Pen-Elayne on the Web

Eleven Eleven

Today is Remembrance Day in the UK, Canada, Australia and much of the world, and Veterans Day in the US. It commemorates the day in 1918 when, "on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month, the world rejoiced and celebrated. After four years of bitter war, an armistice was signed. The 'war to end all wars' was over." Here's an interesting VD/RD/AD page.

Alas, war itself isn't over, nor are the pervasive myths surrounding the military. Today you'll probably hear a lot of "This day is not to honor war, but the sacrifice made by others for our freedom." But increasingly, the US military consists of poor kids who joined primarily for economic reasons (like Jessica Lynch) with no real desire to sacrifice themselves (I always cringe at that euphemism - they get killed, okay?, they don't "sacrifice" themselves!), and as we see our freedoms erode daily this line is almost becoming a cruel joke.

Now, none of this is to say that the men and women in the military don't deserve respect. Considering they're being asked to do the dirty work of rich old guys who have probably never face dangerous situations in their entire lives, they deserve to be treated like royalty by those rich old guys. It probably goes without saying that they are not. Check this space throughout the day for various examples of how the Bush administration is shafting our armed forces while the empty rhetoric flows (as well as other RD notes of interest).

Paul Krugman gives an overview of the situation.

You've probably heard about the money being denied soldiers who were tortured in Iraqi prisons during Gulf War I. Check out Tom Tomorrow's reprinting of the press conference wherein this decision was queried.

Via Eric Hananoki - the closing of the commissaries and schools on military installations, as detailed in Navy Times.

My favorite Democratic Veteran, Jo Fish, discusses how extended active duty is taking its toll on reservists.

Here's a nice article about Jessica Lynch and Shoshana Johnson accepting the Glamour magazine Women of the Year awards that mentions, among other things, the disparity in their disability pensions.

I'd read that some Canadian businesses wanted to ban the sale of poppies today, but I hadn't heard they were backing down due to public outcry. Frankly, I wouldn't mind wearing a white poppy today.