p.s. I am totally stopped by this.
That was what I first put up on Facebook when I got the news of the Fort Hood shooting. Today, I’m still watching twitter feeds and news reports try to figure out what happened. (I did catch myself wishing Hasan had called the GI Rights Hotline.) I have my own theories and worries, some of which I’ll express later in more depth. But for now, I’ll avoid the orgy of speculation and suggest that you do the same. Much love to those on the ground trying to keep people safe,

Maxine Hong Kingston’s sangha speaks
This coming Monday, with “Veterans Day Sales” all over the newspapers, most Americans observe Veterans Day with flags and parades, honoring men and women who have gone to war for the United States. These days, few recollect that the original name of the holiday was Armistice Day, in honor of the November 11, 1918 end of World War I, then called the

is this the Alabama portion of Wisconsin?
I’m told it’s not. But what about this? Although the parade website says the event is “Honoring all Americans who have served,” it has refused to allow Veterans for Peace members – many of whom are combat veterans with Purple Hearts – from taking part in the observance on Saturday, Nov. 7. The parade committee said Veterans for Peace is “a politically motivated group,” and therefore not welcome to be in the parade… Yet the Veterans of Foreign Wars is welcome to march in the parade, even though its commander, Thomas Tradewell of Sussex, WI, recently called on President O

Someone else’s billion-dollar FUBAR?
Foreign Policy notes that $500 million for a new U.S. embassy in Baghdad has yielded a literal house of cards: Among the most shocking problems still present at the embassy: The walls are in danger of cracking; the “safe areas” for emergencies aren’t safe; the fire protection systems might not protect from fires; and

“because you can’t live that way and keep anything inside you”
That was my original title for the Guernica piece, a quote from All Quiet on the Western Front. I’m reminded of it now, as I’ve started to get letters from families of soldiers that tear at my heart.One, in particular, wrote that someone they loved …did two tours in Iraq and was nearly killed by shrapnel.  He is now home with a  diagnosis of PTSD. He sits and stares and reveals nothing of his inner turmoil to his family. The VA medicates him and sends him on his way. Your article should be required reading by anybody who has a relationship