Group News Blog : Vet's Eye View

I never wanted to learn about war. I never wanted to have to.

I wanted to see even the worst people stop short of war. But, then the worst people got into office, and wage war as a child plays with plastic soldiers.

With no thought. No care. Worse, the appearance of care, all plastic, like that damn turkey.

I learned that, as a citizen, my political will is the 'stop' button when it comes to many things, including the horror of war. And it behooves me to educate myself.

I make myself read IGTNT the brilliant, heartbreaking series of diaries

I go to Iraq War Grief when I can handle it - honestly, that's not as often as it should be. I feel tremendous guilt, because I have the luxury of not looking, and these poor souls, of all kinds, American, Iraqi, British, they have no choice.

But, since it's the mainstream media who was responsible for telling the truth to the American people and, largely, did not, and since it is the supposed experts that lie about the reality of war every time they open their mouths (let's use william krystol as an example), I especially treasure the chance to talk with folks who know from experience, and who understand what's behind the rosy rah rah talk about this war, or any other. So, with all of that in mind, I'd like to introduce the Kossack community to a new feature on the Group News Blog (the continuation of Steve and Jen's News Blog) Vet's Eye View

Here's the description:

Back at the News Blog, Steve always made vets feel welcome and he himself could talk about the war and military issues in a way that was lacking elsewhere in the blogosphere. Because of this, quite a few of us found a home on the net to discuss the war. And in doing so we were able to open up discussions with folks who did not know much about the military and what the situation meant but who wanted to learn.

In that spirit the GNB is starting a new Podcast Series called VET's EYE VIEW. In our 1st of a series of 3 we are discussing withdrawal and looking at the current situation and what it means and how we got there. Folks on our podcast are myself, (Hubris Sonic) fellow vet Ceabaird and Terri in Tokyo. Our plan is to continue discussing military and other issues over the coming months. If you have ideas, questions, comments or suggestions please let us know.

So, if you're interested in the discussion and you like listening to audio shows online, or have a portable mp3 player, welcome. And, we're making a list of issues and areas that regular people want to hear discussed, so please post them in the podcast comment thread over at GNB.

We're also hoping to do interviews with other folks who know what they're talking about - what's real about war is a huge subject, and the thing we want to do, above all else, is be real. In the Gilliard tradition.

Peace