veterans day

the internet has been out for three days;

ignore below: it is a first draft

Today is Veterans' Day.

So congratulations to all Veterans, including my husband Lolo (World War II) and my son in law John (Iraq) and my cousin Billy (Viet Nam).

We're old fashioned enough to know that America gave us opportunities not available in "the old country", and we're literate enough to know that there is another side to the "evil America promoting wars of aggression" meme that is in vogue in both academia and the papers and in much of the European elites.

Veteran's day started out as "Armestice Day" to celebrate the end of the "war to end all wars", AKA "The Great War", AKA "World War I".

A lot of todays' headlines stem from those days, from Iraq ("invented" at Versaille when the Ottoman Empire fell apart) to Senator Obama's triumph over "Bush unilateralism" is the result of that war, since Bush, seeing that the "international law" was importen, and that the UN opposition was based on bribery and illusions, went ahead with removing a dictator who had killed his own people and a million in nearby Iran.

The veterans of Viet Nam to this day are bitter against those who ridiculed them while ignoring the atrocities of the communists; and despite a President Obama who will undoubtably make patriotism again in fashion, one suspects that the returning veterans will similarly be ignored, treated as dupes, and their acts of heroism ignored by a Hollywood who only loves painting the US as the bad guys.

Yet this might not be so. Presumably, the Asians who live free today in Korea, or who were part of the millions who fled the religious, ideological and ethnic pogroms by the "victorious liberators" of Viet Nam and Cambodia might write their version of history.Yet this might not be so. Presumably, the Asians who live free today in Korea, or who were part of the millions who fled the religious, ideological and ethnic pogroms by the "victorious liberators" of Viet Nam and Cambodia might write their version of history.

But societies have more than one way to remember the lessons of the past: Religious feasts, fiestas, holidays, and customs are also the keepers of memory. For example, we say "bless you" when someone sneezes, we remember the plague; our children sing "Mary Mary Quite Contrary" in memory of Bloody Mary. The Jews celebrate the rebellion of the Maccabees, that fought for freedom to worship as they wished, every December; and Catholics remember the Battle of Lepanto with a feast day to the Virgin Mary, to thank her from saving Europe from the Ottoman Empire's Armies....and a thousand years from now, one wonders if the only rememberance of the Viet Nam war will be in the yearly celebration of Saint van Thaun, remembering a holy bishop who spent six years in a concentration camp there for his religion...

But societies have more than one way to remember the lessons of the past: Religious feasts, fiestas, holidays, and customs are also the keepers of memory. For example, we say "bless you" when someone sneezes, we remember the plague; our children sing "Mary Mary Quite Contrary" in memory of Bloody Mary. The Jews celebrate the rebellion of the Maccabees, that fought for freedom to worship as they wished, every December; and Catholics remember the Battle of Lepanto with a feast day to the Virgin Mary, to thank her from saving Europe from the Ottoman Empire's Armies....and a thousand years from now, one wonders if the only rememberance of the Viet Nam war will be in the yearly celebration of Saint van Thaun, remembering a holy bishop who spent six years in a concentration camp there for his religion...