Why not reduce the military to pre-World War 1 levels ?

  Local talk radio reactionaries are aghast  at news that  our monster military machine-  the greatest force for peace and democracy and the American Way on earth, according to simple minded militarism and dumb patriotism- might be downsized. Better to focus   their  wrath on poor, jobless, hungry, desperate Americans and  " greedy " state workers than on the sacrosanct  Moloch that is always making the world safer for the ONE PERCENT ?

          To be sure, there will be no more  good wars.  We should reflect on the 100th anniversary of  World War 1 that began in August 1914 . You would think that the madness of Verdun would have inspired a century of pacifism instead of one of bloody horror. For  too many years now pacifists have been curiously mute in this country.  How much I miss the likes of  Professor Howard Zinn  who would  advise us today to " starve the beast " in the Pentagon - not just put it on a diet .

            To be sure, our war on terrorism is not less brainless than our eternal war on drugs.  The military could very sanely be cut back to pre World War 1 levels.

   And would not a draft at least be more  democratic  ?  Even  pacifists can serve in non-combat positions- in hospitals for example.

            Real democracy is the best protection for a truly democratic people.

Urban League's Dennis Langley- a perfect gentleman

   I'll leave it to courts and lawyers to make sense of the Urban League's complex financial problems ( " Audit reveals nonprofit's significant liabilities ",  Providence Journal headline, February 22 ). But looking at the photo of ex-director Dennis Langley on page A7 and his words " There is no way  in God's creation that I would steal a dime ", I am moved to write this: I recall this man from way back in 1977  when he was an instructor in OIC's Nursing Assistant training program.  As a student in need of a practical job skill, I was impressed by Dennis Langley as a fine human being, as an idealistic and gifted  teacher. A perfect gentleman !

       " You guys have destroyed my reputation " ,  he claims.  I hope it all turns out well for Dennis Langley and the Urban League. A good man is hard to find.

Facebook culture of narcissism ? ME too !

I am beginning to wonder if ubiquitous Facebook is involved in some form of PAYOLA scheme. You can't even say " Good Morning " to affable  Channel 10 TV newsman Frank Coletta except via the Facebook route. A letter in today's  Providence Journal by Craig O'Connor makes the same point about on-line comments in the newspaper ( " No fan of Facebook ", Feb.10 ) 

                I like Frank Coletta but for more than a year now I have been annoyed by his 4:30AM invitation to early rising viewers with Facebook access: " If you say GOOD MORNING to us , we MIGHT say good morning to YOU ". And I always think: " Isn't this a little condescending, Frank ? "   There is a tradition of egalitarianism  even in class divided America.

  But nothing makes our day more than some TV celebrity acknowledging our existence ?

          Is this the secret of Facebook: Making any of us two bit celebrities in our own little world  ?

 So anyway, from upscale Knightsville : " Good morning, Frank ! " ( make my day, Frank ! )

            Alas, even fame becomes a trivial pursuit.

Another " no fan of facebook ".

     Craig O'Connor of Providence made a valid point about being able to make on- line comments in the Providence Journal only via Face Book membership ( Letters, Feb. 6,  " No Fan of Facebook ") .  I rarely care to  waste time with the on-line circus anymore.  But  in a recent letter( " America's Moral Catastrophe " , Jan. 27 )  I had to mention the ghastly condition of my mentally ill brother's body when my sister and I were bringing him a lithium refill.  A certain  Dana commented - not foolishly- that  poor Ray's condition suggested a neglectful family. Nothing could be further from the truth. But I  am still awaiting the autopsy report for some explanation for this horror. Also, a few more lines could have " humanized " poor ,dear Ray. He was a devout Catholic to the end - not unmindful of the meaning of Ash Wednesday. May he rest in peace !

           But  I could not reply to  Dana's  reasonable comment.  I do belong to the 20th century. I still remember handwritten letters -to-the- editor.