Like it or not, numerous academic institutions have implemented the scientific method to prove time and again that global warming is a direct result of man’s use of fossil fuels. Transportation is a prime source of emitting green house gases into the atmosphere but, even though we would all like to purchase a newer, more efficient vehicle, the cost prohibits most of us from making such an investment. Without the necessary cash flow, speculation on the returns is a pointless venture.
As energy costs continue to rise, it creates multiple challenges to make ends meet, but certain steps can be taken to compensate for those increasing expenses while limiting the emissions that are choking Earth’s life support systems. As I read magazines, newspapers and catch a few television programs on ecology, I take mental note on steps where I can reign in my contributions to global warming and, at the same time, save some of those hard-earned dollars and cents.
Government, corporate and even some housing buildings are taking progressive steps to conserve energy by promoting a greener environment. A little creative thinking can make a personal difference for the cause. Good intentions aren’t enough; it takes a commitment of actions.
Room lighting is can easily be adjusted. Three-way bulbs offer convenient flexibility, reserving the 120-watt switch for reading. Leaving a light burning in an unoccupied room is extremely wasteful, especially behind a closet door. Personally, I use nightlights when my main concern is saving my toes from being abused and bruised by a piece of furniture. Even in the family room, dim lighting to supplement the beams emitted from the TV serves my needs. A table lamp is within eyesight.
Overhead lighting on a ceiling fan can easily be put on a dimmer switch with the added benefit of lessening heat emission from the bulbs. Equipped with a remote control, it’s a convenience that also demonstrates human superiority over mechanical devises.
Ceiling fans cool a person, they do not cool a room. Unless you are in the room benefiting from the air movement, it is a complete waste to leave the fan on. It’s a simple rule that too many people just don’t get.
Street lighting poorly illuminates my home so, for security reasons, I use 25-watt bulbs in coach lights. A light sensor regulates the periods of operation. Solar lighting is available to shed an esthetic hew along walkways. No wires, no electricity.
The kitchen is a prime area to conserve and save. “A watched pot never boils” expresses the importance of putting a lid on that pot or pan. With newer cookware, glass lids can satisfy the need to witness the results of human ingenuity and prove that a watched pot boils just fine, preserving time, money and energy.
It is also important to make sure those pots and pans have a flat bottom, flush to the burner. Even a slight bulge makes the preparation and cooking time a longer process, wasting electricity. If it wobbles, it needs replacing.
I was surprised to read that washing dishes by hand typically uses 20 gallons of water versus 2 gallons with a dishwasher. I make it a point to shut the washer off after the
cleaning cycle and allow the dishes to air-dry. I don’t feel this compromises the sanitation of the contents.
Other kitchen appliances can also be used more efficiently. Once an oven is preheated, put it to use immediately and use a timer or meat thermometer. Use the oven light rather than opening the door to check the contents. Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed and find that snack or bottle of liquid with no time to spare. Adjust the cooling settings to further limit the cost of pollutant emissions.
Get family members in the habit of making sure their laundry needs are consistently placed in the hamper, otherwise you may end up doing an extra load when it could have been avoided. A dryer with a sensor option can avoid the possibility of arbitrarily programming inappropriate time and temperature settings.
I have this habit of leaving the builder-provided light on after opening the electric garage door opener, which has its own lighting. I’m easily annoyed by my own actions.
I am somewhat leery about the new fluorescent bulbs designed to provide more efficient lighting than typical bulbs. I already have quite a stock of every type of bulb I’ll need over the next year or so. I also have a grave concern about properly discarding used fluorescent lights. If not disposed as directed, the mercury content is no less harmful than any other act of pollution.
Heating and air conditioning provides a personal option to counter the cash flow to oil-producing countries and limit green house gas emissions. Adjusting vents in each room can distribute airflow more evenly. Closing air vents in rooms seldom occupied is another idea. You might adjust the thermostat to a cooler setting in the winter and a warmer setting in the summer. One degree can make a difference in the electric bill.
Most electric companies offer an inspection service at no-charge to identify areas that could be improved to increase efficiency in the home. It is strongly recommended for older homes. Suggestions are made, actions are dependent upon the homeowner.
Blackout drapes are one of the best purchases I’ve made for the home. They darken rooms as intended, but they also block out the heat of summer and the cool of winter, especially on windows facing east and west. I can’t imagine what my electric bill would be without them but I would surely pay additional dues to OPEC.
Perhaps taking energy-saving steps within the home could become a family effort, keeping a monthly log of the electric bill and setting aside a portion of the savings for a special occasion. Make the rules well known; any month that the expected savings aren’t achieved, the same proportion is deducted from the money pot. Set goals and after a six-month period take the money and have a little fun. To build up the kitty, set up a penalty fund for anyone caught with repeat offenses.
I’ll bet younger family members would meet the challenge and make a game of it. A game they would intend to win.
Although saving the almighty dollar may take precedence, the end result would be a charitable contribution to the health of our very own piece of rock in the vastness of the Universe. Long live planet Earth!
PARCEL POST 2008 @ www.parcelpost08.blogspot.com
A New Year. A New Blog.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Made in America?
Made in America? Not a likely prospect.
Shoes made in America? Looking at the labeling, nearly all say Made in China. In particular, tennis shoes are decidedly imported from that country. You might find a brand, such as New Balance, that is made in America but you have to look hard and long. Understandably, a disclosure states that some items used are from other countries.
Jeans made in America? Expect to read the words Made in Mexico for nearly every brand. I recently found a pair, which I did not purchase, that advised me that they were made in Mexico of USA. What does that mean? Have illegal immigrants already laid claim to parts of our country?
Other clothing made in America? There are a vast variety of clothes imported from foreign nations, but I found none from our very own. Korea, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Honduras, Pakistan and Jordan are all primary sources of products that contribute to the number of unemployed American workers. There are also other lesser-imported countries.
Foods grown in America? Grocery stores are now required to advise us the country of origin. Canadian grown produce is easier to accept than those imported from countries outside our hemisphere but I refuse to buy navel oranges from South Africa! I support the idea of “going green” but products coming from such a distance that are surely picked green short-change my expectation of getting the fullest amount of vitamin C. For at least one company, peaches are grown in Greece and packaged in Thailand!
Automobiles made in America? You can easily make a long list of manufacturers that fit in this category going back to the 60s when Volkswagen made its mark with the Beetle. Toyota inundated our car dealerships in the 70s. Since then, the volumes have multiplied. We appreciate the quality of workmanship and innovation of these automakers but our Big Three have become smaller in stature.
Oil drilled under American soil? Perhaps a small percentage, but we do a greater amount of transforming foreign liquid gold to amber tanks of petrol, whenever our aging refineries are working to their limited capacities. Our economic well-being is at the mercy of yet another group of countries that could bring us to ruin. Our presence in Iraq proves how our leaders are willing to go to war to protect American interests. Our one source of plenty, coal, has yet to fulfill its promise of solving our dependency on energy sources but, as research and development lessen emissions of green house gases and the cost of processing, the potential is astonishing.
Jobs for American workers? As a simple example, computer programmers recently out of college would earn about $50,000 per year but other countries give our corporations a big financial bonanza by exporting these jobs for salaries in the $10,000 range. American workers are not the only losing out on wages and benefits but our local, state and federal governments are losing tax revenues. Perhaps there will come a day when the cost of imports will less expensive when CEOs and other high-paying executive positions become another exported commodity. This means of restructuring might bring pricing down by 10%, although this is a purely speculative figure.
Recently, I was in a furniture store looking at sofas. The sales associate informed me how manufacturing jobs in South Carolina have been eliminated over the years, as fabrics have been another lost cause of employment opportunities.
A $201 billion trade deficit with China alone is surely an alarming concern for the American economy, but without our charitable contributions to developing countries there would be a worldwide recession. American workers are taking the economic brunt of making corporate executives financially richer with every shipment of products and services arriving from distant pockets of the world. You might say Americans are victims of pickpocket thievery.
Exports from America? Developing nations are churning up our coal, hardwood lumber, soybeans and cotton, just to name a few. Large construction equipment is also an important export to other countries as they ascend to their modernization into the industrial age. With coal, we are exporting our own contribution to global warming.
The good news? In the past three decades 250,000,000 Chinese citizens’ lives have been taken out of poverty. No one can deny this is a tremendous boon to humanitarianism even though the political workings in that country are still guilty of crimes against freedom and humanity, still enforcing quotas that limit families to one child; many parents forego giving life to female babies. That’s one equation with an alarmingly negative sum in human life.
Jobs in America? From 2001 to 2006, 1.8 million jobs have been lost to workers in China. On a pie chart, the total number of jobs lost show an even larger piece of the American dream given to international interests. In the next few years, analysts predict another 3.3 million jobs will be lost. In September, Wall Street acknowledged the total job loss of 4,000 workers instead of the expected 115,000 gains. Regardless of the causes, be it the slowdown of construction jobs or foreclosure of homes due to questionable banking operations or continued loss of American jobs to foreign countries, investors reacted with a downturn of the Dow Jones. Call it the Downward Jones Average reaction to sensitive economic news.
I suppose it’s not surprising how Wall Street investors gleefully up the stock price of a corporation when workforce reductions are announced.
Loyalty to America? All I have to mention is that dirty word Mattel, the first of a number of toy makers to have put health risks above the safety of children to satisfy the sales of playthings. I view it was a treasonous act to every worker in America, and child, when Mattel fell to their proverbial knees with an apology to China for the lethal toys manufactured in that country. Symbolically, I can imagine the executives at Mattel have a morning chant of “I pledge allegiance to the Workers of the Peoples Republic of China…” Profits take precedence over the safety and well being of American children. Shame on Corporate America.
For the average American, perhaps one of the best investments these days goes beyond traditional thought. Save those products with labels that still say Made In America, go through the closets for items soon to be collector’s treasures. Don’t worry about the condition because most antiques show some wear. In mint condition, they become priceless.
Save those old toys that have been set aside for a yard sale. Hand them down to younger children and breath a sigh of relief that you have taken the only step to ensure the safety of American children. You can never assume that anyone other than you and your extended family will keep your kids out of harms way.
Made in America? Not likely.
PARCEL POST 2008 @ www.parcelpost08.blogspot.com A New Year. A New Blog.
Shoes made in America? Looking at the labeling, nearly all say Made in China. In particular, tennis shoes are decidedly imported from that country. You might find a brand, such as New Balance, that is made in America but you have to look hard and long. Understandably, a disclosure states that some items used are from other countries.
Jeans made in America? Expect to read the words Made in Mexico for nearly every brand. I recently found a pair, which I did not purchase, that advised me that they were made in Mexico of USA. What does that mean? Have illegal immigrants already laid claim to parts of our country?
Other clothing made in America? There are a vast variety of clothes imported from foreign nations, but I found none from our very own. Korea, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Honduras, Pakistan and Jordan are all primary sources of products that contribute to the number of unemployed American workers. There are also other lesser-imported countries.
Foods grown in America? Grocery stores are now required to advise us the country of origin. Canadian grown produce is easier to accept than those imported from countries outside our hemisphere but I refuse to buy navel oranges from South Africa! I support the idea of “going green” but products coming from such a distance that are surely picked green short-change my expectation of getting the fullest amount of vitamin C. For at least one company, peaches are grown in Greece and packaged in Thailand!
Automobiles made in America? You can easily make a long list of manufacturers that fit in this category going back to the 60s when Volkswagen made its mark with the Beetle. Toyota inundated our car dealerships in the 70s. Since then, the volumes have multiplied. We appreciate the quality of workmanship and innovation of these automakers but our Big Three have become smaller in stature.
Oil drilled under American soil? Perhaps a small percentage, but we do a greater amount of transforming foreign liquid gold to amber tanks of petrol, whenever our aging refineries are working to their limited capacities. Our economic well-being is at the mercy of yet another group of countries that could bring us to ruin. Our presence in Iraq proves how our leaders are willing to go to war to protect American interests. Our one source of plenty, coal, has yet to fulfill its promise of solving our dependency on energy sources but, as research and development lessen emissions of green house gases and the cost of processing, the potential is astonishing.
Jobs for American workers? As a simple example, computer programmers recently out of college would earn about $50,000 per year but other countries give our corporations a big financial bonanza by exporting these jobs for salaries in the $10,000 range. American workers are not the only losing out on wages and benefits but our local, state and federal governments are losing tax revenues. Perhaps there will come a day when the cost of imports will less expensive when CEOs and other high-paying executive positions become another exported commodity. This means of restructuring might bring pricing down by 10%, although this is a purely speculative figure.
Recently, I was in a furniture store looking at sofas. The sales associate informed me how manufacturing jobs in South Carolina have been eliminated over the years, as fabrics have been another lost cause of employment opportunities.
A $201 billion trade deficit with China alone is surely an alarming concern for the American economy, but without our charitable contributions to developing countries there would be a worldwide recession. American workers are taking the economic brunt of making corporate executives financially richer with every shipment of products and services arriving from distant pockets of the world. You might say Americans are victims of pickpocket thievery.
Exports from America? Developing nations are churning up our coal, hardwood lumber, soybeans and cotton, just to name a few. Large construction equipment is also an important export to other countries as they ascend to their modernization into the industrial age. With coal, we are exporting our own contribution to global warming.
The good news? In the past three decades 250,000,000 Chinese citizens’ lives have been taken out of poverty. No one can deny this is a tremendous boon to humanitarianism even though the political workings in that country are still guilty of crimes against freedom and humanity, still enforcing quotas that limit families to one child; many parents forego giving life to female babies. That’s one equation with an alarmingly negative sum in human life.
Jobs in America? From 2001 to 2006, 1.8 million jobs have been lost to workers in China. On a pie chart, the total number of jobs lost show an even larger piece of the American dream given to international interests. In the next few years, analysts predict another 3.3 million jobs will be lost. In September, Wall Street acknowledged the total job loss of 4,000 workers instead of the expected 115,000 gains. Regardless of the causes, be it the slowdown of construction jobs or foreclosure of homes due to questionable banking operations or continued loss of American jobs to foreign countries, investors reacted with a downturn of the Dow Jones. Call it the Downward Jones Average reaction to sensitive economic news.
I suppose it’s not surprising how Wall Street investors gleefully up the stock price of a corporation when workforce reductions are announced.
Loyalty to America? All I have to mention is that dirty word Mattel, the first of a number of toy makers to have put health risks above the safety of children to satisfy the sales of playthings. I view it was a treasonous act to every worker in America, and child, when Mattel fell to their proverbial knees with an apology to China for the lethal toys manufactured in that country. Symbolically, I can imagine the executives at Mattel have a morning chant of “I pledge allegiance to the Workers of the Peoples Republic of China…” Profits take precedence over the safety and well being of American children. Shame on Corporate America.
For the average American, perhaps one of the best investments these days goes beyond traditional thought. Save those products with labels that still say Made In America, go through the closets for items soon to be collector’s treasures. Don’t worry about the condition because most antiques show some wear. In mint condition, they become priceless.
Save those old toys that have been set aside for a yard sale. Hand them down to younger children and breath a sigh of relief that you have taken the only step to ensure the safety of American children. You can never assume that anyone other than you and your extended family will keep your kids out of harms way.
Made in America? Not likely.
PARCEL POST 2008 @ www.parcelpost08.blogspot.com A New Year. A New Blog.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
A 2% Solution?
Generally speaking, a figure representing 2% of the total sum is an extremely low number. A loan with such an interest rate would be exceptional, yet unrealistic by all means. Couple that with a similar sales tax on all goods and services and every American family budget would find it easy to catch up on outstanding bills, although many would extend their debts to maximize such a bonanza of value.
There are other items that would bring a sigh of relief and a hope for financial gain. Interest rates on many savings accounts and money market accounts. Such a limit on increases for home insurance, property taxes, health care and gas prices over a year’s time might be a catalyst for consumer retirement accounts. For some wage earners a 2% pay increase would be unacceptable, but for many employees such a pay raise would be better than none, especially so if job loss is of major concern.
The list could go on identifying the benefits of such a small increase but, just as easily, there are numerous other cases where a 2% increase would be disastrous. Returns on typically safe investments or the gross national product are just a couple items.
Taking a look at other statistical percentages, should we be willing to accept a mortality rate of 3% of breast cancer victims, or 2.7% for those with prostate cancer? They may be small numbers in themselves but when referring to a survival rate, the equation demands the least amount of heartbreak.
Taking a serious look at another group of numerical facts, what about the death rate of servicemen as a result of WWI at 2.5%? WWII at 2.1%? The Korean War at 3.0%? Vietnam War at 2.2%? Gulf War at 1.8%? These figures include those who are Missing In Action.
Thus far, the Iraqi War figures indicate the death rate of our troops to be at 2.4%, which may be in question considering the honesty of our current administration in divulging the truth of occupational hazards. By all averages, this number seems to be in line with the other wars, but perhaps the percentage would be lower if victory had been declared with the capture and the ultimate execution of Sadam Hussein; the total would surely be much less regardless of any percentages.
At this point, the U.S. military is assuming an extended period of military occupation in Iraq but it will surely expand to more involvement in Afghanistan, Iran and, more likely than not, Pakistan, Turkey and Syria.
The United Sates took the task to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction with little or no support from our historical allies. As the years have passed, those nations that had once participated have abandoned what they have come to see a lost cause.
With the demise of Saddam Hussein, President Bush had achieved his original goal and would have been considered a winner if he had taken the victor’s prize at that time. At that point, if he had been willing to re-evaluate strategies to wage a true war on the broader task of fighting terrorism in the region, perhaps the United Nations and NATO would, right now, be at our side, giving support to the effort, sharing the expenses of time, money and the loss of lives.
Without argument, waging a war on terrorism in just one of many countries that harbor these scourges of humanity has been poorly focused; all roads to Iraq do not lead to the sources of Islamic extremists. Iraq has never been the solution to labyrinth of terrorist factions.
Other disturbing numbers of war involve the amount of time the troops have been deployed.
Whereas service men were in combat for an average of 40 days during WWII, and those in the Vietnam War were deployed for 240 days, the length of time in Iraq is 24 months. This equates to 720 days, or 300% longer than the time a soldier served in Vietnam and 1800% for those serving WWII. Such a lengthy tour of duty is a detour from life for every soldier in battle.
By any means, percentages may be derived from simple math, but the sum of all these numbers represent a negative solution for success.
Parcel Post 2008 @ www.parcelpost08.blogspot.com A New Year. A New Blog.
There are other items that would bring a sigh of relief and a hope for financial gain. Interest rates on many savings accounts and money market accounts. Such a limit on increases for home insurance, property taxes, health care and gas prices over a year’s time might be a catalyst for consumer retirement accounts. For some wage earners a 2% pay increase would be unacceptable, but for many employees such a pay raise would be better than none, especially so if job loss is of major concern.
The list could go on identifying the benefits of such a small increase but, just as easily, there are numerous other cases where a 2% increase would be disastrous. Returns on typically safe investments or the gross national product are just a couple items.
Taking a look at other statistical percentages, should we be willing to accept a mortality rate of 3% of breast cancer victims, or 2.7% for those with prostate cancer? They may be small numbers in themselves but when referring to a survival rate, the equation demands the least amount of heartbreak.
Taking a serious look at another group of numerical facts, what about the death rate of servicemen as a result of WWI at 2.5%? WWII at 2.1%? The Korean War at 3.0%? Vietnam War at 2.2%? Gulf War at 1.8%? These figures include those who are Missing In Action.
Thus far, the Iraqi War figures indicate the death rate of our troops to be at 2.4%, which may be in question considering the honesty of our current administration in divulging the truth of occupational hazards. By all averages, this number seems to be in line with the other wars, but perhaps the percentage would be lower if victory had been declared with the capture and the ultimate execution of Sadam Hussein; the total would surely be much less regardless of any percentages.
At this point, the U.S. military is assuming an extended period of military occupation in Iraq but it will surely expand to more involvement in Afghanistan, Iran and, more likely than not, Pakistan, Turkey and Syria.
The United Sates took the task to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction with little or no support from our historical allies. As the years have passed, those nations that had once participated have abandoned what they have come to see a lost cause.
With the demise of Saddam Hussein, President Bush had achieved his original goal and would have been considered a winner if he had taken the victor’s prize at that time. At that point, if he had been willing to re-evaluate strategies to wage a true war on the broader task of fighting terrorism in the region, perhaps the United Nations and NATO would, right now, be at our side, giving support to the effort, sharing the expenses of time, money and the loss of lives.
Without argument, waging a war on terrorism in just one of many countries that harbor these scourges of humanity has been poorly focused; all roads to Iraq do not lead to the sources of Islamic extremists. Iraq has never been the solution to labyrinth of terrorist factions.
Other disturbing numbers of war involve the amount of time the troops have been deployed.
Whereas service men were in combat for an average of 40 days during WWII, and those in the Vietnam War were deployed for 240 days, the length of time in Iraq is 24 months. This equates to 720 days, or 300% longer than the time a soldier served in Vietnam and 1800% for those serving WWII. Such a lengthy tour of duty is a detour from life for every soldier in battle.
By any means, percentages may be derived from simple math, but the sum of all these numbers represent a negative solution for success.
Parcel Post 2008 @ www.parcelpost08.blogspot.com A New Year. A New Blog.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
A Draft to Arms
In light of today’s world of military confrontations against terrorist activities, am I amiss to believe that reviving the draft system would be appropriate? Could we not turn those flabby, overweight kids into toned, muscular representatives of American pride? And correct the diabetic-prone adults of tomorrow into solid, physical, healthy dynamos? Honest exercise programs from grade school onward would put them at odds to continue their poor dietary habits. Parents would be put on notice to resolve excesses.
Teamwork, responsibility and dedication to achieve success at self-discipline would supplement the advantages of textbook learning. Taking charge to achieve goals by supporting the efforts of classmates would prepare them for the interactive social skills that life necessitates.
One of the challenges of our citizenry is to put backbone to its professed support of our troops and put to test their loyalty to promote the greatness of our nation by accepting the enlistment of their children to take part in upholding our freedoms of democracy.
There is little doubt that extended tours of duty of our volunteer army have reached the near end of its sustainable effectiveness and that there is no honorable route to take than giving youth the opportunity to take pride for their inherited homage to defend our liberties.
Kids are said to be tech-prone in the half-light of their computer screens, I-Phones and X-Boxes that, in part, purvey games of military confrontations for victories with horrific consequences before their squinting eyes. The popularity of these games suggests expressions of individual superiority over threats to humanity. Technical advancements of electronic equipment that enhance military operations with state-of-the-art radar, sonar and underwater devices would take them where no digital connection has taken them before.
The realities of life, war, and the future of liberty and justice are not games of entertainment.
For young adults to participate in the wonders of this brave new world of advanced technology, they will have to pull up those britches, cover those cracks of insubordination and take on the challenge to live, learn and, literally, make the grade in the early years of academics. They must achieve excellence in reading, writing and adding up the whole of learning to sum up their futures as productive members of society.
Mandatory enlistment of every able-bodied young adult would prove a patriotic resolve to reinforce the American ideology of freedom. Everyone, regardless of race, color, creed, social or economic background should take part in defending the security of our citizenry and forge a future of global integration.
The offspring of elitist politicians and wealth, who may have a tendency to avoid the draft, would face a lifetime of overcoming the stigma of nepotism and cowardice. It would be those very parents of affluence who will have the influence to demand that the safety of our troops be of paramount concern and overcome the inferiority of armor, weaponry and military vehicles and aircraft. Friendly fire is a misnomer. Unfriendly equipment is a calamity for troop survival.
The lengthy tours of duty for our troops in Iraq, and subsequently Afghanistan, calls for the long-awaited reevaluation of our military strategies. Whereas servicemen were in combat for an average of 40 days during WWII, and those in the Vietnam War were deployed for 240 days, the length of time in Iraq is 24 months. This equates to 720 days, 300% longer than the time a soldier served in Vietnam and 1800% of those serving WWII. Such a lengthy tour of duty is a detour from life for every soldier in battle.
A mandatory two-year tour of duty could easily reinvent the ultimate honor of military integrity with re-enlistments, creating careers in national pride. Assistance in higher education would be an award. The more years in service, the greater the rewards. With the current turmoil of mankind in nearly every country in the world, at no time soon will there be a shortage for the need of military excellence.
One of the aspects of participating in the military has always been the “opportunity” to travel. This gives a broader range to experience first-hand the living conditions of other societies. Appreciation of our freedoms become self-evident when faced with the realities of others less fortunate and those whose daily fears destroy otherwise honorable men and women.
Acts of liberation can overcome the perception that military occupation demands democracy. Working together for the betterment of the world community can make this a safer world for everyone. A steadfast and true military machine can achieve success, but time is less a guideline than the conscientiousness of determined conviction toward freedom’s goal of self-government.
With dedicated citizen participation, perhaps we could regain the respect and involvement of our allies and prompt a positive outlook of our intentions for global goodwill, not the self-interest of a superpower that is viewed as soft to the core of its society.
Moms and dads would come face to face the realities of war. There will always be Prisoners of War, those who are Missing in Action, and the dreadful Casualties of War. Supporting our troops no doubt must include the enlistment of emotional support, not just from friends and relatives, but also for those friends and relatives whose loved ones face the daily horrors of war. The emotional needs of spouses and families left behind should be an aforethought.
I give considerate thought that, when I was deemed unfit for military duty during the years of the Vietnam War, might I not have been placed in an administrative position, perhaps no less patriotic than those in the throes of danger? My status of 4-F due to an asthmatic condition didn’t leave me without an ability to support our national interests, yet in hindsight I feel I may have found a sense of pride and personal achievement had I been placed in an administrative position. I realize these words sound admirable now, decades beyond that time when I feared my draft number may have been drawn for duty at any moment.
We should pursue an avenue of patriotic involvement now, for the young have no choice but to inherit the evils of global confrontations.
Confronting terrorism is reason to sustain our presence in the Middle East and Southeast Asia with telltale signs emerging in North Africa; there are no borders that bound the ideals of extremists as they spread their hatred through all streets of civilization. It may take decades to claim victory but with every successful operation we could once again say, I am proud to be an American, with earnest conviction.
I realize the Vietnam War and the horrific memories it congers is a major cause for the hesitancy of implementing another draft lottery. There was fear and loathing, anger and protesting that polarized the American populous. If we cannot rely on ourselves to defend our way of life with rational deliberation, are we doomed to loose liberties given to us by our forefathers? Did they not fight to uphold their beliefs and lay way for the emancipation of these United States?
Another concern apparently lies with advanced technology and the availability of personal communications. Instant messaging and picture phones give soldiers the opportunities to share the sights of the rockets’ red glare and the bombs bursting in air, giving proof through the nights that those military conflicts are still theirs. In love and war, show and tell must have its limits.
“Support the troops” has become a safe and convenient phrase to give honor to those soldiers in harm’s way. There is no honor for those who proclaim patriotism when personal sacrifice becomes an inconvenience and men and women in uniform spend their days and nights in foreign surroundings, doing the best they can to survive. We show little gratitude, as though throwing tidbits to a pet.
In times of sustained military aggressions, participating in an all-volunteer army gives pause for enlistment. Faced with mandatory extended tours of duty adds to the decay of families’ lives. Expansion of war activities into Afghanistan is making the task of meeting the demands of recruitment an unlikely attainable goal. Criminals are given opportunities for freedom but for what purpose? Perhaps they are considered expendable.
“Support the troops” certainly has its limits Sending foodstuffs to men and women in uniform is a very thoughtful gesture and a welcome connection to the homeland. But reading the labels on packages of perishable items gives an expiration date that may or may not bring thoughts of the same fate to those who recieve the generosity of the folks back home.
What about the support, or lack of, given to soldiers injured in action? They stand to lose limbs or their lives because their status is given less importance that what is demanded for their contributions. Two steps beyond the welcome home mat and they are dog meat at the mercy for health care. These soldiers have been injured in the line of duty yet treatment is questionable due to the inability of VA hospitals to accommodate their needs. Long delays of treatment, or possible denial of benefits, puts their lives at risk… again. Mental health treatment also lacks the consideration it deserves.
How honorable it is to profess support of the troops but what about the soldiers who may face a future of being homeless? Some come marching home yet have to beg for mercy, but mercenaries they were not meant to be. They are entitled to have a life support system, not one that lacks a generosity for services rendered.
See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. These are words of ignorance and will lead us to the waste of our lives, our liberties and our pursuit of happiness. Too many Americans hide behind a wall of denial for what the war on terrorism really demands: sacrifice from everyone. It’s much too easy to profess patriotism behind walls of luxury and personal security.
The National Guard continues to provide military support overseas as it has over the years; the Army National Guard since 1636, the Navy National Guard since 1947. They all deserve the consideration of honor as does the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
Will volunteers fulfill the needs of our military involvement over the stretches of the globe? There is already a shortage of the able-bodied willing. Who do we turn to when the victories are no longer ours? Can we claim victory in our current wars?
The only alternative may be to subcontract American military interests to the likes of Blackwater, Inc. and other “guns for hire”. Is this the type of patriotism we want to employ, with no consciousness of battle? Their forces are paid better, given better equipment with less responsibility for their actions. In one sense, the expense in dollars and cents is of concern; the ultimate cost would be abandonment of national pride.
What would be the next step? Developing the ultimate war machine of programmable robotic soldiers? Would this resolve our preference to become less involved with the consciousness of war?
We would no longer have to be concerned with giving legitimacy to our claims to “support the troops”. Would we then pledge our allegiance to corporations of war spoils (COWS) and make it an investor’s reward with little speculation for earnings potential?
No.
It is time to bring the draft to arms. It is the winds of war that bring the draft into our lives.
Quotes to be acknowledged:
“Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.” George Washington
“To stand upon ramparts and die for our principles is heroic,
but to sally forth to battle and win for our principles is something more than heroic.”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
“Patriotism has become a mere national self assertion, a sentimentality with no constructive duties.” H.G. Wells
“Where’s the coward that would not dare to fight for such a land?” Sir Walter Scott
“Are modern-day heroes to be nothing more than sandwiches?” Ronald A. Rae
“It is easy to be brave from a distance.” Aesop
“Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state.” Thomas Jefferson
[I suggest reader participation at www.newsweek.com /id/40757 which will take you to “Why We Need A Draft” written by Cpl. Mark Finelli, an American Patriot)
PARCEL POST 2008 @ www.parcelpost08.blogspot.com A New Year. A New Blog.
Teamwork, responsibility and dedication to achieve success at self-discipline would supplement the advantages of textbook learning. Taking charge to achieve goals by supporting the efforts of classmates would prepare them for the interactive social skills that life necessitates.
One of the challenges of our citizenry is to put backbone to its professed support of our troops and put to test their loyalty to promote the greatness of our nation by accepting the enlistment of their children to take part in upholding our freedoms of democracy.
There is little doubt that extended tours of duty of our volunteer army have reached the near end of its sustainable effectiveness and that there is no honorable route to take than giving youth the opportunity to take pride for their inherited homage to defend our liberties.
Kids are said to be tech-prone in the half-light of their computer screens, I-Phones and X-Boxes that, in part, purvey games of military confrontations for victories with horrific consequences before their squinting eyes. The popularity of these games suggests expressions of individual superiority over threats to humanity. Technical advancements of electronic equipment that enhance military operations with state-of-the-art radar, sonar and underwater devices would take them where no digital connection has taken them before.
The realities of life, war, and the future of liberty and justice are not games of entertainment.
For young adults to participate in the wonders of this brave new world of advanced technology, they will have to pull up those britches, cover those cracks of insubordination and take on the challenge to live, learn and, literally, make the grade in the early years of academics. They must achieve excellence in reading, writing and adding up the whole of learning to sum up their futures as productive members of society.
Mandatory enlistment of every able-bodied young adult would prove a patriotic resolve to reinforce the American ideology of freedom. Everyone, regardless of race, color, creed, social or economic background should take part in defending the security of our citizenry and forge a future of global integration.
The offspring of elitist politicians and wealth, who may have a tendency to avoid the draft, would face a lifetime of overcoming the stigma of nepotism and cowardice. It would be those very parents of affluence who will have the influence to demand that the safety of our troops be of paramount concern and overcome the inferiority of armor, weaponry and military vehicles and aircraft. Friendly fire is a misnomer. Unfriendly equipment is a calamity for troop survival.
The lengthy tours of duty for our troops in Iraq, and subsequently Afghanistan, calls for the long-awaited reevaluation of our military strategies. Whereas servicemen were in combat for an average of 40 days during WWII, and those in the Vietnam War were deployed for 240 days, the length of time in Iraq is 24 months. This equates to 720 days, 300% longer than the time a soldier served in Vietnam and 1800% of those serving WWII. Such a lengthy tour of duty is a detour from life for every soldier in battle.
A mandatory two-year tour of duty could easily reinvent the ultimate honor of military integrity with re-enlistments, creating careers in national pride. Assistance in higher education would be an award. The more years in service, the greater the rewards. With the current turmoil of mankind in nearly every country in the world, at no time soon will there be a shortage for the need of military excellence.
One of the aspects of participating in the military has always been the “opportunity” to travel. This gives a broader range to experience first-hand the living conditions of other societies. Appreciation of our freedoms become self-evident when faced with the realities of others less fortunate and those whose daily fears destroy otherwise honorable men and women.
Acts of liberation can overcome the perception that military occupation demands democracy. Working together for the betterment of the world community can make this a safer world for everyone. A steadfast and true military machine can achieve success, but time is less a guideline than the conscientiousness of determined conviction toward freedom’s goal of self-government.
With dedicated citizen participation, perhaps we could regain the respect and involvement of our allies and prompt a positive outlook of our intentions for global goodwill, not the self-interest of a superpower that is viewed as soft to the core of its society.
Moms and dads would come face to face the realities of war. There will always be Prisoners of War, those who are Missing in Action, and the dreadful Casualties of War. Supporting our troops no doubt must include the enlistment of emotional support, not just from friends and relatives, but also for those friends and relatives whose loved ones face the daily horrors of war. The emotional needs of spouses and families left behind should be an aforethought.
I give considerate thought that, when I was deemed unfit for military duty during the years of the Vietnam War, might I not have been placed in an administrative position, perhaps no less patriotic than those in the throes of danger? My status of 4-F due to an asthmatic condition didn’t leave me without an ability to support our national interests, yet in hindsight I feel I may have found a sense of pride and personal achievement had I been placed in an administrative position. I realize these words sound admirable now, decades beyond that time when I feared my draft number may have been drawn for duty at any moment.
We should pursue an avenue of patriotic involvement now, for the young have no choice but to inherit the evils of global confrontations.
Confronting terrorism is reason to sustain our presence in the Middle East and Southeast Asia with telltale signs emerging in North Africa; there are no borders that bound the ideals of extremists as they spread their hatred through all streets of civilization. It may take decades to claim victory but with every successful operation we could once again say, I am proud to be an American, with earnest conviction.
I realize the Vietnam War and the horrific memories it congers is a major cause for the hesitancy of implementing another draft lottery. There was fear and loathing, anger and protesting that polarized the American populous. If we cannot rely on ourselves to defend our way of life with rational deliberation, are we doomed to loose liberties given to us by our forefathers? Did they not fight to uphold their beliefs and lay way for the emancipation of these United States?
Another concern apparently lies with advanced technology and the availability of personal communications. Instant messaging and picture phones give soldiers the opportunities to share the sights of the rockets’ red glare and the bombs bursting in air, giving proof through the nights that those military conflicts are still theirs. In love and war, show and tell must have its limits.
“Support the troops” has become a safe and convenient phrase to give honor to those soldiers in harm’s way. There is no honor for those who proclaim patriotism when personal sacrifice becomes an inconvenience and men and women in uniform spend their days and nights in foreign surroundings, doing the best they can to survive. We show little gratitude, as though throwing tidbits to a pet.
In times of sustained military aggressions, participating in an all-volunteer army gives pause for enlistment. Faced with mandatory extended tours of duty adds to the decay of families’ lives. Expansion of war activities into Afghanistan is making the task of meeting the demands of recruitment an unlikely attainable goal. Criminals are given opportunities for freedom but for what purpose? Perhaps they are considered expendable.
“Support the troops” certainly has its limits Sending foodstuffs to men and women in uniform is a very thoughtful gesture and a welcome connection to the homeland. But reading the labels on packages of perishable items gives an expiration date that may or may not bring thoughts of the same fate to those who recieve the generosity of the folks back home.
What about the support, or lack of, given to soldiers injured in action? They stand to lose limbs or their lives because their status is given less importance that what is demanded for their contributions. Two steps beyond the welcome home mat and they are dog meat at the mercy for health care. These soldiers have been injured in the line of duty yet treatment is questionable due to the inability of VA hospitals to accommodate their needs. Long delays of treatment, or possible denial of benefits, puts their lives at risk… again. Mental health treatment also lacks the consideration it deserves.
How honorable it is to profess support of the troops but what about the soldiers who may face a future of being homeless? Some come marching home yet have to beg for mercy, but mercenaries they were not meant to be. They are entitled to have a life support system, not one that lacks a generosity for services rendered.
See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. These are words of ignorance and will lead us to the waste of our lives, our liberties and our pursuit of happiness. Too many Americans hide behind a wall of denial for what the war on terrorism really demands: sacrifice from everyone. It’s much too easy to profess patriotism behind walls of luxury and personal security.
The National Guard continues to provide military support overseas as it has over the years; the Army National Guard since 1636, the Navy National Guard since 1947. They all deserve the consideration of honor as does the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
Will volunteers fulfill the needs of our military involvement over the stretches of the globe? There is already a shortage of the able-bodied willing. Who do we turn to when the victories are no longer ours? Can we claim victory in our current wars?
The only alternative may be to subcontract American military interests to the likes of Blackwater, Inc. and other “guns for hire”. Is this the type of patriotism we want to employ, with no consciousness of battle? Their forces are paid better, given better equipment with less responsibility for their actions. In one sense, the expense in dollars and cents is of concern; the ultimate cost would be abandonment of national pride.
What would be the next step? Developing the ultimate war machine of programmable robotic soldiers? Would this resolve our preference to become less involved with the consciousness of war?
We would no longer have to be concerned with giving legitimacy to our claims to “support the troops”. Would we then pledge our allegiance to corporations of war spoils (COWS) and make it an investor’s reward with little speculation for earnings potential?
No.
It is time to bring the draft to arms. It is the winds of war that bring the draft into our lives.
Quotes to be acknowledged:
“Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.” George Washington
“To stand upon ramparts and die for our principles is heroic,
but to sally forth to battle and win for our principles is something more than heroic.”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
“Patriotism has become a mere national self assertion, a sentimentality with no constructive duties.” H.G. Wells
“Where’s the coward that would not dare to fight for such a land?” Sir Walter Scott
“Are modern-day heroes to be nothing more than sandwiches?” Ronald A. Rae
“It is easy to be brave from a distance.” Aesop
“Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state.” Thomas Jefferson
[I suggest reader participation at www.newsweek.com /id/40757 which will take you to “Why We Need A Draft” written by Cpl. Mark Finelli, an American Patriot)
PARCEL POST 2008 @ www.parcelpost08.blogspot.com A New Year. A New Blog.
A Duel of Immigration
When I read articles, editorials and letters to editors, I expect something more than a re-hash of every other comment that’s been said on the subject of illegal immigration. Media’s tendency to bring emotions into the picture isn’t deserving of these people but, to sell the printed word, every angle has to be taken to maintain the same indecision as given by politicians. Few Americans have faith in Congress to pass legislation that will be anything other than amnesty in one from or another and election-year campaigning put any meaningful dialogue indefinitely in limbo.
A case can be said that among the corporate elite in America, a mere 22% view illegal immigration as an important issue for the 2008 election and that the general electorate is at odds by a figure of 70%. Presidential contenders will be hard pressed to garner voters’ earnest acceptance and confidence toward whatever thoughts and actions they profess to make a part of their agenda if elected.
No one can argue that the influence of the estimated 12 to 20 million illegal immigrants is an overwhelming figure that represents a 4% to 7% of the 300-million citizens in the United States. And yet, there are more crossing our borders every day. Those of Mexican origin lay claim to 65% of the figures, but the actual numbers are in question because they are undocumented.
The American public generally views deportation an appropriate solution but the reality of actually implementing such a process seems an unattainable goal.
Certain business interests gladly hire these people, increasing their profits while American taxpayers continue to foot the bill in one way or another. There are no valid excuses for these businesses that encourage and accommodate this intrusion, displacing American workers. They openly admit that, since foreign competition provides products and services with cheap labor, they too must have workers willing to accept wages below what would otherwise be given. They claim their businesses would be closed without the illegals.
If Mexicans and other Hispanics/Latinos were given citizenship, wouldn’t their status of cheap labor evaporate when proper wages became mandated? I’m convinced their next maneuver would bring other illegal, undocumented aliens to fill the void. It would further undermine the stability of the middle class. For many, the American Dream would become an illusion.
Discussion of illegal immigration excludes consideration of the concerns and effects it has on the rights and economic and social status of African-Americans. Their place in the history of the United States lacks the honor and recognition for their contributions to our society. Africans were never given opportunities to escape their imprisonment as cheap labor.
Racism has always been rampant toward black citizens, often identified by the neighborhoods where the have taken in major cities throughout the country. Still, their status continues to exemplify the failed attempts to compensate for the disregard we have given their culture.
Mexicans are given access to our social services, have their children educated here and expect an accommodating shortcut to American citizenship. Most can’t speak English and are given preferential language announcements by most businesses.
Hispanic names alone bring recognition of their origin, immediately giving concern for racist endangerment. Illegal immigrants have achieved a status that evokes resentment from many Americans and perhaps justly so from other minority groups.
The language barrier undermines the American psyche, creating a confrontation of cultures. It has been said it is unlikely that we’ll become a bilingual society, yet aren’t we already a society of dual languages, as proven with the number of years we’ve been confronted by call directors requiring us to make the choices of “press one for English”, “prensa dos para Espanol”?
It can be called dual language.
I call it a duel of languages. Llamemos un duelo de idiomas.
Parcel Post 2008 @ www.parcelpost08.blogspot.com
A New Year. A New Blog.
A case can be said that among the corporate elite in America, a mere 22% view illegal immigration as an important issue for the 2008 election and that the general electorate is at odds by a figure of 70%. Presidential contenders will be hard pressed to garner voters’ earnest acceptance and confidence toward whatever thoughts and actions they profess to make a part of their agenda if elected.
No one can argue that the influence of the estimated 12 to 20 million illegal immigrants is an overwhelming figure that represents a 4% to 7% of the 300-million citizens in the United States. And yet, there are more crossing our borders every day. Those of Mexican origin lay claim to 65% of the figures, but the actual numbers are in question because they are undocumented.
The American public generally views deportation an appropriate solution but the reality of actually implementing such a process seems an unattainable goal.
Certain business interests gladly hire these people, increasing their profits while American taxpayers continue to foot the bill in one way or another. There are no valid excuses for these businesses that encourage and accommodate this intrusion, displacing American workers. They openly admit that, since foreign competition provides products and services with cheap labor, they too must have workers willing to accept wages below what would otherwise be given. They claim their businesses would be closed without the illegals.
If Mexicans and other Hispanics/Latinos were given citizenship, wouldn’t their status of cheap labor evaporate when proper wages became mandated? I’m convinced their next maneuver would bring other illegal, undocumented aliens to fill the void. It would further undermine the stability of the middle class. For many, the American Dream would become an illusion.
Discussion of illegal immigration excludes consideration of the concerns and effects it has on the rights and economic and social status of African-Americans. Their place in the history of the United States lacks the honor and recognition for their contributions to our society. Africans were never given opportunities to escape their imprisonment as cheap labor.
Racism has always been rampant toward black citizens, often identified by the neighborhoods where the have taken in major cities throughout the country. Still, their status continues to exemplify the failed attempts to compensate for the disregard we have given their culture.
Mexicans are given access to our social services, have their children educated here and expect an accommodating shortcut to American citizenship. Most can’t speak English and are given preferential language announcements by most businesses.
Hispanic names alone bring recognition of their origin, immediately giving concern for racist endangerment. Illegal immigrants have achieved a status that evokes resentment from many Americans and perhaps justly so from other minority groups.
The language barrier undermines the American psyche, creating a confrontation of cultures. It has been said it is unlikely that we’ll become a bilingual society, yet aren’t we already a society of dual languages, as proven with the number of years we’ve been confronted by call directors requiring us to make the choices of “press one for English”, “prensa dos para Espanol”?
It can be called dual language.
I call it a duel of languages. Llamemos un duelo de idiomas.
Parcel Post 2008 @ www.parcelpost08.blogspot.com
A New Year. A New Blog.
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