Uncle Stinky wrote a letter to the Washington Post. It is a great letter and says important things about war that people need to think about. It is too bad that the paper didn't include the fact that Bill when to St. Albans and served as a Marine in the first gulf war.
Jack is going to movie making and sports camp at St. Albans this summer. That is the place next to Beauvoir where Michael went to camp. Remember how you and me and Joe dropped him off there for a few days 2 summers ago when Aunt Abby was out of town. That hill was so steep and you walked the whole way.
Jack is now reading the KidsPost page in the morning while he eats his cereal. He started doing this when he stopped watching TV. This letter was in a different section.
Who Defends Our Nation?
Saturday, May 1, 2004; Page A20
Perhaps Pat Tillman's death can contribute to the nascent dialogue about who bears the human cost for our collective defense ["Ex-NFL Player Tillman Killed in Combat; Army Ranger Turned Down Millions to Serve His Country in Afghanistan," front page, April 24]. That Mr. Tillman traded in his football wealth and fame to quietly serve his country is admirable; that his example is so rare is a shame.
Young people in general are reluctant to serve, and the nation's best and brightest are rarely found in uniform, according to military sociologist Charles Moskos, who notes that only seven of the 1,100 members of Princeton University's Class of 2003 opted for military service.
We are fighting multiple wars of considerable size and unknown duration, but we have heard nothing about financial or physical sacrifice from the administration. Only a few brave souls, such as Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), have dared to begin a long-overdue discussion about conscription.
If we are not willing to collectively risk disrupting our lives, as Mr. Tillman selflessly was, perhaps we should not be so quick to engage in armed conflict in the first place.
BILL DELANEY a.k.a Uncle Stinky
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