1. A Piece of the Pie
Diane Rehm says that polls now show that more people like Occupy Wall Street than the Tea Party. Both "movements" developed, in my opinion, because of the disasters imposed on the people of the United States by past-President George W. Bush. Argue with me about that, please.
2. A Meeting of the Minds?
I thought that I would never know a time when a couple of my fellow Social Security retirees would agree on something. John Culleton could perhaps be considered an "ultra-liberal" and Bud Nason could perhaps be considered an "ultra-conservative." In a letter to the editor of the Carroll County Times (Maryland) last Monday, Bud agreed with John that under the U.S. Constitution, protection of religious freedom extends to all, and that people should actually read the Constitution, understand it, and "maybe even abide by it." AMEN!
I hope that people read the writings of both Bud and John, and as the Reverend Lou Piel suggested in a recent religious column in the same Carroll County Times, take the time to learn the viewpoints of persons with whom you may not agree.
3. Rotten Old Tomato Cans?
I'm afraid I raised the hackles of some folks when I mentioned that I thought that the ROTC should not be allowed to operate in schools. This may be "sour grapes" for me, because I secretly wanted to join the ROTC in High School. (I had severe "stage fright" and as I worked out on the parallel bars in the gym, I watched some of my fellow students give presentations to their fellow ROTCers on the basketball court. I envied how well they were doing. ) I also wanted to study Latin and Ancient Greek.
However, being more or less the whole support for an aunt and grand-parents since I was 11 years old, a classical education was not in the cards for me. Also, a career as an Army officer was just not considered a goal in life for people in my working-class environment.
Now, with that out of the way.. I must also say that I have always been a peace-loving person who hates war and military activity, even though I did spend 4 years in the military during the Korean War era. In my cryptographic job, I was required to keep a "burp gun" nearby and I was ordered to shoot any "commies" who tried to break into the Crypto Van. Luckily, the "reds" never seemed interested in me or my van, hidden in a forest in Germany.
So.. bottom line.. In spite of what I said, I think that ROTC is ok as long as it isn't required. If somebody can handle the ROTC duties and not ignore their main studies.. more power to them (so to speak).
We do need educated military leaders.
I read in the Carroll County Times where the barred ROTC will be coming back to Yale next year. One guy has already signed up. Off-campus, three Yale students pursue ROTC. Even though the program will be opened, campus officials believe that very few students will join in. (I wonder what their dress parades will look like.. five or six guys and girls in uniforms passing in review?)
The Carroll County Times article also says: "The ROTC program, which was founded in 1916, has 490 host units, most of them concentrated in the South and Midwest. Students receive scholarship money in return for agreeing to military service after graduation.."
4. You've got Mail!
The transcontinental telegraph was completed 150 years ago, near the beginning of the Civil War in 1861. The Associated Press says; "...a primative Internet united the US," and quotes Thomas Jepsen, author of My Sisters Telegraphic: Women In Telegraph Office 1846-1950: "I really see the telegraph as the original technology, the grandfather of all these other technologies that came out of it: the telphone, the teletype, the fax, the Internet"
Something for me to think about as I remember the five irritating telemarketing calls I have received this morning so far, and the one hundred or so emails that came in over night.
If it wasn't for the telegraph and Morse Code, I would not be hearing dots and dashes all the time in my head because of the years I spent as a radio operator and cryptographer.
dit dah dit dah dit
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