memorial day

Memorial Day misgivings

Submitted by Alligator Ed on Mon, 05/30/2016 - 6:04pm

Today is Memorial Day. This is a day about which many Americans think as the start of summer vacation. Memorial day is the day of the Indianapolis 500 race--rapidly going around in circles to return to the starting point--more about this later. Another notion held by the vast majority of americans, especially those born after the ending of World War 2, is that this is a day on which to spend money on sales, sales, sales. How many citizens remember the true purpose of Memorial Day?

Songs About War -- Vietnam Edition

Submitted by Cali Scribe on Mon, 05/30/2016 - 4:38pm

Hecate's posting of Donovan's "Universal Soldier" in the republished essay Too Many Dogs put this topic in mind.

I'm not thinking of your standard battle songs here -- no "Over There", no "Battle Hymn of the Republic", no "Star Spangled Banner". I'm thinking more of songs from an anti-war, or at least anti-glorification of war perspective.

Too Many Dogs

Submitted by hecate on Mon, 05/30/2016 - 9:01am

Editor's note: This is a repost of hecate's open thread from last Saturday. It is too fine of a piece to not republish on this day of reflection.

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Among the German prisoners captured in France there are a certain number of Russians. Some time back two were captured who did not speak Russian or any other language that was known either to their captors or their fellow prisoners. They could, in fact, only converse with one another. A professor of Slavonic languages, brought down from Oxford, could make nothing of what they were saying. Then it happened that a sergeant who had served on the frontiers of India overheard them talking and recognised their language, which he was able to speak a little. It was Tibetan! After some questioning, he managed to get their story out of them.