Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Pundits Play Dumb

Pundits seem agreed that "war is not the answer" (the FCNL sound bite and lawn sign), but then sit back in the bleachers, watching in fascination, as the military tries to make it one, by default, as no one else is stepping up to the plate.

What's interesting is the disconnect between what's going on with the troops, and what's going on in the public schools, our front line of defense. The media refuses to link these two topics, but of course that's only possible if you're a zipper lips or clueless.

What is it that we're teaching in public school that would keep North Americans so vested in military solutions to every problem? I think I know what they're thinking: "we wiped out the Indians didn't we?"

Anyway, I salute the brave soldiers for giving it their best shot. I'm sorry the public was so poorly educated, so incapable of holding up the civilian end of the bargain, which was to seek more civilized solutions to world problems, not to put you in harm's way in some poorly defined mission.

Putting this all on the backs of military families is unfair in the extreme. I hope when the smoke clears, the military takes more serious command and control of its own public education and war college feeder system and doesn't repeat the mistakes that got us here.