On a tangentially related note, Do you think the appointment of a physician
as VA secretary will be helpful?  I have hopes that it will help, as I still
have a fairly strong trust in the medical profession, but I'm a little
concerned about someone who's spent their career in the military medical
system being able to reform it.  My dad's partner in surgical practice was
navy trained, and said he got out before he started to "think military."

On 10/30/07, ken barber <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> well kat, you might be right, if i were bush, i'd not
> want to ask for a draft.
> my  brother fully retired from the army in september.
> i do not know how many years has to pass before
> officers can't be called back. kyle would probably
> know. i thought that even noncoms could be called back
> for a number of years, but, i am not sure of that
> either.
>
> --- kat <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > Unfortunately, both men and women signed up to be in
> > the armed forces
> > and both have to serve. The military makes no
> > distinction in this case -
> > this is the way women's libbers wanted it back in
> > the 1970s and 1980s
> > and this is what they got. Don't get me wrong, I'm a
> > feminist myself.
> > If you volunteer to serve in the military, you had
> > better be prepared to
> > go where the military sends you - that's the reality
> > of it.
> >
> > Also another thing is going on is that commissioned
> > officers are being
> > called back into duty even after their official
> > duties are over - they
> > can be called back at the DOD's whim, and they are
> > even calling back
> > permanently disabled officers, too, those who would
> > not ordinarily be
> > even  considered fit for active duty.  If you're a
> > commissioned officer,
> > there's a clause in your contract that says you can
> > be called back if
> > the need is there.  You're not totally out of
> > service until you fully
> > retire.
> >
> > Frankly, I think we need a draft - we are in a
> > situation where our armed
> > forces are stretched so thin that reserved units are
> > sent back over and
> > over and non-com tours of duty keep getting extended
> > further and
> > further.  But I'm willing  to bet this is such a hot
> > potato that Bush is
> > trying to defer it as long as possible so the next
> > Administration gets
> > to deal with it and its consequences.
> >
> > Kat
> >
> > Linda Walker wrote:
> > > I just think one parent should stay home it
> > doesn't matter which sex I
> > > just think it is barbaric to send both parents to
> > war especially for
> > > this type of action.
> > >
> > > At 06:24 PM 10/29/2007, you wrote:
> > >> well linda, we never had the women joining as
> > they do
> > >> now. in precious wars usually a woman in the
> > military
> > >> was to be a care giver to the wounded, but, with
> > >> "equal rights"....
> > >>
> > >> --- Linda Walker <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> > uniquely horrible in that it is an entirely
> > >> > unnecessary war just my
> > >> > opinion and it is more brutal because of the
> > length
> > >> > of time people
> > >> > are serving and the fact that Bush will send
> > two
> > >> > parents in there
> > >> > causing incredible worry to the families and
> > >> > children. We never did
> > >> > things like that before. I guess I just kinda
> > hope
> > >> > we've learned
> > >> > something since the Spanish inquisition and
> > it's
> > >> > interesting that's
> > >> > the one you mention since we have Abu Ghraib.
> > >> > Everyone responds to trauma differently. My
> > father
> > >> > never raised his
> > >> > voice or his hand against anyone and he is a
> > war
> > >> > hero so I am not of
> > >> > course talking about everyone.
> > >> > In the child abuse work I do, I see some highly
> > >> > resilient people who
> > >> > have good lives to people who are just
> > destroyed by
> > >> > the events even
> > >> > to the point of taking their own life.  We will
> > be
> > >> > paying for this
> > >> > war emotionally and socially for a couple of
> > >> > generations. Of course
> > >> > not everyone but some returning vets won't be
> > able
> > >> > to cope and they
> > >> > will act out in violence towards themselves and
> > >> > those closest to
> > >> > them. It is well known there is a high
> > incidence of
> > >> > domestic violence
> > >> > inside the services.
> > >> > And it bugs me that we primarily report our
> > soldiers
> > >> > deaths but
> > >> > seldom report the number of displaced Iraquis
> > >> > because of our actions.
> > >> > Anyhow this is taking away from the terrible
> > >> > inhumane way that woman
> > >> > was treated. We'll never know if she would have
> > >> > lived with prompt tratement.
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> > At 04:40 PM 10/29/2007, you wrote:
> > >> > >Linda, if your logic were to be applied across
> > the
> > >> > board, there wouldn't
> > >> > >be any vets who could  go back to civilian
> > lives
> > >> > and get on with them.
> > >> > >Remember that we have been in wars since this
> > >> > country was founded and
> > >> > >there is nothing new about the traumas of war
> > (well
> > >> > except for our
> > >> > >capacity to quickly kill each other).  If you
> > think
> > >> > our brutality in
> > >> > >Iraq is uniquely horrible, may I refer you to
> > any
> > >> > history of the Spanish
> > >> > >Inquisition or the Roman Empire?  Violence,
> > alas,
> > >> > is nothing new.
> > >> > >
> > >> > >Having said that I do agree  with you that we
> > don't
> > >> > need to be in Iraq
> > >> > >because we need to spend our money where it's
> > >> > better put to use, and I
> > >> > >think we have done very little good by
> > invading
> > >> > Iraq.
> > >> > >
> > >> > >Kat
> >
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-- 


Kendall

An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's redundant!)

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress
depends on the unreasonable man.

-George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950

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