Typically for my final blog, I would analyze the blog, tell what I have learned, say why I enjoyed writing this blog, and end on a happy note. However, I find this to be impossible with the tragic event that occurred today at Fort Hood in Texas. Thirteen people have been killed today by a member of the U.S. armed forces.
Throughout my entire blog, I have emphasized just how detrimental to military communities and how dangerous these soldiers can be because of their mental state coming back from war. What I feared that would happen occurred today. Soldiers are humans too and they can only take so much before things get out of control. Unfortunately in Killeen, Texas, things got way out of control.
If this is not proof enough that we need to get out of these wars because of the effects that they are having on military families and communities back in the United States, then I don’t know what to do. Tragic events like these will continue to occur if we do not do something about these wars soon. We need something to happen. We, the United States of America, need to see change.
Thirteen people have lost their life today. Thirteen people we will never get back. Thirteen people who could have been saved…
My prayers go to families who have lost loved ones and to the community dealing with this tragedy.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Implications Post
After partaking in this blogging project about the effects that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have on military families and communities and after an intense analysis of the problem, I can foresee many negative problems to arise if we leave this issue unresolved.
The basic issue at hand is exactly what will happen to military families and communities if we allow our soldiers to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan and ignore the issues that have arisen at home.
The biggest question that has arisen is whether we are we supposed to focus on the wars overseas and ignore our citizen’s cry for help back on the home front? We have to analyze whether the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are worth the destruction that is present back on the home front. There are so many side effects, not just death that has arisen due to the wars overseas. When I first began to write my blog project, I thought that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were stimulated our economy; however, my assumption was incorrect. World War II brought our nation out of the Great Depression; however, the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are actually pulling our nation into a “great” recession. The only economical benefit found is for military families because each soldier receives a certain amount of extra pay while being deployed.
Within a military town, when the soldiers are away, the town’s economy begins to go down, too. Yes, the families remain behind, but the greater number of the population who actually has to the ability to spend money and invest in products is overseas.
If the issues of whether the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are detrimental or fundamental for the survival of military families remains to be unresolved, then ultimately, the negatives that have been found will begin to grow, and I fear it will grow exponentially. Typically, something gets a lot worse before any type of change for the better begins.
The year 1945 was the deadliest year in American history. This was the year that World War II officially ceased fire. http://germanyinworldwar2.com/IraqWar.htm There are so many similarities between this War on terrorism and the World War II; and World War II got a lot worse before it got better.
If the issue remains unresolved there will be an extremely detrimental effect on military families and communities within our nation. If we continue to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan, ultimately, the negative effects will continue to increase. More children will need psychological help on a range of scales from the dissolution of their family, abuse from their mother or father, or having to cope with the loss of their mother, father, sister, brother, or other family member. The divorce rate within our nation will continue to steadily rise. More deaths from soldiers who “snap” will occur. The economic situation within our nation will surely begin to fail because there is only so much money that we have to spend. http://www.populistamerica.com/top_ten_reasons_to_get_out_of_iraq_now
If we leave this issue unresolved, our nation is going to deal with some extremely traumatic events and they will not cease to end until this issue is resolved. http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/05/02/iraq.scenarios/index.html I understand that there is no safe way to leave Iraq, but we need to figure out who is more important; our American citizens or this pointless war.
The basic issue at hand is exactly what will happen to military families and communities if we allow our soldiers to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan and ignore the issues that have arisen at home.
The biggest question that has arisen is whether we are we supposed to focus on the wars overseas and ignore our citizen’s cry for help back on the home front? We have to analyze whether the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are worth the destruction that is present back on the home front. There are so many side effects, not just death that has arisen due to the wars overseas. When I first began to write my blog project, I thought that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were stimulated our economy; however, my assumption was incorrect. World War II brought our nation out of the Great Depression; however, the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are actually pulling our nation into a “great” recession. The only economical benefit found is for military families because each soldier receives a certain amount of extra pay while being deployed.
Within a military town, when the soldiers are away, the town’s economy begins to go down, too. Yes, the families remain behind, but the greater number of the population who actually has to the ability to spend money and invest in products is overseas.
If the issues of whether the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are detrimental or fundamental for the survival of military families remains to be unresolved, then ultimately, the negatives that have been found will begin to grow, and I fear it will grow exponentially. Typically, something gets a lot worse before any type of change for the better begins.
The year 1945 was the deadliest year in American history. This was the year that World War II officially ceased fire. http://germanyinworldwar2.com/IraqWar.htm There are so many similarities between this War on terrorism and the World War II; and World War II got a lot worse before it got better.
If the issue remains unresolved there will be an extremely detrimental effect on military families and communities within our nation. If we continue to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan, ultimately, the negative effects will continue to increase. More children will need psychological help on a range of scales from the dissolution of their family, abuse from their mother or father, or having to cope with the loss of their mother, father, sister, brother, or other family member. The divorce rate within our nation will continue to steadily rise. More deaths from soldiers who “snap” will occur. The economic situation within our nation will surely begin to fail because there is only so much money that we have to spend. http://www.populistamerica.com/top_ten_reasons_to_get_out_of_iraq_now
If we leave this issue unresolved, our nation is going to deal with some extremely traumatic events and they will not cease to end until this issue is resolved. http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/05/02/iraq.scenarios/index.html I understand that there is no safe way to leave Iraq, but we need to figure out who is more important; our American citizens or this pointless war.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Annotated Links Post
Throughout this project, I have found some very interesting sources; however, I have chosen five at which I deem to be the most interesting and enlightening.
http://costofwar.com/ - This link is one that says little with words, but makes a HUGE impact with numbers. This site provides a ticking count-up on just how much money we are spending on the war every single second of the day. The site also allows you to get more specific and even analyze how much a household in North Carolina is contributing to the war effort.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=6708931 – This link is to a video on ABC 11 Eyewitness News’ website that describes just how painful it is for military families to have to say goodbye to their father, mother, sister, brother, or other family member. It shows how the community tries to make this effort easier on military families, but the emotional aspect of it is still present.
http://mylifeasamilitaryspouse.blogspot.com/ - This link is to a blog of a military spouse. I think it is very important for my followers to see first hand what a spouse of a deployed soldier has to say and how they are living during their spouse’s deployment. This blog gives an interesting perspective of just how it is to be a military spouse.
http://www.psychiatricannalsonline.com/view.asp?rID=37164 – This link describes the psychological effects that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have on military families. It not only elaborates on the effect that it has on soldiers, but the effect on their families, too.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/us/15vets.html - This link is to an article in the New York Times that elaborates on just how deadly the war can get, and they’re not just talking about overseas. This link elaborates on how domestic issues in military homes are leading to tons of deaths and murders.
The reason why I chose these links above is because they show a particular aspect to each of the central topics located within the debate about the wars and the effects that they have on military families. One link focuses on the economic aspect, another focuses on the positive aspects, one link focuses on the psychological aspects, and the others focus on the detrimental aspects to the wars in Iraq and Afg
http://costofwar.com/ - This link is one that says little with words, but makes a HUGE impact with numbers. This site provides a ticking count-up on just how much money we are spending on the war every single second of the day. The site also allows you to get more specific and even analyze how much a household in North Carolina is contributing to the war effort.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=6708931 – This link is to a video on ABC 11 Eyewitness News’ website that describes just how painful it is for military families to have to say goodbye to their father, mother, sister, brother, or other family member. It shows how the community tries to make this effort easier on military families, but the emotional aspect of it is still present.
http://mylifeasamilitaryspouse.blogspot.com/ - This link is to a blog of a military spouse. I think it is very important for my followers to see first hand what a spouse of a deployed soldier has to say and how they are living during their spouse’s deployment. This blog gives an interesting perspective of just how it is to be a military spouse.
http://www.psychiatricannalsonline.com/view.asp?rID=37164 – This link describes the psychological effects that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have on military families. It not only elaborates on the effect that it has on soldiers, but the effect on their families, too.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/us/15vets.html - This link is to an article in the New York Times that elaborates on just how deadly the war can get, and they’re not just talking about overseas. This link elaborates on how domestic issues in military homes are leading to tons of deaths and murders.
The reason why I chose these links above is because they show a particular aspect to each of the central topics located within the debate about the wars and the effects that they have on military families. One link focuses on the economic aspect, another focuses on the positive aspects, one link focuses on the psychological aspects, and the others focus on the detrimental aspects to the wars in Iraq and Afg
Alcohol and War
When soldiers return back from Iraq and Afghanistan, as I have stated before, many domestic issues begin to arise. When analyzing the many reasons these issues occur, of course Post-Traumatic Stress disorders ranks first. If given the appropriate treatment, a soldier can beat this disorder. However, many refuse to receive this treatment and begin to take matters into their own hands. One way that soldiers drown out their depressions and the violent memories is through alcohol. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the cause of a lot of the alcoholism that is present within military communities and families. Alcohol is their vehicle to tune out the pain that the soldiers are having.
Whenever alcohol is involved and dependence is developed, many negative effects begin to be seen. Domestic abuse typically begins to happen because of alcoholism. The death toll on the road because of drunk driving begins to rise within military communities. Accidental murders, fights, and other traumatic events, such as rape, occur because of alcohol.
After going through such a tragic event as war, soldiers are looking for anyway to get rid of the violent images that the have seen. It is just sad that some have to turn to the bottle in order to rid themselves of the pain. While they are ridding themselves of pain, they ultimately inflict pain on the ones the love the most.
http://www.envirolink.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2197
Whenever alcohol is involved and dependence is developed, many negative effects begin to be seen. Domestic abuse typically begins to happen because of alcoholism. The death toll on the road because of drunk driving begins to rise within military communities. Accidental murders, fights, and other traumatic events, such as rape, occur because of alcohol.
After going through such a tragic event as war, soldiers are looking for anyway to get rid of the violent images that the have seen. It is just sad that some have to turn to the bottle in order to rid themselves of the pain. While they are ridding themselves of pain, they ultimately inflict pain on the ones the love the most.
http://www.envirolink.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2197
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Self-Analysis Post
Whenever I begin to analyze anything, I believe that the most important factor in just how well something has been accomplished is determine by just how much growing and maturing the person has become at whatever they are pursuing. With this being said, as I begin to analyze myself and critique my writing, my development as a thinker on the subject about military families and communities, and my ability to create and argument, I believe that I must analyze myself from beginning to end.
When I first began this particular blogging project, I must admit, that even while I tried to eliminate my biases, it was extremely difficult to separate my personal feelings and write without emotions. I thought that since I grew up in a military town and had military family involvement, then I knew everything about the subject; however, I was extremely wrong.
http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/is-money-really-worth-destruction.html
The link above is to my very first blog entry that I wrote for this project. As I look back at the blog, I can say that rhetorical situation is rather strong; however, when analyzing the second paragraph, I realize that I am relying more on an emotional appeal to the reader, instead of just a logical appeal. At this point in the project, it was rather difficult for me to separate my emotions and preconceive perceptions and write just objectively. As the blogging project began to progress, I realized that I needed to shift my writing, while it was rather persuading, from trying to attain an emotional appeal and try to prove my argument logically. For example, in this particular post, http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/as-most-of-our-nation-realizes-economic.html , I found myself making a faulty analogy, that at the time seemed logically.
As I began to become more in-depth with the project, my mind was consumed with an abundance of information and I found out that a majority of the ideas that I thought were true were actually extremely FALSE. For example, I began this project with the idea that the wars are actually helping military communities and the nation economically, but rather, it is actually hurting it rather a lot. The only economic factor that I found to be true is that each soldier receives a bonus for being deployed. In military communities, when the soldiers are away, the economic situation in military communities begins to worsen exponentially. A majority of the customers are gone from the town, leaving business waiting for the soldiers to come back. http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=7063332 – This link provides the military communities perspective of the economic situation when the soldiers are away.
While a majority of the information I found proved that there are many negative effects to the war, there were a few facts that I found that actually were positives effects from the wars on military families. When interviewing a military wife, she said that while she was saddened to see her husband go over seas, the deployment actually improved their relationship and has given her a sense of independence. She now cuts the grass, changes the oil, and she realizes that she can take care of herself. http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/positives-what.html While some women feel this way, there are plenty who have to deal with abuse, a depleting marriage, and tons of other turmoil because of their spouse’s deployment.
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:YQlLRG3FwVkJ:www.owlnet.rice.edu/~nava101/psych.ppt+psychological+disorders+from+war&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us - This link is a PowerPoint presentation that elaborates on the many psychological issues that have been seen in the United States because of the war in Iraq.
The first real shift seen in my writing from just pure emotion to attaining a logical appeal came with the Analysis Post. http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/analysis-post.html - This post forced me to examine both sides of the argument and was forced to find information that supported my assertions. This post shifted my statements from just assertions and actually provided evidence that turned these assertions into arguments. From this point, my rhetorical situation improved and it encouraged me to find facts first and then make assertions later. http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/wars-and-divorce-rates.html - This post about the effect that wars have on the divorce rate within our nation manages to eliminate the emotional appeal that I tried to attain within my first couple of posts, and actually fully focused on logic.
Also during this blogging project, I felt that it was important to not just convey my ideas through words, but through political cartoons, too. A picture says a thousand words, right? The two links below give examples of the type of political cartoons that have been present within my blog.
http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/political-cartoon.html http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/health-care-cost-v-war-cost.html
Overall, after analyzing my blog, my growth as a thinker, and my ability to create an argument, I think that I have matured as a writer, learned to put my emotions on the back burner, and learned how to create an argument logically.
When I first began this particular blogging project, I must admit, that even while I tried to eliminate my biases, it was extremely difficult to separate my personal feelings and write without emotions. I thought that since I grew up in a military town and had military family involvement, then I knew everything about the subject; however, I was extremely wrong.
http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/is-money-really-worth-destruction.html
The link above is to my very first blog entry that I wrote for this project. As I look back at the blog, I can say that rhetorical situation is rather strong; however, when analyzing the second paragraph, I realize that I am relying more on an emotional appeal to the reader, instead of just a logical appeal. At this point in the project, it was rather difficult for me to separate my emotions and preconceive perceptions and write just objectively. As the blogging project began to progress, I realized that I needed to shift my writing, while it was rather persuading, from trying to attain an emotional appeal and try to prove my argument logically. For example, in this particular post, http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/as-most-of-our-nation-realizes-economic.html , I found myself making a faulty analogy, that at the time seemed logically.
As I began to become more in-depth with the project, my mind was consumed with an abundance of information and I found out that a majority of the ideas that I thought were true were actually extremely FALSE. For example, I began this project with the idea that the wars are actually helping military communities and the nation economically, but rather, it is actually hurting it rather a lot. The only economic factor that I found to be true is that each soldier receives a bonus for being deployed. In military communities, when the soldiers are away, the economic situation in military communities begins to worsen exponentially. A majority of the customers are gone from the town, leaving business waiting for the soldiers to come back. http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=7063332 – This link provides the military communities perspective of the economic situation when the soldiers are away.
While a majority of the information I found proved that there are many negative effects to the war, there were a few facts that I found that actually were positives effects from the wars on military families. When interviewing a military wife, she said that while she was saddened to see her husband go over seas, the deployment actually improved their relationship and has given her a sense of independence. She now cuts the grass, changes the oil, and she realizes that she can take care of herself. http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/positives-what.html While some women feel this way, there are plenty who have to deal with abuse, a depleting marriage, and tons of other turmoil because of their spouse’s deployment.
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:YQlLRG3FwVkJ:www.owlnet.rice.edu/~nava101/psych.ppt+psychological+disorders+from+war&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us - This link is a PowerPoint presentation that elaborates on the many psychological issues that have been seen in the United States because of the war in Iraq.
The first real shift seen in my writing from just pure emotion to attaining a logical appeal came with the Analysis Post. http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/analysis-post.html - This post forced me to examine both sides of the argument and was forced to find information that supported my assertions. This post shifted my statements from just assertions and actually provided evidence that turned these assertions into arguments. From this point, my rhetorical situation improved and it encouraged me to find facts first and then make assertions later. http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/wars-and-divorce-rates.html - This post about the effect that wars have on the divorce rate within our nation manages to eliminate the emotional appeal that I tried to attain within my first couple of posts, and actually fully focused on logic.
Also during this blogging project, I felt that it was important to not just convey my ideas through words, but through political cartoons, too. A picture says a thousand words, right? The two links below give examples of the type of political cartoons that have been present within my blog.
http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/political-cartoon.html http://wartimeeffects.blogspot.com/2009/10/health-care-cost-v-war-cost.html
Overall, after analyzing my blog, my growth as a thinker, and my ability to create an argument, I think that I have matured as a writer, learned to put my emotions on the back burner, and learned how to create an argument logically.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Theory Post
The effects that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have on military families and communities is an extremely controversial issue that challenges whether these wars overseas are worth the destruction that they bring back home on the home front.
Some may say that the money military families receive when their loved one is deployed is an adequate compromise for the other suffering they may deal with during their mother, father, brother sister, or any other family member’s deployment.
This issue with military families is definitely not a new one and has been around ever since our nation has involved ourselves with war. Yes, I could say ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could solve the issues because soldiers will be back here on American soil; however, the government and other nations will have problems with our withdrawal. Every war in the past has led to another war. For example, the French and Indian War led to the American Revolution. The Spanish-American War led to World War I; World War I led to World War II; and so on.
(The links below show how each war has led to yet another war in the future.)
http://www.ww2pacific.com/ww1end.html
http://www.helium.com/items/598300-the-french-and-indian-war-prelude-to-the-american-revolution
http://www.progress.org/fold37.htm
Yes, we could end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan now; but our withdrawal would ultimately lead to yet another war and the cycle will continue. While my solution to this polarized issue is rather huge and likely impossible, I strongly believe that if our nation only needed a military for domestic issues and HELPING, emphasis on HELPING, other nations, and wars were no longer necessary, then we could potentially end many of the issues with military families.
While world peace is an answer that is typically heard only in beauty pageants, I strongly believe that this is the only way that our issue with military families will ever cease.
Some may say that the money military families receive when their loved one is deployed is an adequate compromise for the other suffering they may deal with during their mother, father, brother sister, or any other family member’s deployment.
This issue with military families is definitely not a new one and has been around ever since our nation has involved ourselves with war. Yes, I could say ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could solve the issues because soldiers will be back here on American soil; however, the government and other nations will have problems with our withdrawal. Every war in the past has led to another war. For example, the French and Indian War led to the American Revolution. The Spanish-American War led to World War I; World War I led to World War II; and so on.
(The links below show how each war has led to yet another war in the future.)
http://www.ww2pacific.com/ww1end.html
http://www.helium.com/items/598300-the-french-and-indian-war-prelude-to-the-american-revolution
http://www.progress.org/fold37.htm
Yes, we could end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan now; but our withdrawal would ultimately lead to yet another war and the cycle will continue. While my solution to this polarized issue is rather huge and likely impossible, I strongly believe that if our nation only needed a military for domestic issues and HELPING, emphasis on HELPING, other nations, and wars were no longer necessary, then we could potentially end many of the issues with military families.
While world peace is an answer that is typically heard only in beauty pageants, I strongly believe that this is the only way that our issue with military families will ever cease.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Class Links Post
While it was difficult to choose only three from all of the many wonderful blogs present, the three blogs that I think everyone should visit are:
http://allquietonthewesternblunt.blogspot.com/
http://can-i-live-abortion.blogspot.com/
http://battleswithrace.blogspot.com/
These three blogs provide very interesting perspectives on topics; race, the legalization of marijuana, and abortion. These three topics have been focused in order to provide an intellectual debate that removes many biases and entertains the blogger at the same time.
On the first blog that I presented, all quiet on the western blunt, the blogger draws in the reader first with the aesthetics. It is obvious that he or she has taken the time to create a blogging atmosphere for his or her commenters. Next, the blogger develops intellectual arguments, rather than just making pure assertions. The blogger backs up his or her assertion with a tremendous amount of evidence and responds back to commenters with the same tact presented within the original blog post.
On the second blog, rather than just having the common debate about abortion deciding whether it should be legal or not, the blogger focuses on just how the two sides can compromise and bring the debate to an end. I really like the fact that the blogger is taking a different approach to a subject that is typically one way to look at debating.
The reason I enjoy the last blog, battles with race and health care, is because, just like the previous blog, it takes a common debate and shifts it into a new light. While most blogs just focus on how to eliminate racism and the problems with it, this particular blog focuses on how racism is affecting health care, but more specifically, the racism that has occurred with the new health care debate towards President Barack Obama. What I really enjoy is that this issue has shifted from being just about race and is becoming more specific. Typically, when something is more specific, it becomes a lot easier to solve the problem.
http://allquietonthewesternblunt.blogspot.com/
http://can-i-live-abortion.blogspot.com/
http://battleswithrace.blogspot.com/
These three blogs provide very interesting perspectives on topics; race, the legalization of marijuana, and abortion. These three topics have been focused in order to provide an intellectual debate that removes many biases and entertains the blogger at the same time.
On the first blog that I presented, all quiet on the western blunt, the blogger draws in the reader first with the aesthetics. It is obvious that he or she has taken the time to create a blogging atmosphere for his or her commenters. Next, the blogger develops intellectual arguments, rather than just making pure assertions. The blogger backs up his or her assertion with a tremendous amount of evidence and responds back to commenters with the same tact presented within the original blog post.
On the second blog, rather than just having the common debate about abortion deciding whether it should be legal or not, the blogger focuses on just how the two sides can compromise and bring the debate to an end. I really like the fact that the blogger is taking a different approach to a subject that is typically one way to look at debating.
The reason I enjoy the last blog, battles with race and health care, is because, just like the previous blog, it takes a common debate and shifts it into a new light. While most blogs just focus on how to eliminate racism and the problems with it, this particular blog focuses on how racism is affecting health care, but more specifically, the racism that has occurred with the new health care debate towards President Barack Obama. What I really enjoy is that this issue has shifted from being just about race and is becoming more specific. Typically, when something is more specific, it becomes a lot easier to solve the problem.
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