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POETRY: THE BALLAD OF MONKEY JONES BY VET LAMAR HUNT
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The Ballad of Monkey Jones
The first time I saw Monkey, he was walking 'cross the street,
To welcome us into the neighborhood.
Monkey was a sergeant, and I a new LT.
He tried to teach me every thing he could.
He was always kidding, and having lots of fun.
That is how he said he got his name.
But trouble was a brewing, the Asian war was on.
And good times never can remain the same.
Now Monkey loved his country, and thought that it was right,
Regardless of the protest in the land.
So when his orders sent him, to Vietnam to fight,
He knew the time had come to take a stand.
We shipped out together, to face our destinies.
Our families came to see us on the plane.
We thought what we were doing, would make some people free.
We went to 'Nam completely without shame.
One early jungle morning, a heavy firefight raged.
Mortar rounds were raining from the sky.
I heard Monkey screaming, and crawled up to his place.
He said, "LT, I'm surely gonna die."
We stopped the blood from flowing, and bandaged up the wounds,
And loaded him into the med-e-vac.
But when the chopper vanished, into the dark monsoon,
I knew that Monkey wasn't coming back.
Within our Nation's capital, there is a long black wall,
Where heroe's names are etched into the stone.
Among the many thousands, who heard the Nation's call,
I found the name of James Montgomery Jones.
I bowed my head in sorrow, with memories in my mind,
Of youthful dreams that we had shared back then.
And knew that I would never, be fortunate to find,
Another time, so wonderful a friend.
The years have covered over, the bitterness and pain.
The Nation chose to take a different turn.
As I remember Monkey, the question still remains,
What lesson does the Country need to learn?
To seek for every person, a rich and better life,
And swear the Nation never must again,
Send its youth to battle, to suffer and to die,
In any war that we don't have to win.
Henry Lamar Hunt. All rights reserved.
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THE INSANENESS OF AMERICAN POLITICS BY KELLY THOMAS
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What fascinates me about politics is that we average folks get so excited--like it makes all that much difference who is president. The "why" eludes me. Our country is so complicated, so complex. With the exception of foreign policy (decisions that a President makes like on Iraq) one man hardly makes all that much difference because we have so many checks and balances.
Watching the process at the Democratic Convention is fascinating and at the same time insane. In a sense, the Conventions are a ritual. You have all these rich folks who have exhausted most challenges for themselves in life and the "power" trip is all that is left.
Consequently, politics is what they chase. They get into it and on any level, they run and subject themselves to people that under normal circumstances, they wouldn't give the time of day like some right wing nut, who believes the problems with the country are that we freed the slaves or that the invasion of the body snatchers has really happened.
On a National level, these rich and powerful people subject themselves to the masses; they get elected; then all that becomes important is reelection and we usually oblige. They get perceived power, and usually, they figure out ways to distance themselves from everyday life. And, on the part of many, they become celebrities, especially if they can get in front of enough cameras. The president really becomes our King, pretty imperial.
Listening to Al Sharpton at the Democratic convention the other night made me smile. He's a fired up, evangelical Pentecostal preacher who makes these ultra Democrats lie constantly. Most wouldn't associate with Al in normal circumstances if their lives depended upon it. But, this is politics and perception is everything. Al is by far the most entertaining, but he is a convicted felon; and if, he were not black, noway would he get this camera time. Joe Lieberman almost got lynched for having the audacity to point out Al's transgressions. And, the Democrats literally run out every single person they can who touts some cause, mostly left wing, whatever that means.
I know I'm sounding more like a Republican, but it is just to make a point. The Republicans come across as way to nasty for my tastes, but my values really are a little more in their camp. Unfortunately, they will embrace a social cause at the expense of all other sorts of issues much more important like health care, social security, the deficit, education, adinfinitum. For instance, they would support the president in some of his terrible decisions on mismanaging the war and seeing young Americans die simply because he supports social issues like "right to life or anti-gay marriage"
When someone is so locked in on social issues which have no real answers under the best of circumstances, the mantra becomes, "Don't confuse me with facts, I have my mind made up." What truly makes me shake my head is the idea that we think any of those folks at the Democratic National Convention can possibly identify with the average person. It is crazy! Weird! 7-30-04
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9-11 REVISITED WITH A COMMISSION BY JOHN HENRY LEE
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Not a bad idea studying something like 9-11; what else can we do we if you think about it. If we are doing it to get some sort of handle on how to help us in the next crisis, then very necessary. What this one thus far has somewhat degenerated into is simply a political statement or questions, answers, no answers, accusations, adinfinitum.
What I think is that simply we could not have prevented 9-11; if we could have, we wouldn’t have known we had prevented it. In all its horrors, we have to realize what exactly it was. And, now as we relive it in listening to tapes, we see again how much we were somewhat like the keystone cops but in a sense nobody knew what to do, it had not happened yet.
What we know through the Commission is that there was massive confusion. Nothing had ever happened to us like this before. Our communication was far from perfect. There was ineptness seemingly in all directions. But, mainly it was humanity. The air traffic controllers were trying to figure it out, the military was trying to figure it out, the messages didn’t make sense, an order had been given to shoot down planes, but never received. One of the most interesting goings on was one of the Air Traffic Controllers! Should we involve military? What about an order to shoot down the planes? Somebody has to make a decision? Everybody simply left the room.
Part of the great confusion had to do with the absolute fear of making a mistake: Shooting down one of our own aircraft. Killing our own people. The depth of that type of decision was simply overwhelming.
Having read portions of The Report, I can tell you it is a serious piece of work presented in a readable style. Will anybody pay any attention to the findings? No, I doubt it. We are way too entrenched in our thinking. It is not in the best interest of the bureaucracy to give heed. Sad, as we have a chance to make our country more safe.
And, to me, the Commission, if for no other reason, has pointed out that a government's first and foremost job is to make its citizens safe and if they can't do this, then there's no reason for them to exist.
My basic thinking is what it has always been: we have to combat terrorism as best we can and then we have to go on living. It can’t be stamped out, it is not going to end like the war. Terrorism is forever and 9-11 changed our lives forever and it changed the lives of everybody who lives in this country or wants to live in this country.
7-25-04
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AUGHTRY COOPER'S SITREP ON IRAQ AND SIMILARITIES TO NAM
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If one were to follow the trajectory of the Vietnam war and the varies reinterations we went through: 1) Be home by Christmas, 2) Movement toward Vietnamization, 3) Win the hearts and minds of the people 4) Increase in body count-suddenly Iraq and Vietnam are overlays. What a way to fight a war!
The biggest slum in Iraq is called Sadr City, which is not a city, a slum, literally owned by Maktaea al-Sadr, a religious leader who has more or less made most of Iraq somewhat of a no go zone. The next thing we know, Americans will petition their leaders to remain behind the Green Zone because of the dangers outside.
The worst kind of war imaginable is an urban guerilla war. And, when you are fighting terrorists, it is no holds barred. Unfortunately, we are beginning to appear to be handcuffed.
Foreigners are still being beheaded, kidnappings are a common thing, massive car bombing are still the order of the day, firefights are happening , al Sadr's forces are still taking the battle to the Americans and Fallujah remains a safe haven for insurgents and an outright hornet's nest of terrorist recruiting and training.
I don't know the answer but I do know two things; this is a hell of a way to fight a war; and, secondly, we're not winning this thing. When you are getting beat up, you have to figure out a way to get the hell out or come up with another strategy to come back to fight another day. 7-23-04
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