The human cost of war

I'm 62 years old and have had cancer 4 times in the past 4-1/2 years. The cancer is from Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam and the prognosis is that it will come back every couple of years untill I die. Now I fully intend to beat cancer every time it comes back, but every once in a while I feel the breath of my mortality on the back of my neck. And it inspires me to write down some of my story while I still can.

I'm inspired tonight by 3 events;
1- Finally listening to the entire 76 minutes of Randy Pausch's, "The Last Lecture"
(which is probably responsible for mortalities breath)
2- Listening to an old acquaintance, Liam Clancy (of The Clancy Brothers) sing "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda", which I think explains the epitome of the human cost of war. And why I detest war and the killing and maiming and crippling (not just physically) of human beings, especially the soldiers who have to fight them.
3- Learning that the nephew of an internet friend is suffering from that maiming in the form of PTSD after tours of duty in Afganistan and Iraq. PTSD is an old enemy who dogged me for 12 years, and sneaks up on me now and then even today. It invaded my dreams, destroyed my marriage, stole my sanity, and nearly took my life.


There was a TV Miniseries a year or two ago called "Band of Brothers". It was about the real experiences of the real men of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division in WW2. One of the (real) characters in that series was Bill Guarnieri. Bill lost a leg in what history calls "The Battle of the Bulge". The Ardennes forest around Bastogne. When I was a child of 5 or 6 Bill was a neighbor of mine on Daly Street in South Philadelphia.

Another one of my neighbors was Frank Cheatey. Frank also served with the 101st Airborne in WW2. He lost his leg in the Market Garden Campaign in Holland. He and Bill were buddies. Neither of them had prosthetic legs back then. I used to see them coming down the street together, one pants leg pinned up, hobbling along on their two sets of crutches. They used to joke (somewhat morbidly, G.I.s often use morbid humor to hide the pain) about entering a "two-legged race" together. One had lost his left leg, the other his right.

We moved away when I was 7 and I didn't think about either of them for a long, long time.
After coming home from my tour of duty in Vietnam in 1969, I moved back to Philadelphia for 3 years. It was in 1972 that I read in the obituaries that Frank Cheatey had died.

I went to the funeral. There were eight pallbearers bearing Frank's casket. All of them were "Brothers" from the 101st Airborne. Prosthetic legs were better by then and only required one crutch. FIVE of the pallbearers (including Bill Guarneiri) had a prosthetic leg, TWO had a prosthetic arm. As I sit here at my keyboard I can still picture the scene as if it were yesterday.

"Never knew there were worse things than dying"
(lyric from the song)

That's one face of the human cost of war.
There's another, but I can't write about it tonight.
It's about the first time I saw the RESULTS, up close and personal, of some of the bombs that I loaded in Vietnam.

Answering the complaints with FACTS

I keep hearing certain complaints resurfacing over and over.
Complaints about how the process works.
Complaints which are, in my opinion, based on fallacy not fact.


Complaint: The Democratic Party and Democratic National Committee is a corrupt "good old boy's club"/"gentlemen's club" that does not trust the will of Democratic Primary voters.

Fact: Members of the Democratic National Committee
While anyone who is registered to vote as a Democrat is a member of the Party, there are 440 members of the Democratic National Committee.
The National Committee has 9 elected officers: The Chair, five Vice Chairs, Treasurer, Secretary, and National Finance Chair. (currently 5 women and 4 men)
Membership on the National Committee is composed of individuals elected by the Democratic Party organizations in each state (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico), the U.S. Territories (American Samoa, Guam, and the Virgin Islands), and Democrats living outside the United States and those Territories listed above (Democrats Abroad).
Each jurisdiction is represented by its Chair and the next highest ranking officer of the opposite sex. An additional 200 votes are distributed to the states and territories based on population, with each receiving a minimum of two additional seats. Each delegation must be equally divided between men and women.
Also seated on the DNC are representatives of various Democratic constituencies and elected officials. These include two U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives, two members of the College Democrats, and three representatives each from the Democratic Governors, Mayors, State Legislators, County Officials. Municipal Officials, Young Democrats, and the National Federation of Democratic Women.
Fifty members are appointed by the DNC Chairmen, and approved by the DNC, and are considered "Members-at-Large" (25 men, 25 women).

At the State Party level the ruling body is the State Central Committee made up of delegates elected from each county in the state weighted by the number of registered Democrats in that county (with a minimum of 2 delegates per county).
These delegations are also required to be equally divided between men and women (except where there is an uneven number of delegates).

At the County Party level the ruling body is the County Central Committee made up of the Precinct Committeemen and Precinct Committeewomen elected in the Primary by the registered Democrats in each Precinct. There are an equal number of Precinct Committee Person slots for men and women in each precinct. Only men can be elected or appointed to a Committeeman slot. Only women can be elected or appointed to a Committeewoman slot.

By rule, the ruling bodies of the Democratic Party at County, State, and National levels are equally divided between men and women.


Complaint: Can't tell you how many times there have been uncontested committeeman elections at the precinct level because more often than not the person is preselected and
just goes through the election process to make it official. As an independent I just scroll right by them.

Fact: As an "independent" choosing the DEMOCRATIC PARTY NOMINEE is not your concern. Choosing a nominee is an internal PARTY decision.
For the record, we elect both Committeemen AND Committeewomen.


Complaint: The "SuperDelegates" are NOT all elected politicians, many of them are "party insiders" who do not have a current constituency which they represent as a result of winning the most recent popular vote of the citizenry at large.

Fact: There are three types of "SuperDelegates":
1- Elected officials; current Democratic members of Congress (House and Senate), Democratic Governors
2- Former Democratic elected officials; President, Vice-President, leaders of the Senate, Speakers of the House and Minority Leaders and former Chairs of the DNC
3- Current Members of the DNC
All "SuperDelegates" (except the 50 DNC appointees) were elected and serve a constituency. Those in category 1 were elected by the citizenry at large in the most recent election for their seat. Those in category 2 were elected in the past by the citizenry at large. Those in category 3 were elected by their State Central Committees, who were elected by their County Central Committees, who were elected by registered Democrats in the previous Primary Election.

Since the purpose of the Democratic National Convention is to choose the DEMOCRATIC PARTY Nominee for President it is ONLY the legitimate concern of registered members of the Democratic Party.
Some State Democratic Parties may choose to extend the courtesy of allowing non-Democrats to vote in the Democratic Primary. They are not required to do so. Choosing a nominee is Party business.
ALL registered Democrats are "party insiders". All others are "party outsiders" and selecting the nominee is not their concern.


Complaint: Most troubling is that party insiders, members of Congress, union leaders, party officials and an assortment of activists known as super delegates, now hold the key to the nomination for Obama or Clinton. Each of the super delegate's votes is now equivalent to about 10,000 Democratic voters. ..."

Fact: Selecting a Democratic Nominee is the business of "party insiders" (all registered Democrats). The "SuperDelegates" were elected by Democratic "party insiders" or their duly elected representatives. Although some "SuperDelegates" may coincidently be "union leaders", there are no "SuperDelegate" positions allocated to "union leaders".
The reason why the "key" to the nomination rests with the "SuperDelegates" is because Democratic Primary Voters have failed to show a clear preference and have instead split more or less evenly between the two leading candidates.
SOMEBODY has to make the decision. Since the general public has failed to do so, the "SuperDelegates" will have to.


Complaint: The SuperDs, as I understand it, are susceptible to pressure by Party leadership. ALSO, and this is the part that I have a problem with, they are NOT reflective of the vote of the People (like elected delegates).

Fact: "SuperDelegates" ARE the Democratic Party leadership. They were elected to their current positions by the votes of registered Democrats or the duly elected representatives of Democratic voters.
ALL delegates are elected at some point (by "party insiders"). Most delegates are "pledged" to a particular candidate. "SuperDelegates" are not "pledged", they are free to exercise their own independent judgement.


Complaint: Each elected (pledged) delegate represents the will of hundreds of thousands of voters. SuperDs represent ONE voter each (themselves), yet have EQUAL WEIGHT as an elected delegate!

Fact: ALL Delegates are elected, not all delegates are "pledged".
Each pledged delegate does NOT represent "hundreds of thousands", not even a single hundred thousand. The New Hampshire Primary awarded 22 pledged delegates. I seriously doubt 2.2 MILLION Democrats voted in that Primary. Or that 4.5 MILLION Democrats voted in the South Carolina Primary. It is highly unlikely that 5.2 MILLION Democrats will vote in the Oregon Primary since the TOTAL population of the state is considerably less than that number.

Each "SuperDelegate" represents considerably more than "one voter".
By RULE, the pledged delegates are NOT required to vote for the candidate they are pledged to, so they could BETRAY the voters they supposedly represent if they chose to do so.
Every one of the 4048 Democratic National Convention Delegates really only represent themselves if they choose to.


Complaint: It is an UNdemocratic process -- an ELITIST process -- crammed in the middle of a democratic process, the primary elections. It was put in place EXACTLY BECAUSE the powers that be in the Party wanted a mechanism to UNDERMINE the will of the People when they saw fit.

Fact: WHO exactly are "the powers that be"? And how are you able to read their minds?


Complaint: Since the democratic party does not fully trust the will of the democratic primary voters they should not whine and moan nor be surprised when liberal/progressive voters vote 3rd party; why stick with a party in the general election that did not trust what we the people had to say in the primary election.

Fact: Why should the Party listen to the will of disloyal voters who will bail out if they don't get the nominee they want? If "liberal/progressive" voters vote 3rd Party, they will be cutting off their noses to spite their face and making it easier for John McCain to win a "Third Bush Term".


Complaint: Well, let's just abolish the process altogether and have those with the most political experience choose how things are done.

Fact: That IS how it was done prior to 1900. If you would like to return to that method be advised that women did not have the right to vote back then. And although African-Americans had the legal right to vote, they were denied that right in much of the country (untill the Voting Rights Act in the '60s).

The Chaos of Combat Redux

Given the following assumptions:
1- Hillary Clinton did not LIE about her experiences in Bosnia, she "misremembered".
Given that the stress of combat and the threat of possible combat situations can play tricks with memory. Let us give her the benefit of the doubt.
2- That there was the actual THREAT of snipers who MIGHT shoot at her when she landed at Tuzla and the stress from that threat was real.
My experiences in Vietnam lead me to believe that the perception of danger can be nearly as stressfull as actual bullets whizzing through the air.

So assuming that the threat of danger was real.
Why the Hell would she take her DAUGHTER into that situation by choice ?
Chelsea was still a teenager back then. What kind of mother willingly exposes her DAUGHTER to the threat of sniper fire ?

Is this the sort of "wisdom" we can expect from her when she gets that 3:00AM phone call?
If she is willing to expose her own daughter to that kind of danger, what kind of danger is she willing to expose the rest of America to ?

I will be voting for Barack Obama in the May 20th Oregon Primary Election.


Mac

The Chaos of Combat

An personal anecdote from my past.

A firefight in a crowded marketplace:

In late October or early November of 1968, I had the day off work (which didn't happen often) and went off base into Phan Rang City. I was carrying a .357 Magnum that I'd bought from a G.I. who had gone back to the states a few weeks earlier. The revolver held 6 rounds and I had an additional 2 loads in my pocket (18 rounds total).

A little after noon, about 12 - 15 (my estimate) Viet Cong attacked the marketplace and started shooting the place up. I think it was mostly a harassment attack because some of them were firing upwards. I drew my weapon and dived into an open storefront. The papa-san who's store it was was dragging out an old WW2 vintage carbine from under the counter and I damn near shot him right there. He looked at me, dropped the weapon, shook his head "no", then pointed out at the square. I nodded and he pick the rifle back up and we both crouched behind the counter watching what was happening outside.

After about 15 minutes of sporadic firing the Vietnamese Police, called Quan Com (we called them "white mice" because of their white helmets) showed up, took one look at the situation and split (mice aren't known for their bravery). A very short while later, maybe 5 minutes, a ROK (Korean Army) 2-1/2 ton truck with quad .50's mounted on the bed drove into the square and opened fire.

The papa-san and I hugged the earth as bullets went whistling over our heads everywhere. In another 5 or 6 seconds it was all over. I never fired a shot, but that's probably good 'cause even using both hands I'm not sure I could have hit anything I was shaking so bad. Even though I was in uniform, I holstered my weapon and came out of the shop slowly holding my arms up and out from my body, my HANDS clearly visible. After the ROK sargent nodded at me, I let my hands down and we started gathering the dead.

I counted about 150 bodies, more than half of them were women. About 30 or so had some sort of weapon, many of them appeared to be WW2 vintage. 15 had AK-47s and were almost certainly Viet Cong, the rest were probably just shopkeepers like the papa-san I'd survived with. The V.C. killed about 6 or 7 people before the ROKs showed up.

The "official" report?
30+ V.C. attacked Phan Rang City market and killed over 100 innocent civilians before they were neutralized by ROK troops.

I shit you not.
That was my first inkling that things were not what they seemed in Vietnam.
Our government was lying out it's ass to us. (to cover said ass)

My point?
During the firefight, things were so chaotic I couldn't tell who was who.
Since everyone else was in "civilian clothes" (including the VC) there was no way to tell friend from foe. And I had so much adrenaline rushing through my body, my hands were shaking so bad I couldn't have aimed the pistol with any accuracy if my life had depended on it (which I thought it DID).

I qualified as an expert marksman three times while I was in the USAF.
Twice with M-16, once with M-1 carbine.
Before going to Vietnam, I was a member of the Kingsley Field Pistol Team (.45 auto) so I'm a pretty damn good shot with a pistol too. I also spent 3 days in "combat training" before shipping out to Vietnam (with live ammunition).

I was college age back then, but better trained than most civilians outside of maybe the police.

Untill you've experienced combat, most people have no idea what it is like.
Armed students or teachers at VT would almost certainly have resulted in a higher body count with many of them being shot "by accident".

But that's just the opinion of someone who has "been there, done that".


Mac

Fare thee well, Billy Pilgrim

In 1976 former California Governor Jerry Brown ran for the Democratic Nomination for President of the United States. I got involved in his campaign and eventually was elected as an alternate-Delegate to the National Convention, held in New York City. Jerry was competing with the Governor of a southern state (Georgia's James Earl "Jimmy" Carter).

Now it was 1992, and again Jerry Brown was running for the Presidential nomination. The Convention was again held in New York City. His competition was another southern Governor (Arkansas' William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton). It was deja vu all over again. This time I was elected as a full Delegate.

On the last night of the Convention, Clinton having won and picked Al Gore of Tennessee as his running mate, Jerry still had campaign money left over. So he threw a party for his 612 delegates and his campaign staff. The party started around 7:30, but as usual I was a little late getting there.

I arrived around 9, to a very large room filled almost to overflowing. The main crowd was milling about, slowly circling the room, engaged in conversation with newly made friends and political allies. Slowly circling around the center of the room where stood one lone old man, soft drink in hand, watching them circle. Everyone was aware of the old man in the middle, but seemed too awestruck to actually engage him in conversation.

Being the shy and retiring type that I am, I strode forward, offered my hand and spoke: "Some people seem to think I'm crazy when I tell them this" (he gave me a look that said he was prepared to find agreement with those people), "but I recall buying a book when I was a teenager. A book of short stories. And I could swear they were written by YOU. The book was titled 'Canary in a Cat House'."
"Oh, so YOU'RE the one." he replied, smiling and taking my hand with a firm shake.
(Obviously the book didn't sell well.)

And that is how I met Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
My all-time favorite author.
For the next three hours we conversed, uninterrupted by the remainder of the crowd. I don't recall what other specific words were spoken, but I remember the opening moment as if it happened minutes ago. And I always will. I can still feel the surprising firmness of his grip (he was almost 70 back then).

Eventually Governor Brown showed up, came over with his entourage and greeted us, and whisked Mr. Vonnegut away into the night. I interpreted the look and wave of the hand he gave me as they left as a small "thank you". Whether for rescuing him from his aloneness in the midst the crowd, or for engaging in conversation interesting enough to keep him from being bored or perhaps a little of both.

I am deeply saddened at his passing.

Fare thee well, Billy Pilgrim.
Good night, Mr. Rosewater.
Say "Hello" to Wanda June for me and wish her a Happy Birthday.
Good Luck on Tralfamadore.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
November 11, 1922 - April 11, 2007


Mac

It's all about fairness

Unfairness can hurt people.
Unfairness can destroy lives.
Unfairness can kill sometimes too.

My father was treated unfairly.
He was a master aircraft mechanic and worked on the team that designed an aircraft engine known as the "Twin Wasp". Two Pratt & Whitney "Wasp" 13 cylinder radial engines coupled together.
The engine that made the B-17 "Flying Fortress" viable by enabling it to carry substantial bombloads.
The engine that made Colonel Jimmy Doolittle's trip to Tokyo, Japan in 1942 possible.
The engine that played a significant part in our winning WW2.
He helped DESIGN it!

But in his youth he was a union organizer.
Because he believed in fairness.
Some of the people he worked with were "Wobblies".
Some people in this country considered all "Wobblies" to be "Communists".

In the early 1950's he was subpeonaed to testify before HUAC.
The House UnAmerican Activities Committee.
Chaired by Congressman "Tail Gunner Joe" McCarthy.
They ordered him to name names.
He refused.
So they revoked his FAA Aircraft Mechanics License.
He never worked in aviation again.

Being Irish, he had always been a drinker, but not to excess.
When they pulled his license, it broke his spirit.
He made a living for a while as an auto mechanic.
But mostly he drank.
To try to forget the unfairness of it all.
He became an alcoholic.
Eventually, many years later, he drank himself to death.
One too many cans of "Sterno".

His cousin, not wanting to waste money on a funeral, donated his body to the Jefferson Medical Facility in Philadelphia, a teaching hospital.
One of the best in the country.
The doctor who disected his corpse said he had "the most sclerotic liver, I've ever seen" in a person who didn't die directly from sclerosis.
They put it on display in a glass jar filled with formaldehyde.
With his name on the jar: Joseph McFadden.

My brother discovered it several years later.
When I went out to Philadelphia for my mother's funeral, he took me up to Jefferson.
And we visited my father's "grave".


It's all about fairness.


Mac

An abuse of power

Like most of us I am both a student and a teacher.
I learn new things every day. (Blogging for instance)
And I "teach" by sharing anecdotes about my life experiences.
Sometimes (make that 'usually') there is a point to which story I choose to share at a given time.
People don't always get the point, but that's not my fault.


I have two friends. The first is named Bill. He is currently a State Senator, but he used to be the Mayor of 'the town across the river' from Eugene. He is a retired school teacher, so he is neither unintelligent nor uneducated. My other friend was named Rick (he is deceased now, from a combination of drug abuse and homelessness, either of which can be deadly in itself, but together are a lethal combination).

Rick used to "fly a sign" asking for money donations (begging) along Pioneer Parkway on the north side of town. He was one of the more visible members of the homeless community. And one of the more outspoken. There came a time (and I don't recall the details) when he and Bill 'got into it'. Face to face, nose to nose, a high volume dispute. I think Rick got the better of the argument and Bill ended up backing down. This didn't sit well with Bill and he happened to be the Mayor at the time. A position of significant power. Rick on the other hand, being homeless, had only the power of his personna, a well reasoned argument, and the vocabulary of an educated man.

Bill came before the City Council shortly afterwards and convinced them to pass a City Ordnance prohibiting solicitation on the public roadways. So it became illegal for ANY homeless person to "fly a sign" in Springfield. Rick flew his anyway, in defiance of the law, and was cited. He took his case to court claiming his First Amendment rights to free speech. The City Ordnance didn't make it illegal to stand holding a sign, only to 'solicit'. Rick claimed that the Ordnance was designed to only punish certain speech based on content.

The Courts eventually ruled in Rick's favor and the homeless were once again allowed to fly their signs without being penalized by the City. I guess the Courts recognized that the treatment received from SOME of the public was punishment and penalty enough.

Bill had a problem with one individual and used his position of authority to pass a law that affected hundreds of people. Most of them being people he didn't know, hadn't met, who had never done him any injury. He did it "because he could".

And that is an example of "abuse of power".
When a person in a position of authority does something "because they can" without any underlying argument or only one they have rationalized. When their action affects many people because they have a problem with one person. When they are motivated by personal feelings, not the public good.

Even though Rick is gone now, whenever I see Bill, I always ask him, "How's Rick?"
It's my way of reminding him not to abuse the power of his position.
The expression on his face tells me that he finds my question irritating.
Good! People in positions of power should get irritated now and then.
It helps to keep them honest.

And just what does my tale have to do with anything going on in the world today?
Nothing.
Not a thing.
;-)
(Did you read the first 5 lines?)


Mac