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| Commentary: Instant Messaging and the GI by Kelly Thomas______
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REUTERS/US Navy/Chief Petty Officer Edward Martens | Soldiers in Iraq and overseas have unparalled communications possibilities with their loved ones back home. I have singularly been skeptical. Instant communications has very immediate problems and can interfere with the soldier's job. Being at war is not a "day at the beach." It is war. People die. And, the distractions can cause death.
The following is an example. It is edited for clarity and disguised, but it is real and used with permission. Similar emails go back and forth daily and they are more the rule than the exception. This young soldier is an infantryman and regularly goes out on patrols in Baghdad. Distractions like the following could jeopardize his safety even more.
E-mail from mother-in-law:
I was going to write more but just finished an I.M.( instant message) session with my son-in-law. He hasn't been able to get in touch with my daughter via the phone or email. I told him I'd do my best to get in touch with her and will let him know. I'm upset because this is not how she should be treating him.
Additional email from the mother-in-law:
From my son-in-law's message, I got the impression he'd been trying to get my daughter for days. Wrong. They spoke yesterday for quite a while; and evidently, it was all screaming and arguing and bad stuff. My daughter said she just didn't want to get into that again today. So I sent my son-in-law an email more or less saying that, and said that maybe it wasn't a bad idea to have a cool down period not to mention saving money on calls. I suggested he might want to talk to a chaplain because they are wise and wonderful people.
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| Commentary: Iraq War is a Tar-Baby by Kelly Thomas____________
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SheehanHoldsVigil ForSonAP Photo/Tony Gutierrez | I continue to be perplexed about the war and headlines like: 23 Marines killed in one week, U.S. military reports the deaths of 5 more U.S. service members, 7 Pennsylvania National Guardsmen killed in 4 days. What a futility we're facing in Iraq. It is definitely a "tar-baby."
Remember The story of the Tar-Baby? The story opens with Brer Fox creating the Tar-Baby in an attempt to capture Brer Rabbit once and for all. Brer Rabbit comes along and sees the Tar-Baby and tries to start a conversation with him. The Tar-Baby totally ignores him and then finally the Rabbit gets shook up, makes a pre-emptive strike, and gets stuck and can't get away. If he tries, he just tangles himself up more. This is us in Iraq. And when things go bad, the "spin" begins. What can't be spun is the death of our soldiers; i.e., 23 Marines killed in one week.
| Universal Service |
| But, I hasten to add: The folks who are against sending their own children to fight in war, say they still support the troops-a bit hollow, don't you think?
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On a personal basis, I think there is no way out of this war(nothing good); and, despite Fox News, etc., we cannot deny the death of 23 Marines.
My wife and I were out recently with several couples and I broached the subject of the war. Talk about putting a damper on things. My wife's looks alone could have killed. I was amazed as usual at how little people are effected by the war-like not at all. One couple had a seventeen year old. We dialogued.
"What would you do if he wanted to join the military?"
"Discourage him."
"Why?"
"I would be fearful for him."
"But, what about other mothers' children?" No answer. Then, my last shot. "Don't you think it is immoral to have other mothers' children fighting our wars?"
"No, it is a choice they made!"
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| Personal Essay About A Cherished Loved One
 Have you ever seen a loved one losing a step as they aged? If so, you might want to read this personal essay:Descent Into Darkness
The link above requires adobe acrobat reader. If you don't already have it, you can download at Adobe.com. If you have adobe reader, click first on the link above. It should open; but, if not, then open adobe reader and then click on the link above.
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| Think abt it: At Least 32 National Guard and reserve troops have already been killed during the month of August. More than 100 National Guard and Reserve have died since May 1.
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 (photo:AP Photo/U.S Army)
I spent some time for a few months in a little town call Bisbee, Arizona. It is called the Berkeley of Arizona and mainly because there's a whole flock of folks in birkenstocks mostly meaning artisans of various types.
But, there is one area that is very unlike Berkeley: they will not even let a car made in Japan drive in the July 4th parade. KT
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American Casualty Report in Iraq
Thanks to Keyvan Minoukadeh
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