed U.S. military helicopters and crewmen ferried Honduran troops to the Nicaraguan border to repel Nicaraguan troops.[RL30172]
1983 – Chad: On August 8, 1983, President Reagan reported the deployment of two AWACS electronic surveillance planes and eight F-15 fighter planes and ground logistical support forces to assist Chad against Libyan and rebel forces.[RL30172]
1984 – Persian Gulf: On June 5, 1984, Saudi Arabian jet fighter planes, aided by intelligence from a U.S. AWACS electronic surveillance aircraft and fueled by a U.S. KC-10 tanker, shot down two Iranian fighter planes over an area of the Persian Gulf proclaimed as a protected zone for shipping.[RL30172]
1985 – Italy: On October 10, 1985, U.S. Navy pilots intercepted an Egyptian airliner and forced it to land in Sicily. The airliner was carrying the hijackers of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro who had killed an American citizen during the hijacking.[RL30172]
1986 – Libya: Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986), on March 26, 1986, President Reagan reported on March 24 and 25, U.S. forces, while engaged in freedom of navigation exercises around the Gulf of Sidra, had been attacked by Libyan missiles and the United States had responded with missiles.[RL30172]
1986 – Libya: Operation El Dorado Canyon, on April 16, 1986, President Reagan reported that U.S. air and naval forces had conducted bombing strikes on terrorist facilities and military installations in the Libyan capitol of Tripoli, claiming that Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi was responsible for a bomb attack at a German disco that killed two U.S. soldiers.[RL30172]
1986 – Bolivia: U.S. Army personnel and aircraft assisted Bolivia in anti-drug operations.[RL30172]
1987 – Persian Gulf: USS Stark was struck on May 17 by two Exocet antiship missiles fired from a Dassault Mirage F1 of the Iraqi Air Force during the Iran–Iraq War, killing 37 U.S. Navy sailors.
1987 – Persian Gulf: Operation Nimble Archer. Attacks on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf by United States Navy forces on October 19. The attack was a response to Iran's October 16, 1987 attack on the MV Sea Isle City, a reflagged Kuwaiti oil tanker at anchor off Kuwait, with a Silkworm missile.
1987–88 – Persian Gulf: Operation Earnest Will. After the Iran–Iraq War (the Tanker War phase) resulted in several military incidents in the Persian Gulf, the United States increased U.S. joint military forces operations in the Persian Gulf and adopted a policy of reflagging and escorting Kuwaiti oil tankers through the Persian Gulf to protect them from Iraqi and Iranian attacks. President Reagan reported that U.S. ships had been fired upon or struck mines or taken other military action on September 21 (Iran Ajr), October 8, and October 19, 1987 and April 18 (Operation Praying Mantis), July 3, and July 14, 1988. The United States gradually reduced its forces after a cease-fire between Iran and Iraq on August 20, 1988.[RL30172] It was the largest naval convoy operation since World War II.[8]
1987–88 – Persian Gulf: Operation Prime Chance was a United States Special Operations Command operation intended to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers from Iranian attack during the Iran–Iraq War. The operation took place roughly at the same time as Operation Earnest Will.
1988 – Persian Gulf: Operation Praying Mantis was the April 18, 1988 action waged by U.S. naval forces in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf and the subsequent damage to an American warship.
1988 – Honduras: Operation Golden Pheasant was an emergency deployment of U.S. troops to Honduras in 1988, as a result of threatening actions by the forces of the (then socialist) Nicaraguans.
1988 – USS Vincennes shoot-down of Iran Air Flight 655.
1988 – Panama: In mid-March and April 1988, during a period of instability in Panama and as the United States increased pressure on Panamanian head of state General Manuel Noriega to resign, the United States sent 1,000 troops to Panama, to "further safeguard the canal, US lives, property and interests in the area." The forces supplemented 10,000 U.S. military personnel already in the Panama Canal Zone.[RL30172]
1989 – Libya: Second Gulf of Sidra incident. On January 4, 1989, two U.S. Navy F-14 aircraft based on the USS John F. Kennedy shot down two Libyan jet fighters over the Mediterranean Sea about 70 miles north of Libya. The U.S. pilots said the Libyan planes had demonstrated hostile intentions.[RL30172]
1989 – Panama: On May 11, 1989, in response to General Noriega's disregard of the results of the Panamanian election, President Bush ordered a brigade-sized force of approximately 1,900 troops to augment the estimated 1,000 U.S. forces already in the area.[RL30172]
1989 – Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru: Andean Initiative in War on Drugs, On September 15, 1989, President Bush announced that military and law enforcement assistance would be sent to help the Andean nations of Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru combat illicit drug producers and traffickers. By mid-September there were 50–100 U.S. military advisers in Colombia in connection with transport and training in the use of military equipment, plus seven Special Forces teams of 2–12 persons to train troops in the three countries.[RL30172]
1989 – Philippines: Operation Classic Resolve, On December 2, 1989, President Bush reported that on December 1, Air Force fighters from Clark Air Base in Luzon had assisted the Aquino government to repel a coup attempt. In addition, 100 marines were sent from U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay to protect the United States Embassy in Manila.[RL30172]
1989–90 – Panama: United States invasion of Panama and Operation Just Cause, On December 21, 1989, President Bush reported that he had ordered U.S. military forces to Panama to protect the lives of American citizens and bring General Noriega to justice. By February 13, 1990, all the invasion forces had been withdrawn.[RL30172] Around 200 Panamanian civilians were reported killed. The Panamanian head of state, General Manuel Noriega, was captured and brought to the U.S.
1990–1999
1990 – Liberia: On August 6, 1990, President Bush reported that a reinforced rifle company had been sent to provide additional security to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, and that helicopter teams had evacuated U.S. citizens from Liberia.[RL30172]1990 – Saudi Arabia: On August 9, 1990, President Bush reported that he launched Operation Desert Shield by ordering the forward deployment of substantial elements of the U.S. armed forces into the Persian Gulf region to help defend Saudi Arabia after the August 2 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. On November 16, 1990, he reported the continued buildup of the forces to ensure an adequate offensive military option.[RL30172]American hostages being held in Iran.[RL30172] Staging point for the troops was primarily Bagram air field.
1991 – Iraq and Kuwait: Gulf War, On January 16, 1991, in response to the refusal by Iraq to leave Kuwait, U.S. and Coalition aircraft attacked Iraqi forces and military targets in Iraq and Kuwait in conjunction with a coalition of allies and under United Nations Security Council resolutions. On February 24, 1991, U.S.-led United Nation (UN) forces launched a ground offensive that finally drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait within 100 hours. Combat operations ended on February 28, 1991, when President Bush declared a ceasefire.[RL30172]
1991–96 – Iraq: Operation Provide Comfort, Delivery of humanitarian relief and military protection for Kurds fleeing their homes in northern Iraq during the 1991 uprising, by a small Allied ground force based in Turkey which began in April 1991.
1991 – Iraq: On May 17, 1991, President Bush stated that the Iraqi repression of the Kurdish people had necessitated a limited introduction of U.S. forces into northern Iraq for emergency relief purposes.[RL30172]
1991 – Zaire: On September 25–27, 1991, after widespread looting and rioting broke out in Kinshasa, Air Force C-141s transported 100 Belgian troops and equipment into Kinshasa. American planes also carried 300 French troops into the Central African Republic and hauled evacuated American citizens.[RL30172]
1992 – Sierra Leone: Operation Silver Anvil, Following the April 29 coup that overthrew President Joseph Saidu Momoh, a United States European Command (USEUCOM) Joint Special Operations Task Force evacuated 438 people (including 42 Third Country nationals) on May 3. Two Air Mobility Command (AMC) C-141s flew 136 people from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to the Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany and nine C-130 sorties carried another 302 people to Dakar, Senegal.[RL30172]
1992–96 – Bosnia and Herzegovina: Operation Provide Promise was a humanitarian relief operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars, from July 2, 1992, to January 9, 1996, which made it the longest running humanitarian airlift in history.[9]
1992 – Kuwait: On August 3, 1992, the United States began a series of military exercises in Kuwait, following Iraqi refusal to recognize a new border drawn up by the United Nations and refusal to cooperate with UN inspection teams.[RL30172]
1992–2003 – Iraq: Iraqi no-fly zones, The U.S., United Kingdom, and its Gulf War allies declared and enforced "no-fly zones" over the majority of sovereign Iraqi airspace, prohibiting Iraqi flights in zones in southern Iraq and northern Iraq, conducting aerial reconnaissance, and several specific attacks on Iraqi air-defense systems as part of the UN mandate. Often, Iraqi forces continued throughout a decade by firing on U.S. and British aircraft patrolling no-fly zones.(See also Operation Northern Watch, Operation Southern Watch) [RL30172]
1992–95 – Somalia: Operation Restore Hope, Somali Civil War: On December 10, 1992, President Bush reported that he had deployed U.S. armed forces to Somalia in response to a humanitarian crisis and a UN Security Council Resolution in support for UNITAF. The operation came to an end on May 4, 1993. U.S. forces continued to participate in the successor United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM II).(See also Battle of Mogadishu)[RL30172]
1993–95 – Bosnia: Operation Deny Flight, On April 12, 1993, in response to a United Nations Security Council passage of Resolution 816, U.S. and NATO enforced the no-fly zone over the Bosnian airspace, prohibited all unauthorized flights and allowed to "take all necessary measures to ensure compliance with [the no-fly zone restrictions]."
1993 – Macedonia: On July 9, 1993, President Clinton reported the deployment of 350 U.S. soldiers to the Republic of Macedonia to participate in the UN Protection Force to help maintain stability in the area of former Yugoslavia.[RL30172]
1994 – Bosnia: Banja Luka incident, NATO become involved in the first combat situation when NATO U.S. Air Force F-16 jets shot down four of the six Bosnian Serb J-21 Jastreb single-seat light attack jets for violating UN-mandated no-fly zone.
1994–95 – Haiti: Operation Uphold Democracy, U.S. ships had begun embargo against Haiti. Up to 20,000 U.S. military troops were later deployed to Haiti to restore democratically-elected Haiti President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from a military regime which came into power in 1991 after a major coup.[RL30172]
1994 – Macedonia: On April 19, 1994, President Clinton reported that the U.S. contingent in Macedonia had been increased by a reinforced company of 200 personnel.[RL30172]
1995 – Bosnia: Operation Deliberate Force, On August 30, 1995, U.S. and NATO aircraft began a major bombing campaign of Bosnian Serb Army in response to a Bosnian Serb mortar attack on a Sarajevo market that killed 37 people on August 28, 1995. This operation lasted until September 20, 1995. The air campaign along with a combined allied ground force of Muslim and Croatian Army against Serb positions led to a Dayton Agreement in December 1995 with the signing of warring factions of the war. As part of Operation Joint Endeavor, U.S. and NATO dispatched the Implementation Force (IFOR) peacekeepers to Bosnia to uphold the Dayton agreement.[RL30172]
1996 – Liberia: Operation Assured Response, On April 11, 1996, President Clinton reported that on April 9, 1996 due to the :"deterioration of the security situation and the resulting threat to American citizens" in Liberia he had ordered U.S. military forces to evacuate from that country "private U.S. citizens and certain third-country nationals who had taken refuge in the U.S. Embassy compound...."[RL30172]
1996 – Central African Republic, Operation Quick Response: On May 23, 1996, President Clinton reported the deployment of U.S. military personnel to Bangui, Central African Republic, to conduct the evacuation from that country of "private U.S. citizens and certain U.S. government employees", and to provide "enhanced security for the American Embassy in Bangui."[RL30172] United States Marine Corps elements of Joint Task Force Assured Response, responding in nearby Liberia, provided security to the embassy and evacuated 448 people, including between 190 and 208 Americans. The last Marines left Bangui on June 22.
1996 – Kuwait: Operation Desert Strike, American Air Strikes in the north to protect the Kurdish population against the Iraqi Army attacks.
1996 – Bosnia: Operation Joint Guard, On December 21, 1996, U.S. and NATO established the SFOR peacekeepers to replace the IFOR in enforcing the peace under the Dayton agreement.
1997 – Albania: Operation Silver Wake, On March 13, 1997, U.S. military forces were used to evacuate certain U.S. government employees and private U.S. citizens from Tirana, Albania.[RL30172]
1997 – Congo and Gabon: On March 27, 1997, President Clinton reported on March 25, 1997, a standby evacuation force of U.S. military personnel had been deployed to Congo and Gabon to provide enhanced security and to be available for any necessary evacuation operation.[RL30172]
1997 – Sierra Leone: On May 29 and May 30, 1997, U.S. military personnel were deployed to Freetown, Sierra Leone, to prepare for and undertake the evacuation of certain U.S. government employees and private U.S. citizens.[RL30172]
1997 – Cambodia: On July 11, 1997, In an effort to ensure the security of American citizens in Cambodia during a period of domestic conflict there, a Task Force of about 550 U.S. military personnel were deployed at Utapao Air Base in Thailand for possible evacuations. [RL30172]
1998 – Iraq: Operation Desert Fox, U.S. and British forces conduct a major four-day bombing campaign from December 16–19, 1998 on Iraqi targets.[RL30172]
1998 – Guinea-Bissau: Operation Shepherd Venture, On June 10, 1998, in response to an army mutiny in Guinea-Bissau endangering the U.S. Embassy, President Clinton deployed a standby evacuation force of U.S. military personnel to Dakar, Senegal, to evacuate from the city of Bissau.[RL30172]
1998–99 – Kenya and Tanzania: U.S. military personnel were deployed to Nairobi, Kenya, to coordinate the medical and disaster assistance related to the bombing of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.[RL30172]
1998 – Afghanistan and Sudan: Operation Infinite Reach, On August 20, President Clinton ordered a cruise missile attack against two suspected terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical factory in Sudan.[RL30172]
1998 – Liberia: On September 27, 1998, America deployed a stand-by response and evacuation force of 30 U.S. military personnel to increase the security force at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia. [1] [RL30172]
1999–2001 – East Timor: Limited number of U.S. military forces deployed with the United Nations-mandated International Force for East Timor restore peace to East Timor.[RL30172]
1999 – Serbia: Operation Allied Force: U.S. and NATO aircraft began a major bombing of Serbia and Serb positions in Kosovo on March 24, 1999, during the Kosovo War due to the refusal by Serbian President Slobodan Milošević to end repression against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. This operation ended in June 10, 1999, when Milošević agreed to pull out his troops out of Kosovo. In response to the situation in Kosovo, NATO dispatched the KFOR peacekeepers to secure the peace under UNSC Resolution 1244.[RL30172]
2000–2009
- 2000 – Sierra Leone: On May 12, 2000, a U.S. Navy patrol craft deployed to Sierra Leone to support evacuation operations from that country if needed.[RL30172]
- 2000 – Nigeria: Special Forces troops are sent to Nigeria to lead a training mission in the county.[10]
- 2000 – Yemen: On October 12, 2000, after the USS Cole attack in the port of Aden, Yemen, military personnel were deployed to Aden.[RL30172]
- 2000 – East Timor: On February 25, 2000, a small number of U.S. military personnel were deployed to support the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). [RL30172]
- 2001 – On April 1, 2001, a mid-air collision between a United States Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals surveillance aircraft and a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-8II interceptor fighter jet resulted in an international dispute between the United States and the People's Republic of China called the Hainan Island incident.
- 2001–present – War in Afghanistan: The War on Terror begins with Operation Enduring Freedom. On October 7, 2001, U.S. Armed Forces invade Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks and "begin combat action in Afghanistan against Al Qaeda terrorists and their Taliban supporters."[RL30172]
- 2002 – Yemen: On November 3, 2002, an American MQ-1 Predator fired a Hellfire missile at a car in Yemen killing Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi, an al-Qaeda leader thought to be responsible for the USS Cole bombing.[RL30172]
- 2002 – Philippines: OEF-Philippines, As of January, U.S. "combat-equipped and combat support forces" have been deployed to the Philippines to train with, assist and advise the Philippines' Armed Forces in enhancing their "counterterrorist capabilities."[RL30172]
- 2002 – Côte d'Ivoire: On September 25, 2002, in response to a rebellion in Côte d'Ivoire, U.S. military personnel went into Côte d'Ivoire to assist in the evacuation of American citizens from Bouaké.[11]
- 2003–2011 – War in Iraq: Operation Iraqi Freedom, March 20, 2003, The United States leads a coalition that includes the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland to invade Iraq with the stated goal being "to disarm Iraq in pursuit of peace, stability, and security both in the Gulf region and in the United States."[RL30172]
- 2003 – Liberia: Second Liberian Civil War, On June 9, 2003, President Bush reported that on June 8 he had sent about 35 U.S. Marines into Monrovia, Liberia, to help secure the U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott, Mauritania, and to aid in any necessary evacuation from either Liberia or Mauritania.[RL30172]
- 2003 – Georgia and Djibouti: "US combat equipped and support forces" had been deployed to Georgia and Djibouti to help in enhancing their "counterterrorist capabilities."[12]
- 2004 – Haiti: 2004 Haitian coup d'état occurs, The US first sent 55 combat equipped military personnel to augment the U.S. Embassy security forces there and to protect American citizens and property in light. Later 200 additional US combat-equipped, military personnel were sent to prepare the way for a UN Multinational Interim Force, MINUSTAH.[RL30172]
- 2004 – War on Terror: U.S. anti-terror related activities were underway in Georgia, Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, and Eritrea.[13]
- 2004–present: The U.S deploys drone strikes to aid in the War in North-West Pakistan
- 2005–06 – Pakistan: President Bush deploys troops from US Army Air Cav Brigades to provide Humanitarian relief to far remote villages in the Kashmir mountain ranges of Pakistan stricken by a massive earthquake.
- 2006 – Lebanon, U.S. Marine Detachment, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit[citation needed], begins evacuation of U.S. citizens willing to leave the country in the face of a likely ground invasion by Israel and continued fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli military.[14][15]
- 2007 - The Mogadishu Encounter, on November 4, 2007, Somali Pirate's boarded and attacked a North Korean merchant vessel. Passing U.S Navy Ships and a helicopter that were patrolling at the time responded to the attack. Once the ship was freed from the pirates, the American forces were given permission to board and assist the wounded crew and handle surviving pirates.
- 2007 – Somalia: Battle of Ras Kamboni, On January 8, 2007, while the conflict between the Islamic Courts Union and the Transitional Federal Government continues, an AC-130 gunship conducts an aerial strike on a suspected al-Qaeda operative, along with other Islamist fighters, on Badmadow Island near Ras Kamboni in southern Somalia.[16]
- 2008 – South Ossetia, Georgia: Helped Georgia humanitarian aid,[17] helped to transport Georgian forces from Iraq during the conflict. In the past, the US has provided training and weapons to Georgia.
2010–present
- 2010–present - al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen: The U.S has been launching a series of drone strikes on suspected al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab positions in Yemen.
- 2010–11 – Operation New Dawn, On February 17, 2010, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that as of September 1, 2010, the name "Operation Iraqi Freedom" would be replaced by "Operation New Dawn". This coincides with the reduction of American troops to 50,000.
- 2011 – 2011 military intervention in Libya: Operation Odyssey Dawn, United States and coalition enforcing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 with bombings of Libyan forces.
- 2011 – Osama Bin Laden is killed by U.S. military forces in Pakistan as part of Operation Neptune Spear.
- 2011 – Drone strikes on al-Shabab militants begin in Somalia.[18] This marks the 6th nation in which such strikes have been carried out,[19] including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen[20] and Libya.
- 2011–present – Uganda: U.S. Combat troops sent in as advisers to Uganda.[21]
- 2012 – Jordan: 150 U.S. troops deployed to Jordan to help it contain the Syrian Civil War within Syria's borders.
- 2012 – Turkey: 400 troops and two batteries of Patriot missiles sent to Turkey to prevent any missile strikes from Syria.
- 2012 – Chad: 50 U.S. troops have deployed to the African country of Chad to help evacuate U.S. citizens and embassy personnel from the neighboring Central African Republic's capital of Bangui in the face of rebel advances toward the city.
- 2013 – Mali: U.S. forces assisted the French in Operation Serval with air refueling and transport aircraft.
- 2013 – Somalia: U.S. Air Force planes supported the French in the Bulo Marer hostage rescue attempt. However, they did not use any weapons.
- 2013 – 2013 Korean crisis
- 2013 – Navy SEALs conducted a raid in Somalia and possibly killed a senior Al-Shabaab official, simultaneously another raid took place in Tripoli, Libya, where Special Operations Forces captured Abu Anas al Libi (also known as Anas al-Libi)[22]
- 2014–present – Uganda: V-22 Ospreys, MC-130s, KC-135s and additional U.S. soldiers are sent to Uganda to continue to help African forces search for Joseph Kony.[23]
- 2014–present - American intervention in Iraq: Hundreds of U.S. troops deployed to protect American assets in Iraq and to advise Iraqi and Kurdish fighters.[24] In August the U.S. Air Force conducted a humanitarian air drop and the U.S. Navy began a series of airstrikes against Islamic State-aligned forces throughout northern Iraq.[25][26]
- 2014 - 2014 American rescue mission in Syria: The U.S attempted to rescue James Foley and other hostages being held by ISIL. Air strikes were conducted on the ISIL military base known as "Osama bin Laden camp". Meanwhile, the bombings, Delta teams parachuted near an ISIL high-valued prison. The main roads were blocked to keep any target from escaping. When no hostage was found, the American troops began house to house searches. By this time, ISIL militants began arriving to the area. Heavy fighting occurred until the Americans decided to abandon the mission due to the hostages being nowhere in the area. Although the mission failed, at least 5 ISIL militants were killed, however 1 American troop was wounded. According the reports, Jordan had a role in the operation and that one Jordanian soldier had been wounded as well. This was unconfirmed.
- 2014–present - American-led intervention in Syria: American aircraft bomb Islamic State positions in Syria. Airstrikes on al-Qaeda, al-Nusra Front and Khorasan positions are also being conducted.
- 2014–present - Intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant: Syrian locals forces and American-led coalition forces launch a series of aerial attacks on ISIL and al-Nusra Front positions in Iraq and Syria.
- 2014 - 2014 Yemen hostage rescue operations against al-Qaeda: On November 25, U.S Navy SEAL's and Yemeni Special Forces launched an operations in Yemen in attempt to rescue eight hostages that were being held by al-Qaeda. Although the operation was successful, no American hostages were secured. In the first attempt, six Yemenis, one Saudi Arabian, and one Ethiopian were rescued. On December 4, 2014, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) threatened to execute the Somers if the U.S failed to the unspecified commands. AQAP also stated that they would be executed if the U.S attempted another rescue operation. On December 6, a second operation was launched. 40 U.S SEALs and 30 Yemeni troops were deployed to the compound. A 10-minute fire fight occurred before the American troops could enter where the remaining hostages (Somers and Korkie) were being held. They were alive, but fatally wounded. Surgery was done in mid air when flying away from the site. Korkie died while in flight, and Somers died once landed on the USS Makin Island. No American troop was killed/injured, however a Yemenis soldier was wounded.
- 2015 - April 30, 2015 U.S. sends ships to the Strait of Hormuz to shield vessels after Iranian Seizure of commercial vessel: The U.S. Navy deploys warships to protect American commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian interference. Concerns were also raised that Iranian gunships were trailing a U.S. container ship. Iran additionally fired shots over the bow, and seized, a ship registered in the Marshall Islands, part of a long-standing dispute between the two nations.[27]
- 2015-present - American military intervention in Cameroon
Our heroes come home and find themselves with a skill set not conducive to employment, or civilized life. If they were great warriors or amazing heroes, they now have problems with things like:
hypervigilance!
jumping from loud noises!
Fireworks!
cars backfiring!
delusions!
nightmares!
feeling panicky! that other shoe will drop feeling
feeling guilty! for both what they did to survive and for surviving at all.
strange ideas about what would make the world a better place
ambivilence about the military action they were in
inability to relate to anything less than life and death, and (why is that couple arguing over the color of the couch when kids are blowing themselves up?)
lack of trust, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, feelings of impending doom, etc,etc, etc,
They self-medicate with alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal drugs, making prewar relationships and any job harder to get and hold. The only people they can relate to are others that have been there. And so many of their war friends didn't come back.
There is nothing shocking about veterans homeless and drug-addled living in the street, but then again, there is. We have known what war does to people for a very long time. While it wasn't defined as a psychiatric syndrome until the 1980s, the symptoms have been documented post-war as long as there has been war and writing.
So the question isn't really "why don't we help our soldiers more after they return" It is really, why do we keep making war. I realize there are things worth keeping, things you have to fight for, but truthfully, most of those wars and police actions involve killing massive numbers of soldiers and civilian casualties, while the people that make the decisions to have a war are never a target.
The people that decide we should go to war are also most likely the ones to profit from the same.
But they aren't the ones to risk their lives.
They don't lose limbs.
They don't lose their families to nightmares and panic and substance abuse.
They don't go homeless.
They profit. They profit from all that suffering and loss.
And the next time they beat the drum and whip us into a patriotic frenzy, we will sacrifice our children--again.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
EMPATHY!
Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person
is experiencing from within the other person's frame of reference,
i.e., the capacity to place oneself in another's position.
Thank you, wikipedia. Well said.
I used to hear the old don't judge until you have walked a mile in their mocassins, then someone mentioned that what I really needed to do was walk that mile in their feet, as the mile and shoes was external, but the person was also experiencing it all within the context of their own bunions, corns, tight-spots in the shoe, stone bruises and tired legs.
Empathy is more than how would I handle what they handled. Its how would I handle it if I also came fully packed with their emotional baggage.
Empathy is kinda tough.
But it is time for a lot of it. I have heard more people whining about the "good old days" this past year than I have for a long time. The "good old days" were anywhere from 10 years ago to 100 years ago, depending on the age of the whiner. The whiners are inevitably complaining about some activist wanting--pretty much anything; better access to voting, women's health care, food for hungry children, fair and equitable treatment, opportunities for education and good jobs, if someone is trying to improve life for all, someone else is whining about missing the "good old days".
My answer to them is try some empathy.
Those great vacations down Route 66 were not much fun if you weren't allowed to drink at the water fountain, eat in the diners and take those all important roadtrip bathroom breaks.
School might have been your favorite time, but probably not if it was at an Indian school where the goal was to stop you from liking any of the things that were part of your life with your parents--no more potlatch, no more language, no more stories, just going to school. speaking English, being taught weird arts and crafts from kits using inferior materials and punishment for saying or doing anything that could be called "Indian".
I always loved the Zoo as a child. OMG! Those chimpanzees and elephants with their long lifes and their memories. What hell was that. I'm no fan of Zoos now, but most have become more naturalistic. When I was small, it was nothing to see a 800 pound bear in a metal barred cage that was the size of most bathrooms.
Empathy!
So, use your empathy. Think about what you would do if your country was suddenly in a roiling war and you loved ones were in daily danger of being bombed or shot or raped or beaten. Forget that JOHN WAYNE moment that just flew through your head--and this isn't Red Dawn. Yes, many would try to fight back, but if you live in a house without assault rifles, or if you are not bullet proof, if you leave your personal bunker to--say--go to church or the grocery store--you family is at risk. Would you consider leaving the country?
After they have murdered your spouse and taken all your belongings--would you consider running then? How about if the area you are living just becomes too unstable and after trying as long as you can to wait it out, you decide, enough, my beloved homeland is no more, would you leave then?
Don't say,"my family doesn't run". We are a country of immigrants. For every 1 person that came for money and adventure, a dozen came to improve the not-very-nice conditions their family was being subjected to. They "ran".
Now, we hate immigrants and wish for the good old days. Now we hate people who act like they don't have equal opportunities and wish for the good old days. We hate old people that didn't retire rich and young people that couldn't afford college, and poor people that can't ever catch a break. We hate veterans that got wounded, especially if the wounds aren't visible and we hate people that broke during some tough time and never really came back to full function-emotionally.
We want those good old days where everyone is a hero and every memory is golden.
We want a fantasy that never really existed for very many or for very long.
But, we need Empathy!
Thank you, wikipedia. Well said.
I used to hear the old don't judge until you have walked a mile in their mocassins, then someone mentioned that what I really needed to do was walk that mile in their feet, as the mile and shoes was external, but the person was also experiencing it all within the context of their own bunions, corns, tight-spots in the shoe, stone bruises and tired legs.
Empathy is more than how would I handle what they handled. Its how would I handle it if I also came fully packed with their emotional baggage.
Empathy is kinda tough.
But it is time for a lot of it. I have heard more people whining about the "good old days" this past year than I have for a long time. The "good old days" were anywhere from 10 years ago to 100 years ago, depending on the age of the whiner. The whiners are inevitably complaining about some activist wanting--pretty much anything; better access to voting, women's health care, food for hungry children, fair and equitable treatment, opportunities for education and good jobs, if someone is trying to improve life for all, someone else is whining about missing the "good old days".
My answer to them is try some empathy.
Those great vacations down Route 66 were not much fun if you weren't allowed to drink at the water fountain, eat in the diners and take those all important roadtrip bathroom breaks.
School might have been your favorite time, but probably not if it was at an Indian school where the goal was to stop you from liking any of the things that were part of your life with your parents--no more potlatch, no more language, no more stories, just going to school. speaking English, being taught weird arts and crafts from kits using inferior materials and punishment for saying or doing anything that could be called "Indian".
I always loved the Zoo as a child. OMG! Those chimpanzees and elephants with their long lifes and their memories. What hell was that. I'm no fan of Zoos now, but most have become more naturalistic. When I was small, it was nothing to see a 800 pound bear in a metal barred cage that was the size of most bathrooms.
Empathy!
So, use your empathy. Think about what you would do if your country was suddenly in a roiling war and you loved ones were in daily danger of being bombed or shot or raped or beaten. Forget that JOHN WAYNE moment that just flew through your head--and this isn't Red Dawn. Yes, many would try to fight back, but if you live in a house without assault rifles, or if you are not bullet proof, if you leave your personal bunker to--say--go to church or the grocery store--you family is at risk. Would you consider leaving the country?
After they have murdered your spouse and taken all your belongings--would you consider running then? How about if the area you are living just becomes too unstable and after trying as long as you can to wait it out, you decide, enough, my beloved homeland is no more, would you leave then?
Don't say,"my family doesn't run". We are a country of immigrants. For every 1 person that came for money and adventure, a dozen came to improve the not-very-nice conditions their family was being subjected to. They "ran".
Now, we hate immigrants and wish for the good old days. Now we hate people who act like they don't have equal opportunities and wish for the good old days. We hate old people that didn't retire rich and young people that couldn't afford college, and poor people that can't ever catch a break. We hate veterans that got wounded, especially if the wounds aren't visible and we hate people that broke during some tough time and never really came back to full function-emotionally.
We want those good old days where everyone is a hero and every memory is golden.
We want a fantasy that never really existed for very many or for very long.
But, we need Empathy!
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Don't Patronize me!
As a person that would love to be able to make a living making the stuff that floats through my head and explodes in my dreams, I am aware that most artists starve: maybe all the time if they don't have a day-job, maybe just a little bit--mostly soul-starvation--as they put off the making and head to work to do what buys the groceries. In a perfect world, I could make my stuff full time and eat regularly and all without the necessary, historical patron.
But in the rest of the world, we have developed an incredible thankfulness to the very rich--those community patrons that have there names on streets and public buildings and get to cut all the ribbons and attend every new community venture's opening. Having heard the incredible words of praise for those families that are the patrons of our community, and from distant relatives, the patrons of their communities, I am struck with the obvious question: "Why do so few of us have the financial ability or economic wherewithal to donate millions without interfering at all with their own luxurious lifestyle. I donate $10 dollars and have to skip a meal that week.
I love genealogy, and have a lot of characters in the past, a few brick walls--translates frequently as someone that either had no family in the record, but certainly didn't start under a cabbage patch, or that had family with the kind of past that it was best to erase. My last immigrant relative, circa 1860's, arrived from England and the fact that a person chose to enter a country during a civil war is a sign they didn't have any reason to stay where they were. His family was long lived and a story my Grandmother told of him was that he came here because in England, if you were born to shoemaker you would die a shoemaker, and that in England, the peasants had to treat the landed gentry like royalty and the landed gentry had to treat the nobles like royalty, and everyone had to treat the royals like royalty. If someone of a better class came on a train, you might as well just get up before the conductor decided you were disrespectful and put you off the train. Hint, I don't think he was a shoemaker, he was considerably poorer than that, but he came due to the rumor that in the US, we were all equal..
About those very wealthy individuals that are the patrons of cities and towns and small rural areas; what do any of us know about them, where they got their extreme wealth, how they treat the people that helped them accumulate all that wealth and how they keep making more? Do we check them out for ethical practices and kindness and general niceness factors?
Most of us just say "thank god our community has them," "Thank god." Some of us develop a kind of hero worship. Some of us try to find a way to see them from afar or even meet them in person. They are celebrities, and our saviors.
I live in a town of about 15,0000, and we definitely are still worshiping the man that started our little burgh. He was a self-made man, his mother a widow so he was raised by a woman without means. He opened an orphanage, a widow's colony, donated his home to the town and on and on and on. He passed away in 1926.
1926!
He was a man that tried a lot of things to make money, and came to Tulsa when it was an Oil Boom town. He died before the market crash of 1929. Who knows how that might have changed things, but now, ninety years later, his name is on the high school and on the widows colony, and on the road connecting us to the big city. His home is the historical society's headquarters and the town museum and its main exhibits are about him.
He is still our patron, even from the grave.
Our bigger neighbor, that city I mentioned--or didn't mention--has a long history of very wealthy, philanthropic families, also from the time of the original oil boom. It also has a few Fortune 400 families and wannabes that are in banking and convenience stores and communications. Their names and their business names are on those buildings that in times very past would have carried the name of the town, town hall, convention centers, museums, theaters, performing arts centers, exposition buildings, now all wielding the names of the wealthy and their business offspring.
We no longer get to pretend that those public buildings belong to the people, are the accomplishments of the people, are the legacy of the people.
We have now become fully patronized.
But in the rest of the world, we have developed an incredible thankfulness to the very rich--those community patrons that have there names on streets and public buildings and get to cut all the ribbons and attend every new community venture's opening. Having heard the incredible words of praise for those families that are the patrons of our community, and from distant relatives, the patrons of their communities, I am struck with the obvious question: "Why do so few of us have the financial ability or economic wherewithal to donate millions without interfering at all with their own luxurious lifestyle. I donate $10 dollars and have to skip a meal that week.
I love genealogy, and have a lot of characters in the past, a few brick walls--translates frequently as someone that either had no family in the record, but certainly didn't start under a cabbage patch, or that had family with the kind of past that it was best to erase. My last immigrant relative, circa 1860's, arrived from England and the fact that a person chose to enter a country during a civil war is a sign they didn't have any reason to stay where they were. His family was long lived and a story my Grandmother told of him was that he came here because in England, if you were born to shoemaker you would die a shoemaker, and that in England, the peasants had to treat the landed gentry like royalty and the landed gentry had to treat the nobles like royalty, and everyone had to treat the royals like royalty. If someone of a better class came on a train, you might as well just get up before the conductor decided you were disrespectful and put you off the train. Hint, I don't think he was a shoemaker, he was considerably poorer than that, but he came due to the rumor that in the US, we were all equal..
About those very wealthy individuals that are the patrons of cities and towns and small rural areas; what do any of us know about them, where they got their extreme wealth, how they treat the people that helped them accumulate all that wealth and how they keep making more? Do we check them out for ethical practices and kindness and general niceness factors?
Most of us just say "thank god our community has them," "Thank god." Some of us develop a kind of hero worship. Some of us try to find a way to see them from afar or even meet them in person. They are celebrities, and our saviors.
I live in a town of about 15,0000, and we definitely are still worshiping the man that started our little burgh. He was a self-made man, his mother a widow so he was raised by a woman without means. He opened an orphanage, a widow's colony, donated his home to the town and on and on and on. He passed away in 1926.
1926!
He was a man that tried a lot of things to make money, and came to Tulsa when it was an Oil Boom town. He died before the market crash of 1929. Who knows how that might have changed things, but now, ninety years later, his name is on the high school and on the widows colony, and on the road connecting us to the big city. His home is the historical society's headquarters and the town museum and its main exhibits are about him.
He is still our patron, even from the grave.
Our bigger neighbor, that city I mentioned--or didn't mention--has a long history of very wealthy, philanthropic families, also from the time of the original oil boom. It also has a few Fortune 400 families and wannabes that are in banking and convenience stores and communications. Their names and their business names are on those buildings that in times very past would have carried the name of the town, town hall, convention centers, museums, theaters, performing arts centers, exposition buildings, now all wielding the names of the wealthy and their business offspring.
We no longer get to pretend that those public buildings belong to the people, are the accomplishments of the people, are the legacy of the people.
We have now become fully patronized.
It is not a great feeling!
Friday, September 18, 2015
GO VOTE!
I know that wise people don't discuss politics or religion, but they are great topics. It's no fun discussing something that everyone agrees on and both are belief-based so no right answers--its all opinion.
But sometimes the discussions become strange. Take an argument about the pro's and con's of a candidate being argued by a person that isn't going to vote, that knows they are not going to vote, that has not voted in the past and is not registered. Opinions are free, but why be passionate about a candidate if you aren't willing to put out the effort to go vote for them.
Why do we need to vote? Because we have some ability to participate in the decisions being made about how we are governed.
True, we are not a democracy--our top leader is chosen by an electoral college--translates to we vote for unknown people in a party that will select whether our state will chose the democrat or the republican nominee. If 51% of the state votes one way and 49% votes the other, all the states electoral votes are for the party of the 51%. Not a great system. Definitely not a case of every vote counts. But if 60% of the people vote and 51% of those 60% vote for one party while the 40% of those that didn't vote, were for the other party, the minority just won the whole state.
Participate in your own future, choose the leaders that will determine whether your children and grandchildren will be permanent peons or people with possibilities. Wake up! Be aware of what is going on around you. Be aware of those ugly fears and anxieties that allow us all to be driven to make foolish/reactionary choices. Be involved in all parts of your life.
It is very easy to become overwhelmed with the media, to be swayed by those we love and trust even when they are listening to their own fear and anxiety. It is also easy to be mired down in the minutiae of our busy, chaotic lives and lose the bigger picture. Be aware of that also.
Listen to all sides of a story. If something seems far-fetched or pointedly aim at making a group of people into the enemy, it may be propaganda. If something seems unlikely as it is told to you, question it. There are many sources for information. Use more than one. Question those things that make it sound like you need to buy 200 acres in Montana to build a bunker. Question those that tell you to move to an island off the coast of South America. Question all those panicky, hateful, stories that sound as if they were made to make you be afraid of people that are different than you.
We aren't that different. Skin color, religious beliefs, political beliefs, traditions, all of those are obvious, but we are all driven by the same wants and desires, to be safe, to have enough to keep our families happy and healthy, to have people to talk to and activities to participate in. We are social creatures. And we are apparently pretty darn easy to scare. All you have to do to scare us is threaten the safety of our loved ones, their ability to continue to believe what they believe, and their opportunity to dream their dreams.
Our best hope for maintaining our descendants right to live free, is to wake up, be aware of our media surroundings and participate to the best of our ability in the governance of our land.
Who knows, with a little work, we may get the opportunity to change that ridiculous electoral system into a popular vote someday soon.
But sometimes the discussions become strange. Take an argument about the pro's and con's of a candidate being argued by a person that isn't going to vote, that knows they are not going to vote, that has not voted in the past and is not registered. Opinions are free, but why be passionate about a candidate if you aren't willing to put out the effort to go vote for them.
Why do we need to vote? Because we have some ability to participate in the decisions being made about how we are governed.
True, we are not a democracy--our top leader is chosen by an electoral college--translates to we vote for unknown people in a party that will select whether our state will chose the democrat or the republican nominee. If 51% of the state votes one way and 49% votes the other, all the states electoral votes are for the party of the 51%. Not a great system. Definitely not a case of every vote counts. But if 60% of the people vote and 51% of those 60% vote for one party while the 40% of those that didn't vote, were for the other party, the minority just won the whole state.
Participate in your own future, choose the leaders that will determine whether your children and grandchildren will be permanent peons or people with possibilities. Wake up! Be aware of what is going on around you. Be aware of those ugly fears and anxieties that allow us all to be driven to make foolish/reactionary choices. Be involved in all parts of your life.
It is very easy to become overwhelmed with the media, to be swayed by those we love and trust even when they are listening to their own fear and anxiety. It is also easy to be mired down in the minutiae of our busy, chaotic lives and lose the bigger picture. Be aware of that also.
Listen to all sides of a story. If something seems far-fetched or pointedly aim at making a group of people into the enemy, it may be propaganda. If something seems unlikely as it is told to you, question it. There are many sources for information. Use more than one. Question those things that make it sound like you need to buy 200 acres in Montana to build a bunker. Question those that tell you to move to an island off the coast of South America. Question all those panicky, hateful, stories that sound as if they were made to make you be afraid of people that are different than you.
We aren't that different. Skin color, religious beliefs, political beliefs, traditions, all of those are obvious, but we are all driven by the same wants and desires, to be safe, to have enough to keep our families happy and healthy, to have people to talk to and activities to participate in. We are social creatures. And we are apparently pretty darn easy to scare. All you have to do to scare us is threaten the safety of our loved ones, their ability to continue to believe what they believe, and their opportunity to dream their dreams.
Our best hope for maintaining our descendants right to live free, is to wake up, be aware of our media surroundings and participate to the best of our ability in the governance of our land.
Who knows, with a little work, we may get the opportunity to change that ridiculous electoral system into a popular vote someday soon.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Caring for Children
I was raised by a stay-at-home mom.
My parents were both raised by stay-at-home moms.
I never met my father's mother, but my maternal grandmother used tell me stories about growing up.
She was grown, old enough to vote, when the 19th amendment was passed. She was also married by then.
She had wanted to go to nursing school, but her family talked her into normal school. She never got to work as a nurse, which was her life dream--she also never got to work as a teacher. Married women could not do either of those jobs. Thus, stay-at-home mom.
My own mother never knew a world where women couldn't vote. She was a WWII bride, marrying right after high school graduation. And while she had worked in the family business after school and weekends (think depression, think survival of the family) she only worked outside the home a very short time, while her husband was in the army. She did find jobs after my sister and I were grown, and it seemed to make her feel better about herself, more capable, more independent.
The baby boomer generation of women are split about in half between those that didn't have to work while their kids were home and those that did. It was a complex dynamic, with some stay-at-home moms doing so because their families were very traditional and so they carried on with a family constantly on the brink of poverty. For others, the decision was based on the ability of the husband to support a family without a second income. More than a few working mom's and poor stay-at-homes were envious of those women.
My own mother was that brink of poverty, stay-at-home. She was always there for us. All our meals were homecooked. Most of our clothes were homemade or hand-me-down, My father bought a house that hadn't been finished and finished it himself. My mother was never very proud of that house. It looked like he had finished it himself. Not hillbilly, but the cabinets looked more like 1900 farm house than 1960 factory. We had a "picture window" that he made from scrap metal and a welding torch. It looked fine to me, but it didn't look exactly like the neighbors' picture windows. She wasn't the only stay at home back then, but there were a few working women. Most were secretaries, but one was moving upward in a corporation. The other stay-at-homes were either married to white collar workers or were home with teenagers. She had a huge garden, canned and froze everything she could grow. She sewed and repaired clothing. She took in laundry and ironing. She was called by more than a few of the other stay-at-homes to get rid of a mouse or help with a kitchen disaster. Her dentist called her a firebrand. She was busy as a stay-at-home mom.
By the time I had children, there were very few stay-at-home moms. There was jealousy of unemployed welfare moms and of rich men with country-club wives and nannies.
AND there was childcare.
They are still talking about workplace daycares. And now there is griping from people whose children are grown and who have no children because of the possible 1 year maternity/paternity leave. Yes, we all want a year off paid, but what does that say about me if I already survived that awful first year of sleeplessness, daycare fear, poverty and guilt (for not being a stay-at-home mom with a wealthy husband) if all I want if for everyone else to have to go through the same thing--unless they are wealthy.
We really are crabs in a bucket.
We don't want what is best of children. We just don't want any one else to have it easier than we did. We aren't concerned with what is best for the happiness and success of children. We don't want everyone to have a better life--we need someone to do bad so we can feel good about our own lives.
My parents were both raised by stay-at-home moms.
I never met my father's mother, but my maternal grandmother used tell me stories about growing up.
She was grown, old enough to vote, when the 19th amendment was passed. She was also married by then.
She had wanted to go to nursing school, but her family talked her into normal school. She never got to work as a nurse, which was her life dream--she also never got to work as a teacher. Married women could not do either of those jobs. Thus, stay-at-home mom.
My own mother never knew a world where women couldn't vote. She was a WWII bride, marrying right after high school graduation. And while she had worked in the family business after school and weekends (think depression, think survival of the family) she only worked outside the home a very short time, while her husband was in the army. She did find jobs after my sister and I were grown, and it seemed to make her feel better about herself, more capable, more independent.
The baby boomer generation of women are split about in half between those that didn't have to work while their kids were home and those that did. It was a complex dynamic, with some stay-at-home moms doing so because their families were very traditional and so they carried on with a family constantly on the brink of poverty. For others, the decision was based on the ability of the husband to support a family without a second income. More than a few working mom's and poor stay-at-homes were envious of those women.
My own mother was that brink of poverty, stay-at-home. She was always there for us. All our meals were homecooked. Most of our clothes were homemade or hand-me-down, My father bought a house that hadn't been finished and finished it himself. My mother was never very proud of that house. It looked like he had finished it himself. Not hillbilly, but the cabinets looked more like 1900 farm house than 1960 factory. We had a "picture window" that he made from scrap metal and a welding torch. It looked fine to me, but it didn't look exactly like the neighbors' picture windows. She wasn't the only stay at home back then, but there were a few working women. Most were secretaries, but one was moving upward in a corporation. The other stay-at-homes were either married to white collar workers or were home with teenagers. She had a huge garden, canned and froze everything she could grow. She sewed and repaired clothing. She took in laundry and ironing. She was called by more than a few of the other stay-at-homes to get rid of a mouse or help with a kitchen disaster. Her dentist called her a firebrand. She was busy as a stay-at-home mom.
By the time I had children, there were very few stay-at-home moms. There was jealousy of unemployed welfare moms and of rich men with country-club wives and nannies.
AND there was childcare.
- It was expensive--if you made more than it cost, it often made the final NET very close to minimum wage, which was better then, but still hard to live on. A husband with a good income was a perk, and if it was good enough, it was possible that staying home was as profitable as working.
- It was scary--it didn't pay well and because women were not valued and mothers were not valued and caring for children was seen as a thing that "Any old fool can do" the people you left your precious little connection to the future with was barely educated, very young, possible suffering from some chemical issue--who knew--the media tweaked that fear up pretty high a few times in the past, add some real abuse/deaths and it was so scary that living at poverty level seemed good.
- It was limited, as in most catered to 8:00 to 5:00 workers, but all those women in nursing, factory work, shift work, weekend work had no options or maybe one distant, very scary option involving an index card--i watch kids, 24/7 any day cheap--desperate mom or what?
- There was family, but no one wanted to use 40 hours of their week for your kids. And, if they weren't working they wanted compensation and didn't want to pay taxes on the little money, so bye-bye tax credit (when that started--when did that start?) That frequently meant an obsessive search for relatives that liked your kids, would watch them for a day or were open to shifting them to someone else for part of the day.
They are still talking about workplace daycares. And now there is griping from people whose children are grown and who have no children because of the possible 1 year maternity/paternity leave. Yes, we all want a year off paid, but what does that say about me if I already survived that awful first year of sleeplessness, daycare fear, poverty and guilt (for not being a stay-at-home mom with a wealthy husband) if all I want if for everyone else to have to go through the same thing--unless they are wealthy.
We really are crabs in a bucket.
We don't want what is best of children. We just don't want any one else to have it easier than we did. We aren't concerned with what is best for the happiness and success of children. We don't want everyone to have a better life--we need someone to do bad so we can feel good about our own lives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
I have always been told I have too much imagination. I am not realistic. According to these people, we live in a democracy. Democra...
-
It's Memorial Day. When I was a child, we would have gotten together and taken flowers to all the cemeteries we could drive to with rel...
