If anyone saw the KSBW TV 8 coverage yesterday, Richard Anderson of the Bill Motto VFW Post was interviewed about the banner flap. That happened because I was able to alert the reporter and bring Richard to be filmed. It changed the story enough to include several bites on the banned banner aspect.

As to the above comments, it's not black and white. These days, it should be noted the military is in large part targeting and recruiting people on a class basis, and many poor people end up going for education and job placement later. In many cases, it's their ticket out of poverty and the ghetto. Maybe they are gambling they won't be sent to war, and then policies dictated by US corporate interests kick out the command to fight for the the super-rich and those who go along for ideological reasons. Once "over there," the soldier must cope with orders and peer pressure, whether or not he or she understands why they are there and what it all means. Yes, some go believing in the cause, having been deceived like generations before them that we are defending freedom and democracy.

Are they innocent of blame? The choice to enlist, obey orders, get the job done is made by an individual with a conscience. A strong personality with conviction might opt out of military service in time of war (or anytime) on principle, but how does that young person come to make such a decision? It is the duty of the general society to educate and nuture the young to make informed moral decisions, but this pre-supposes the general society is informed or cares enough.

When there was a draft, we gave draft counseling, but what about enlistment counseling? Nowadays, we get the refusers after they've already gone and come back. How do we reach them before they go?