Names of the Dead

Amidst all the 'entertainment' stuff designed to build profits, we too readily forget that almost daily another of our brave young military have died in wars that look in some cases to have no ends.

The NY Times usually has a snippet of another death and the numbers of our military who have already died per the report below. We are one death away from 1,500 young lives given over to "the Afghan war and related operations."

As these deaths are the great hole in our awareness, I intend to publish them daily as they turn up. These people deserve to be honored far more than our entertainment honchos who dominate our news reports.

I wonder how the family of Justin D. Ross (below) feels about his death as do the nearly 1,500 other nameless and now forgotten ones who have sacrificed their lives -- for what?

It looks to me as though the nations out there must settle their own disputes -- as some seem ready to do. I make no comment on Libya. This may be a special case of a tyrant slaughtering his own people. We shall see.

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Names of the Dead
Published: March 28, 2011

The Department of Defense has identified 1,499 American service members who have died as a part of the Afghan war and related operations. It confirmed the death of the following American recently:

ROSS, Justin D., 22, Specialist, Army; Green Bay, Wis.; 863rd Engineer Battalion.
A version of this list appeared in print on March 29, 2011, on page A8 of the New York edition.

Damned If We Do . . . !

Manifestly, there is no more brutal national head in the Middle East than Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. Anyone willing and ready to slaughter his own makes Saddam Hussein look like a pussycat.

We (and I say pointedly "We" ) had no choice but block this man's slaughter routine. It looks to me as though Obama has done the best possible job getting things together fast to rescue numerous lives at risk. The games now being played with declaring wars are a farce.

I sometimes wonder why I watch the latest news release from our profit oriented TV nonsense games. Such 'news' outlets are owned and operated by our CEO's. Anything goes with them that will make more money.

The U.S. is a global embarrassment now with its indifference to national suffering and deference to our billionaires. I don't know what we honest and caring Americans are supposed to do in the face of the sellouts of our national political institutions -- the Supreme Court and Congress?

I would imagine such stuff is pretty obvious to the bulk of the world -- peace-making is not in fashion now although it is is primary goal of Obama. Peace, of course includes more than halting our military -- it demands decent treatment of our people rather than exploitation of them.
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent [blind copies]

What a Difference Fifty Years Makes!

We moved into our present home, 440 Riverside Drive, approximately a half century ago just as the City University of New York was opening its doors to any and all -- I had been startled to be able to get students admitted to Yale who were being rejected by CCNY. I was persuaded by this experience that teaching in an open enrollment college looked like the thing for me -- even though my former chair at Yale had offered me a beginner's position there.

What we have noticed over our years is that Morningside Heights has been converted from a home for all -- homeless with one or two co-ops -- to one of our centers of great wealth in Manhattan. The co-op we started in 1979 was open to all -- with an offer of mortgage help from the owners or non coop residency for others.

Now what could be purchased in 440 for $20,000 or far less demands a million or so as do the many others in the neighborhood -- the old shelters for the homeless have all been converted to perks for the well off.

Symbolic to me in other ways has been the conversions of uses of our our 'commercial' spaces. Our little ones benefited from a children''s library at 440 staffed by volunteer mothers which closed when mothers moved from the home to jobs -- the women's revolution. At nearly the same time it was replaced by the Encore Beauty Salon -- (212)222-1241 where men can now get excellent haircuts. Being now 88 with weaker hands and arthritis, I was also delighted to discover that one could have hands and feet -- particularly nails which are hard to reach and clip -- done for a modest cost -- $10 each for either hands or feet and $15 for the haircut with the owner whom I prefer. She rejects tips.

Obviously our children are no longer prime time, but our elderly have resources near by in the neighborhood as needed. I had not known about the nails problems which had really become a chore.

Needless to say, Columbia and other owners have either increased increased leases or been driven out of business by the monsters. I am worried, too, about Encore Beauty Salon which has not been offered a new lease. May our 440 board do the right thing here. We elderly need them -- not increased profits.

--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent [blind copies]

Make Peace -- Not War

Some wars -- such as my citation of of Machiavelli/Livy below -- are justified. I was a child of WW2 and only regretted that I was too young to join it.

What one notices is that we tend to abuse these days those who can not defend themselves -- in addition to specific ethnic groups -- many from any group cannot get fair hearings -- don't send children or granny to second rates intuitions -- which most are.

As one of my classmates from many years ago made me aware, Americans are now abusing both millions of our children and elderly as well. As one 88, not 78, as he corrected me, I have had too many such experiences to take them lightly. I am haunted by arthritis, but as several doctors pointed out to me there is a field called "physical therapy" which can work wonders to mitigate the discomforts of arthritis.

Far more outrageous, however, have been several doctors who refused even to listen to my report of a condition -- numbness of a hand that I have had for years and which two teams of doctors diagnosed as relative minor, caused by a bone spur jamming a spinal nerve and only dangerous if one messed with the nerve. No way would they listen to me and insisted on a totally different set of nerve tests -- one had obviously been influenced by his boss's version and no way would they listen to me. Fortunately my family doctor got me to pros who recommended the physical therapy with its 3 years and more of training and which really helps!

I have had bad experiences with doctors before, but not with such arrogance!!!!

And then there of those drones with which we annihilate families, including wedding parties.!
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent [blind copies]