The American School System: Enter the Wasteland

This is a paper I wrote a bit back. Enjoy.

The American School System: Enter the Wasteland.

            According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2012, 41.9 million children were enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools, with an estimated 3.4 million expected to graduate at the end of the school year (NCES). With such a high figure, one would not expect that this will only account for roughly 70-75% of the twelfth-grade population. This means that 25-30% will not graduate, and will either have to retake their senior year, or will drop out and seek a GED or a low-wage job. Some of the students that do graduate will only do so by a very narrow margin. The question begs to be asked; why are these numbers so low? The reason lies not only in the student, but in the American education system and its flawed policies and missed potential. Quite blatantly, the American education system is failing our students.

            Every year approximately 1.3 million students fail to graduate high-school on time, with the primary reason being low academic performance in the areas of English and Mathematics (NCES). Roughly 70% of students entering ninth grade read below their grade level. This may explain why there is such difficulty for some, when it comes to reading out of textbooks to understand a mathematical equation or a soliloquy by William Shakespeare. Sadly, that 1.3 million that fail to graduate will neither be prepared for the modern work force or for attending college classes without multiple remedial classes or the presence of a GED. The issue ultimately lies in the way that the American education system runs her schools. Many of these schools abide by standards set by Washington D.C. (which has its own alarmingly low graduation rate of 56%); while the states further establish more detailed and particular standards internally. This creates an education gap not only between the states, but the federal government as well, making it even more difficult for transferring students to achieve any kind of excellence in their education. Without a consistent nationwide standard, one cannot expect success in students nationwide, let alone have the ability to perform a detailed and accurate assessment of pass/fail rates. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the states and the federal government are unable to set up a single, high-rate standard for all schools to achieve. This will assist students transferring not only state to state, but from school to school, as they will have one directed and effective path. Unfortunately without this sort of attention paid to a new standard, the schools are not only destroying each other, but damaging their own fragile repertoire. With school focus switching to change the education gap through the use of improving test scores, many other important programs are being done away with.

            Dr. Camika Royal, a 14 year teacher, and teacher’s coach in low-wage urban communities, has said:

 Test score mania has turned our schools into test prep factories where the study of languages and music and art—those elements that humanize people—those things are sacrificed, and we pressure students to catch up so that the gap is closed (…) ‘Catching up is made nearly impossible by our structural inequalities (Royal).’

 This is affecting our children in a profoundly negative way, as is proved by the decreasing number of high-school graduates. We owe children a quality education that is tailored to the style of learning. For this, a fair assessment of each child must be made, and then they would need to be assigned to a particular school or class where they could learn in their own style. For example, if a child is an audio/visual learner, they would be assigned to a public school where there is a focus on that particular learning style. Why can we not be the country that separates out public schools by the learning style of our children? Teachers who have been going against the standard of learning would be able to flourish and impact their students in more positive ways, without having to live in fear of disciplinary action, or hypercriticism from their peers.

One may attempt to argue that this is a form of segregation; however, without actually looking at the benefits of such separation. With this “segregation” comes a greater ability for teachers to practice in their preferred learning styles, and children to receive high quality education in the style that they learn. Is it segregation to separate children based upon their location such as district lines or zip codes? One child living at a home may be in a completely different school than his best friend next door simply based on district lines, which can – and have split streets in half.

 Ultimately the suggestion of separating out children by learning style comes not from the idea of segregation, but simply that there isn’t enough space in most schools across the country to house this new and special form of teaching. Without explosive expansion, schools would have to be divided by learning style, just as they are already split by set district and capacity lines. Ultimately this change would assist students in meeting the newly defined national education standards, while keeping them interested in school.

            Most students today enjoy the nonacademic aspects of being in school such as social, sports events, and special activities, which isn’t a problem intrinsically. Where the problem lies, is that many of them find the classroom portions of school boring and have no desire to attend aside from the aforementioned reasons. This highlights a major problem in schools that likely accounts for at least a portion of drop-out and failure rates. If learning cannot be made meaningful to a student, then how can we expect them to perform at a high level of proficiency in basic mathematics and English courses. It is high time that there is a shift in the way that school is done. Currently most public schools focus on only a narrow aspect of cognitive growth, while largely ignoring emotional, ethical, and social growth (Townsend). This harms those students that are social learners, while completely leaving ethical development to either autonomous means, or relying on the parents to enforce it. There is the idea of a “dream-school” for some teachers. It involves having community and parental involvement in the school, the student, and the class in general. Without these two pillars, the education system will remain as crippled as we find it today.

            The sad truth is that many parents rely simply too much on the school to teach their sons and daughters not only the educational requirements but also the social and ethical skills required to be a productive member of society upon graduation. This is a faulty line of thought. Parents still need to be parents, not just from the end of the school day to the beginning of the next, but all day, every day. We need to be more engaged, and more involved with our children, because only then will they end up as well rounded as we hope they will be upon graduation. Teachers on the other hand need to be more grounded in socio-familial frame of thought, understanding that the child has some sort of family, and makes it a priority to be involved and in communication with the family. Former Los Angeles math teacher, and mathematics department chair, Rahila Simzar, clarified this idea:

A “dream school” would be a community of teachers, school leaders and administrators who share a goal of nurturing, supporting and encouraging each and every one of its students. This requires components of a “dream community” as a prerequisite—with all members of a community contributing to and caring about the development of its youth. Bridges between students’ school life, home life and social life need to be built for students to experience a wholesome and connected learning environment. A “dream school” would be a school in which each teacher truly loved his/her students and cared deeply for their futures (Forbes).

            This means that for this dream school to exist, all members of the community need to be involved. This combined with proper nurturing from the teacher could cause a level of growth not previously seen by the education system since the early 1900’s when the first compulsory school laws were passed! We can see just how close we are to achieving a major breakthrough in modern education, but without proper guidance, schools will continue circling the drain while parent’s blame the teachers.

            It is hard to be a teacher today, with such a centrifugal force being focused on the teachers unions, rather than the student’s environment. Most teachers operating today have the opportunity to be under tenure. This basically assures that once the teacher has served a certain amount of time (typically two years), they are unable to be fired except under cases of extreme negligence, extremely poor performance, or sexual misconduct. While tenure is a great thing for top-performing and all-star teachers, this also means that poorly performing teachers are simply shifted around to different classes or schools (Lawyers.com). These poorly performing teachers are a major black-eye to the education community, and account for another portion of failing students and drop-outs. In some cases, these teachers are shifted into other schools together, assisting in creating what is referred to as a drop-out factory. These drop-out factories account for almost 10% of the nation’s schools, and contribute to the figure that one in six students will not graduate this year (Woessman). This simply points back to the fact that a major reform or restructuring of schools needs to occur. The 1960s featured a collegiate reform movement formed based off of the students’ voices. Reform can only be directed by those with the loudest voices (McFarlane).

            With all signs pointing to the fact that not only are schools failing their children, but lack of activism of the parents as well, we can see that our responsibility is to assist our children in achieving higher grades. We can also see that funding alone cannot change schools let alone alter the status quo. We must be more aware, more engaged, and highly involved in the education of our children. Teachers must find themselves more engaged in the family and social aspects of the child’s life, rather than just in the classroom. This assists in building a better foundation for tomorrow, and will undoubtedly bring on the kind of change that educators are hoping to see. It is long past time that the American education system takes a long hard look at itself, rather than at the test-scores of the children. “Test-score mania” isn’t going to provide any answers as opposed to good, quality education that focuses on the needs of the child as a student, a human, and an individual.

 It is high time to focus more on the needs of the child, and base our reform movements off of their voices. With America focused on democracy, maybe it’s time to give our children the power to fuel the reform movements, and let their voices, and their beautifully unique learning styles build the future of America’s schools. Until then, we will simply continue down the same path, throwing money at useless statistics, and ignoring the students themselves. Wake up America. Give your children a future, and change the outlook of the American wasteland we’re bringing upon ourselves.

             

McFarlane, Bruce. "Re-framing Student Academic Freedom: A Capability Perspective."               Springerlink.com. Springerlink.com, 14 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 May 2013.           <http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-011-9473-4/fulltext.html>.

Royal, Camika. "Our Education System Isn't Broken, It's Designed to Create Winners and           Losers." GOOD.com GOOD, 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 20 May 2013.       <http://www.good.is/posts/our-education-system-isn-t-broken-it-s-designed-to-create-winners-and-losers>.

Townsend, John. "How Should We Rebuild the U.S. Education System?" Forbes.com Forbes      Magazine, 15 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 May 2013.      <http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2013/02/15/how-should-we-rebuild-the-u-s-education-system/>.

Woessmann, Ludger. "Education Next." RSS. Education Next, Dec. 2009. Web. 20 May 2013.                 <http://educationnext.org/whystudentsinsomecountriesdobetter/>.

NCES. "Fast Facts." NCES.ed.gov, n.d. NCES Web. 31 May 2013.            <http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372>.

Lawyers.com "The Pros and Cons of Tenure for Teachers." Lawyers.Com. Lawyers.com, n.d.                    Web. 31 May  2013.

 <The Pros and Cons of Tenure for Teachers>.

A couple of notes

A few of you know that as of a few days ago I decided to take my portion of the blog a slightly different direction. I feel that people - veteran's stories need to be told.

So far it's been an emotionally draining experience. I have tons of notes, texts etc from people trying to clarify the stories to present you guys with accurate reports - however what I learned is that there isn't any true objectivity here. I'm not trying to drive home a point like my past few blogs, so much as I am providing an outlet for Vets to tell their stories. So like I said this is a bit of a departure from the normal ranting and raving that I have been doing - yet still carries the theme of ending the stigma surrounding PTSD when it comes to combat veterans.

We're going to see some stories from a variety of sources - some from Iraq - others from Afghanistan. Some of these stories are very near and dear to me. Some are friends - brothers that I served with personally, others are individuals that I have never met that had the desire to come out and talk to me about their experiences.


To those of you that stepped up... I sincerely thank you. Please encourage others you know to contact me.



On a second note I am proud to announce that GIJenn from Warrior Talk Radio will also be a new contributor to this blog. I am very proud to have her on board, and I think that this partnership will help to boost both of our numbers.

Additionally, I will be getting a hold of Gatsby later today to try and get his head out of his books and contribute a post or two.


www,warriortalkradio.com

#endthestigma


Fuckin' scream it from the rooftops bitches.

-Jon

A Promise of Change - A Legacy of Failure

I'm not really sure how to open this up. I've had about 6 different introductions to go through - and none of them seem to work. I can't work through my own writing, and I have a feeling that this is going to be more of a shotgun blast of ideas, emotions, and profanity - rather than a strongly worded, heartfelt, well collected blog.

It started out in 2008, a young black president came in demanding immigration reform, ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and strengthening U.S. Foreign Policy. The promises and road plan seemed strong - even for a democrat - and lets be honest McCain didn't exactly seem like the strongest let alone healthiest candidate out there. Still - there was this feeling that the promises weren't true - not to mention I have never voted democrat - and likely never will, so I did the intelligent thing - I didn't vote. I took the lesser of three evils. Anyone who knows anything about voting for the president knows that the electoral college members CAN be bought out and CAN be forced to vote along party lines - thus "popular decision" doesn't apply for anything higher than Senate, Congress, or gubernatorial candidates.

The promises of a changed America were there... but were the promises accurate... did America change?

Yes and No. The promises were not delivered, and America has changed - but not for the better. Instead, over the past few years there has been growing division between "Bleeding heart liberals" and "goddamned republicans" with no true middle ground in between. Sure we hear words like Moderate, or Progressive... but do they even really matter? Not when you look at the big picture - they're simply sitting on the fence, siding with whoever has the best argument with the sweeter deal...

Thus I firmly believe that this Administration is a failure. Not a G.W. Bush "failure" as the dems called it... we're talking the fucking Hindenburg here. We are talking balls-out slow motion yet high speed car wreck into a solid steel wall.

"But Jon that's not fair to say."

Bullshit - watch this.


Since the beginning of the presidency we have seen failures and faltering in foreign policy, which is then reflected in body language from the other party - for example

That's relatively minor... but lets compare a couple that are much more important in the grand scheme.

Not very important, right?

Look closer 

Ok maybe not the biggest deal... except for the political game of handshakes and ushering. Hand on top means dominance in typical male terms. If a man shakes another mans hand and even so slightly twists it so that his is on top... he basically just called you a bitch.

Ok so not a big deal 

Try this one... Look at Putin's left hand and his face. You can tell he knows what just happened.

So lets get this straight... Bush and Vlad were friends. It happened. Supposedly these two still have talks together like old drinking buddies. Vlad and Obama, Not so much here's the thing... Foreign Policy is as much a game as it is a no-shit policy. It is steeped in body language, paperwork, threats, and alliances. That brings me to the main point.

The Ukraine... Obama promised to make it stop, to help out the Ukranians, Vlad thumbed his nose, stepped over Obama's cowering political form, making sure to drag his colossal russian balls across the President's threats, and proceeded to do WHATEVER THE FUCK HE WANTED. Meanwhile - I think Obama was sleeping or something.

This leads to the second point, since 2012, we have seen multiple situations of NORAD scrambling fighters because Russia is pushing the limits with their bombers. The most recent - this past week - seeing these "Charter flights" as close as 50 miles from the shores of Northern California. Feel safe up there Sacramento? We call this posturing. Nothing says "fuck you" like deploying bombers to the shores of another country just to say "What are you gonna do now?" Hell its almost like the cold war never ended huh?

Obamacare. Wow. Uh... I don't even know what to say to that.

Benghazi - we all know the story, few of you know I knew a couple of the guys who were killed. Covering it up at a state department level, not allowing US troops on deck, not giving them the support they asked for weeks before... Really? are you kidding me?

So really, from me to the administration... You guys suck at protecting Americans. Thanks for that.


So lets see around the time of Benghazi we have the Fast and the Furious Debacle, Obamacare failing, a second uprising of the Birthers, and an economy that was on the brink of destruction. It's hard to figure out which one the damn distraction was!

What else - oh yeah, strengthening of the patriot act, resulting in even fewer private moments in life, we've got the drone strike of an American Citizen inside of Yemen. A failed sustainable energy promise, we have Obama using JSOC as his own personal army (look that one up... fucking crazy shit)

We have the Petraeus sex scandal - which though not Obama's fault directly - still under his watch.

There was the Trayvon Martin thing - which REALLY stirred up the racial pot - literally, you criticize Obama, you must be a white racist from the south. C'mon dickheads really? The guy sucks and it has nothing to do with race.


So then there is the Osama thing - anyone remember that little "eligibility to be a president" hearing Obama had on May 2 2011? No? Funny... Osama was killed the same day... Maybe no coincidence... but hey I'm just one guy right?

Lets jump ahead a bit...

Lets talk about Syria... So this civil war has been going on for quite some time and blah blah blah people killing people... its the middle east - what else is new? Well back to foreign policy "Hey Bashar Al Assad put the goddamn chemical weapons down, or we'll fuck you up."

So what does Bashar Al Assad promptly do? Gas the everloving shit out of as many Syrian Rebels as possible. The result... Well ISIL forms and begins dominating everything it doesn't like - we'll get to that in a bit.


VA scandal - what else can be said... Ya done fucked up by not supporting your vets. In the words of the "Whitest Kids You Know" version of Abraham Lincoln - Now you fucked up...

So VA scandal ramps up... so what do we do to detract from that... Hey show the vets we care and rescue that one asshole... so Bergdahl is "rescued" by giving over 5 of the most well known Al Qaeda terrorists out there. Of course they want to hail him as a hero - and they MIGHT get away with it because the troops on deck at the time signed NDAs. Golden plan... Until one of the troops said "Fuck that" and went all whistleblower on the administration and told the damn truth - that guy abandoned us, and then the attacks increased... Paints a picture of a hero yeah?



Now we get to the meat and bones - the point that pisses me off beyond belief.

As an Iraq vet I have had the personal pleasure of watching ISIL waltz through Iraq taking the land we fucking bled for - simply at will. It's an insult. An insult that goes back again to foreign policy. The lack of a strong status of forces agreement resulted in this - prematurely pulling us out resulted in this, and we aren't even using AMERICAN ASSETS to save AMERICAN ASSES in country. Unbelievable.


Know what... I'm done. I don't even think I can coherently continue...


THANKS FOR ABANDONING YOUR AMERICANS.


-JE


Edit:

So I decided to end this properly... but still leave my frustrations.


As you can see ladies and gentlemen, over the course of the presidency, President Obama and his administration have virtually destroyed anything that even remotely represents foreign policy. He has abandoned American lives in foreign countries, released terrorists, and forgotten the importance of his veterans - and how we the veterans - could be - if we got our shit together, the true driving force of this nation, as we contain all of the strength, leadership potential, and know-how when it comes to difficult and dangerous times such as these. My hope and my prayer is that we as Americans will take the reigns away from this failed administration and begin driving the US to once again be the economic powerhouse and example of a true Democracy that is by and for the people. It's time to make your voices known. Saber rattling has gotten us nowhere. TAKE ACTION.


-JE

an aside

Damn...

All that talk about stigma, trying to bring more attention to the stigma surrounding the troops, and then there's this Bergdahl thing.

Can the Administration's staff get any more stupid?

Asking if its possible if the troops serving around Bergdahl were psychopaths.

Are you fucking kidding me? Someone mentioned to me that you were an infantry officer at one point. If this is the case you should know this term : Knucklefucker. 

That is what you are. 

I cannot in a million years understand why anyone in the administration would mention this. First we have the armed forces day fiasco. 

Great I get it, its some LGBT day... but long before that it was Armed Forces day... Way to gaff us off douche-canoes.  Nothing says fuck-you to the troops like your constant not giving a shit. I'm looking at you Mr. Obama.

Then we got the VA fiasco... My god did it really take a news report for you bastards to see this? We're vets and we've known that place has been killing us, avoiding us, or otherwise shirking a majority of the job responsibilities for years... I mean why the hell else does it take 2 years to get a claim pushed through while we struggle to feed our kids AND afford seeing outside doctors for shit that the VA gave us a once over and a pat on the ass for.

Great so Obama wants to apologize to the troops and show that he hasn't forgotten us, so he brings us the gift of Bergdahl...

And gives them the gift of 5 of their top leaders back.

Dude, you could have had an epic movie moment there... make a trade for this piece of shit, lift off the helicopter, drone explodifies taliban - roll credits. We'd have all clapped and shit, because well... fuck the taliban.

No. Instead you decided to give them their guys, and bring this dude home... ALMOST making him look like a hero rather than the deserting loser that he is. So some of us almost buy it. "Woah dude they found that guy." not really remembering the whole story about it...

Then someone finally pipes up, and of course you guys shut him up - make him look like a shitbag and a psychopathic former Heisenberg associate or some such nonsense... Then another pops up...

and another

one more

these guys are coming out of the woodwork

There goes your bullshit story.

Suddenly you got this Brandon Friedman guy - a former infantry officer from the 101 coming forward with this little gem. "What if his platoon was long on psychopaths and short on leadership."

Dude... you were an infantry officer... it doesn't matter what you think of Hastings and his claim... the other guys came forward too. Do you REALLY think they are ALL batshit crazy?

Maybe it is you sir, being long on words, but short on brains. 

but then again... you worked at the VA for a few years...

This shit is coming full circle.

I should take a breather.

#endthestigma

-JE

Don't forget to smash the shit out of that G+ button and share this stuff. At least make me feel like I'm not a bitter curmudgeon for no reason...

You know you want to.

Stigmatizing our troops

Alright guys and girls...

It's been a particularly hard last week - you know - with memorial day and all that. There are some deaths my mind and heart simply refuse to accept. So to begin...

I love and miss all of you guys and girls that I have served with. I try to live my life to the fullest each day to make sure your passing has not been in vain.

Until Valhalla. Keep the beer cold for me up there boys.


Here is a figure taken from Nerdwallet.com

2.8 million
Number of American veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

11-20
Estimated percentage of Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans currently with post-traumatic stress disorder.

12,632
Number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans diagnosed with PTSD in 2013.

460,000
Highest estimated number of Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder —diagnosed and undiagnosed.

118,829
Number of deployed Iraq and Afghanistan veterans diagnosed with PTSD since 2002, as of January 10, 2014..

39
Percentage of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with alcohol abuse issues.

ABCNews.com reports as of Mar 27 that 1,892 vets have committed suicide since 1 Jan. 

That was over 2 months ago.Use your imagination to guess where we are now.

So what is the issue? Are we vets this ticking time bomb that the media makes us out to be? Are we crazy violent psychopaths that don't deserve jobs here in the U.S. Do we hurt your feelings?


The fact is this, many have sworn to support the troops, but as the stigma grows, we see jobs being refused to vets, some are being turned down on housing, and we are seeing the beginning levels of hard-line discrimination begin. How can this happen?

We need to look first at the media. I hate to place the brunt of this on the media - but when it comes down to it, almost every other news story is about how some veteran with "a history of mental illness..."

There it is right there. You are calling PTSD a mental illness, grouping it in with manic depressants, schitzophrenics, autism, bipolar, and tourettes. Now while I am able to understand this logic - it obviously has to do with the human mind being tweaked to a point beyond self repair - I also understand that we weren't born with this - there is no genetic predisposition, no chemical exposure that caused it, we certainly cannot blame it on the water, or whatever next week's reasoning for mental illness will be.

For us Vets - it is no different than a scar A badge of torturous honor from seeing and experiencing things no 19 or twenty-something should have ever seen, whether that's kids that were blown apart in the local market by a suicide bomber, or watching helplessly as a best friend/mentor bleeds out in front of you... we have nightmares, we may disassociate, we may lash out at times... yes - it happens, we are humans who have been stretched to the max - and unlike a rubber band, we may not bounce back to our original form... These are negatives. I get it... but when you add the stigma of having it become the focus of every fucking news story that has to do with a vet - then the real issues begin.

You see, just because Joe Whackjob Schmuckatelli decided to go apeshit and the cops had to utilize lethal force on him doesn't mean we're all like that. instead of saying "and today, some idiot got lit up by the cops because he was waving a gun around like an idiot" - an occurrence that happens in Chicago or Detroit on a near daily basis - you morons in the news rooms focus on "VET" and "MENTAL ILLNESS/PTSD"

Being a vet with PTSD doesn't make me inherently dangerous... it doesn't make me a bad person, and no you don't have to hide your kids when I take mine to the park to play. We don't want to be viewed as victims. We don't want to be viewed as being conned into joining the military. I find it hard to imagine any of us being conned. Those of us who joined because of our ideals and self-motivations could have never been conned.

The issue:

The more you stigmatize PTSD - the less likely we are to get seen for it. I know a few guys personally who still to this day wake up screaming in excess of 2 or 3 times a month... I know a few that are hypervigilant in crowds. Hell, I still check rooftops whenever I'm walking anyplace that has greater than one story homes... The common reasons for not getting seen (from what I have personally heard)... "I don't want people to think I'm crazy."
"I don't want people to think I'm a pussy."
Things to that extent. You get the idea.

This results in what I'd like to call the shaken-can syndrome... much like a soda can... life shakes these individuals... over and over again... until one day some catalyst opens the can. This results in many of these individuals overdosing, getting drunk and dying behind the wheel, or suck-starting a shotgun in the bathtub... I've been on scene to a few of these suicides... They aren't pretty... the air is heavy of oppression... These individuals who won multiple battles - lost the war against themselves - many of them having never reached out for help because of the potential repercussions... because a diagnosis like PTSD can feel like a fatal flaw in character - and it's made exponentially worse by the fact that the media (led by the FCC mind you) makes such a big deal about it. We need to end this progressive stigmatization and help our guys and girls.

Causative factors:
Combat. Being near combat, hearing combat, the threat of combat - the first time a bullet cracks half a ft over your head, IED hits, IED misses, IED near Misses, IED near hits, VBIEDs, the first time you run towards gunfire, the first time you go on a patrol, the first time you are shitting in a wagbag and someone starts shooting, Danger close, Danger far (that was way too close), Blood, guts, danger. Explosions, implosions, being woken up by F/A-18's blasting an area just outside of your Pos. Seeing people on therms screwing donkeys (long story). The Taliban. The Muj. The Sgt Maj. The butterbar that is fixed on getting you killed. The clueless platoon Sgt. The lance corporal who is WAY too effective with explosives. The corpsman and his silver bullet. The corpsman and his frozen moment when he reviews your injuries. Hellfire missiles. running out of cigarettes just before you take contact, breaking your last cig the first 10 seconds of a firefight - getting to cover and realizing it. having the douches mortar the power grid while you're trying to rub one out to that hottie on webcam (or not so hottie... I done seen what some of y'all look at in those MWRs) ...

oh and meeting Gen Mattis and R. Lee Ermey at the same time (that's enough to make any man simultaneously shit his pants and thank God for the opportunity to do so),

 accidentally sipping the dip spit bottle while staring at the horizon.

walking in silence covered in the blood of a fellow brother in arms...


War.

... just War.

Fucking War...



What you can do:

Be proactive. Reach out to veterans in your community. Donate you your local VFW, volunteer with wounded warrior project. For you employers... realize a college degree doesn't mean shit compared to a 24 year old Plt Sgt that kept 85% of his unit alive during the push into Sangin Valley... Start hiring vets. Don't ask them about their experiences - but be open if they want to talk to you about them... Don't judge... some of us have done and seen some fucked up shit.

The biggest thing anyone can do... Reach out to your Congressman, local media outlet, Senator and push for these guys to end the stigma, and to continue supporting the troops the way you did when the war first began.



And please... for the love of God share this. Do not let this one pass by. I understand that some of this is humorous... it's meant to be. A lot of us have had moments like this, and it'll stir up a bit of nostalgia... good. Enjoy that feeling.


For you guys that know what I'm talking about... feel free to message me or comment... I'd love to talk to you... back you away from the proverbial edge if that's where you are.

Please share this to Twitter, Facebook, Myspace (is that shit still around?), tumblr, public service boards, and graffiti on overpasses...


Ladies and gentlemen...

It's time to #endthestigma Man up, and talk to a vet. You may just save his life.

-JE


One last note... if you like this blog, draw attention to it... Smash that little G+ button like 50 times.

or something.

SOON

Alright my few but faithful readers... This weekend is a 4 day for me... Get ready I'm working on something special.

-JE

Edit: life got busy this past weekend and with having visited my fallen brothers at 5th Marines memorial... This original post took a new form. Please be patient with me as the original was scrapped to focus on something else completely.

An open letter to the United States Government

Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow readers, writers, and everyone that reads this. I humbly ask that you, my small readership openly share this post.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen of the United States Government,

I highly appreciate all of your hard work, and time invested into your offices; however the time invested into office does not mean the work stops there. You see, though you may be the top 10% of families in America, you still work for us, the people, the middle class blue/white collar ladies and gentlemen that form this Great Nation. Sadly, I think the vast majority of you have forgotten that - ultimately turning what was meant to be a beautiful Democracy designed by our forefathers - into a discriminatory oligarchy that is so wound up and focused on making your lives better - that you forget that there are people on the outside that are stuck losing their homes, or have a 2% retirement at 65, heck even the law abiding gun owners are taking flak, having their rights revoked.

Why?

Are you afraid of us?

I mean be honest now... are you afraid that the American people have had enough of your shit and may rise against your hand, much like we saw at Bundy Ranch? Did you guys expect it to look like Ruby Ridge (putting Gore in as SD sheriff was a terrible choice. Way to support someone who was actively engaged in the murder of an unarmed woman who was holding a baby), was it supposed to turn into a Waco-esque standoff where the Bundy clan would end up dead and you could continue your multibillion dollar land grab?

I'm looking at you Harry. I am truly surprised you have not landed yourself in a jail cell for 20 years. You are a corrupt elitist lowlife... though at this point that probably sounds more like a compliment compared to the things you tell yourself in your head. The Militia and the Patriots put a hold on your big money plans, eh? Did Rory throw a fit like he used to as a little one?

Mr. Obama, you've been kinda quiet lately. I actually think this was your best move. Supporting the Bundys openly would have showed a lack of faith in one of your own government bureaus, whereas openly condemning them would have brought down a shitstorm of American criticism on your head, and we know your approval rating isn't doing too well right now. Quick sidenote... how does it feel to know you will be the sole reason if a Democrat isn't elected next year?

Anyway enough about Bundy Ranch. This is but one example.

Ladies and gentlemen of Congress, many of you have taken campaign (read: bribes) contributions so incredibly huge in number that I would literally be able to live my entire life in comfort and never having to work again. So knowing that yout campaign contributions are simply a bribe to swing votes a certain way, let's get into it.

Mr. Issa, as one of your former constituents, I am pleading with you to get to the bottom of the Benghazi scandal. More than one of those guys were personal friends of mine. Is a human life not worth justice any longer? Surely you must have friends that owe favors. If Leland Yee can be investigated, why can't Hillary? You run the House Oversight committee, don't let this be an oversight. The rest of the GOP needs to back you on this, because honestly it looks like a big shit sandwich, and we know the answers are in there.

Onto guns... Bloomberg... hanging out with Shannon Watts? My God, you guys really are afraid aren't you. Let me break this to you kindly. There is not, nor will there ever be a gun free America. You will never take our guns, and all you continue to do by pushing legislation that makes certain features or add-ons illegal - is make more of us originally law abiding citizens break your laws by having to either go out of state or deal with shady arms dealers to get what we wanted to use. Californians and New Yorkers know what I am talking about here. Not only that, the more you try to control our guns, the more we run to get more, faster. If anything you are shooting yourself in the foot. Pun intended. Lay off the gun control thing, it makes you look weak. Not that you don't anyway.

Ms. Shannon Watts, dead kids are never the grounds for any platform. You should be ashamed of yourself. Don't take my rights as a law abiding, drug free, veteran, just because there are assholes in the world. it isn't fair to people like us, amd it makes you look weak, wormy, and uneducated. By the way... look at Boston, hundreds of rounds to take down the Tsnarevs, yet a good trained law abiding shooter could have probably dropped them both in 4 or 5. P.s. you take guns, people are just gonna find other ways to kill eachother.

Alright now to address the concept of veterans. Who is this raging idiot that wants veterans to tell their neighbors about their military service. We are US Military you dingbat, not fucking rapists or pedophiles. Maybe you should register in with your neighbors and tell them about how much of an idiot you are.

Secondly, members of the government, we were sworn to protect the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies both foreign and domestic. Clean up your act, you guys are public enemy number one and we are getting tired of it.

Thirdly. 22-23 veterans die by way of suicide per day. The VA needs more help and more attention. Stop throwing money at Egypt, massive vacation entourages, and a healthcare plan that is costing everyone more than their last one did... seriously... a lot of my brothers and sisters right now are contemplating ending their lives... do more to help us the way we came to help you when the country called for war.

Addressing Veterans:

Never ever give up hope. There are gentlemen (and ladies) like myself more than willing to be there at a moment's notice. We are all still in this together, and though combat has come and gone... we still fight our battles with ourselves. Love you guys and girls.

With that said...

Mr. President, members of our esteemed Congress, federal employees...

Please start standing up for what is right. Stand up for our rights, and please for the love of God investigate Reid to the fullest. You employees, if your boss asks you to do something that is against your beliefs... trust your beliefs.

Sincerely,

Jonathan "Doc" Everest

Been a bit busy

Sorry Ladies and Gentlemen,

Between work, school, family, and Elder Scrolls online (bastards at Zenimax)

I will post something this weekend that's worth a damn, especially considering my intent focus on the clusterfuckage that has been the news as of lately.

-JE

Stay strong!

Obsession - Your Rights vs. the Rights of the Elite

I once had someone tell me that I seemed virtually obsessed with the 2nd Amendment Rights and its implications upon a civilian population. This "obsession" if you will is possibly what separates me from the masses who couldn't possibly give a damn less.

You see "obsession" when dealing with political outlooks is virtually necessary to stir up any kind of social movement - whether that be a few individuals that share a view, recruiting others - or a full blown grass-roots movement involving people contacting their congressmen and women, and making waves in Washington. So as we are beginning to see, this obsession leads people to make traction in long term and wide scale bipartisan issues.

Now I'm not saying that you need to burn tires, bras, or midgets in the streets to get attention. Sometimes its a matter of one man/woman standing for a cause, wholeheartedly, and unabashed. Granted once you begin gaining political traction, you will need to guard yourself against aggressive smear campaigns (look at any presidential election). This is where the concept of the elite comes in.

Now - you have to first understand how the US Government views you, the average citizen. This is may come as a shock to some of you... others will say, "No shit Jon, tell me something I don't know" - the latter - this isn't written for you.

You see, the US Government with the elites in Congress, the Senate, the Executive branch and those in the Judiciary branch view you as uneducated, unopinionated, completely apathetic, and lazy. Cue the outrage. Wake up. They're right. Those of you that curse the government under your breaths are the same ones sitting on the side lines - you can't even think freely because you've been in the box for so fucking long. This is the problem. You've been indoctrinated since birth, from social media, to presidents that feel comfortable doing comedy skits, pushing their agenda, with fat middle aged awkward men helping their limping campaign along.

With this said, the elites aren't focused on the concept of you. Frankly, you are a no body, a statistic, a possible risk or benefit factor when it comes to their pre-rigged elections. You see, this is the irony of US Democracy. The people placed in power are placed there by an electoral college made up of individuals that are more often than not, bound to vote for you along their party lines. Under many circumstances, a state that has voted republican, has seen their vote turned to democrat by the electoral college (or the inverse). The only votes that truly matter are the ones that fall to popular vote - because even if everyone were to simply not vote for presidential elections - there would still be one elected. Crazy thought. So what happens is people simply accept it, without so much as an inkling of outrage for a corrupt and damaged system - these are the same individuals that are more than happy to give up their rights in the name of health and safety.

So lets talk about privacy a bit... a very little bit.

Throw it out the window. It doesn't exist. The government is in your home, your bedrooms, your computers, your work, even in your daily conversations. I believe the project was referred to as Mystic... a recording software that is able to simultaneously record ALL phone calls across a country and store them for up to a month. That is a massive database dedicated to prying into YOUR privacy. Of course... we need to have our privacy broken right... I mean that shifty guy down the street that has skin a couple shades darker than yours, and prays to the east on his front porch every day... that guy HAS to be a terrorist... so lets let them listen in on everything. Get real. All throughout history there have been terrorists of every skin color, creed, and religion.

Hell, just a decade ago we were going off about right-wing extremists blowing up abortion clinics, a few years before that, there was blood running through the streets because of those damn Colombian drug runners, and of course can't forget the basis of like every fucking Kung Fu movie known to man - in those mean streets of Chinatown.

The Patriot Act is a load of shit. I know it, you know it, and those dastardly bastards in the Gov know it, but once you have a taste of power - like licking the top of a sugar cube - you have to have it all... every... last... sweet... taste. Yet we support it, because we need to protect ourselves. Frankly in the 2006 risk assessment there was little to no risk of wide-scale domestic terrorism, and yet we supported giving up our rights since 2001...

This goes back to the mindset you mindless self-indulgent head-nodding flock of sheep... Wake the fuck up. It's high time to turn the elitist mentality upside down and give it a shakedown - the likes of which will echo into the annals of history.



Stop cursing under your breath. Get obsessed. Make a move.


-JE

The one called abe

Ok so Im going to go ahead and introduce my self.  Forgive the poor grammar and spelling I will be posting from my phone 99% of the time so ill be typing fast and not checking for apelling n such.  Yall can call me Abe.  Im not very pc and frankly i dont give a fuck i swear alot i get angry easy and ill probably throw out a few things that arent 100% true cuz well im gunna post my opinion. Just a few things to drop real quick i am a former corpsman i despise king obama and his court of jesters.  i like my guns and good luck to anyone who trys to take em from me. I am a patriot i love my country that obviously doe't mean i love the government it currently has.  If you dont support the millitary well i hope you like getting punched in the face :) Uhhh thats all for now ill post again soon with some sort of rant probably more for everyones entertainment than anything else but feel free to comment on anything i say good bad whatever u wanna say you wont hurt my feelings any.


Edit: Jon Everest fixed up some spelling, but otherwise left most of this illiterate retardese alone.

A place called home

For our readers, I apologize for the delay. I have been mulling over how to handle this subject, as it isn't always the easiest to explain.

I'm going to go with a more conversational piece tonight. It's weighed heavily on my mind for the past few days since reading a post by OAF Nation. (Bill will recognize this one)

I was inspired...

No, that's not even the word. Commiserated perhaps - with this concept that "Our war is over."

I can't speak for Bill and Slind, but I didn't join on the concept of patriotism, college, or change of pace in lifestyle as so many tend to do. I signed up after I found that a couple of my friends were killed in Ramadi in 2006. Having grown up in/near/around Oceanside, CA (where everyone seems to know everyone), I had some very tight friends that had gotten out of high school and went straight into the Marines. I - on the other hand - decided to try my hand at emergency medicine... I spent a few years working on Paramedic rigs saving lives. A terribly thankless job - but holy shit, at that point in time, it was the biggest rush a kid that came fresh out of high school could ever imagine. I mean - "runnin' hot" going code-three through intersections with a gunshot victim screaming in your face, and police escorts plowing through traffic, all while trying to hold direct pressure AND make a radio report to the local hospital... like I said it's a rush.

And then the news hit home. Like a sledgehammer to the chest... a group of friends, dead. KIA Ramadi, Iraq - and here I was at home using my skills to help out street thugs that got their rocks off shooting each other in the streets... I wasn't making much of a difference, aside from keeping assholes from meeting the reaper. I decided that I would try to make a difference. Fast forward through boot camp, field med, combat trauma management, TCCC, a deployment to Iraq, and eventual discharge.

I'm at a desk now.

There was no real transition, there was no recovery from point A to point B. Nary a moment to breathe... Paramedicine, deployment, not getting accepted to Deploy with 3/5 on the deployment where many, many friends got "schwacked."

Sometimes I wonder what it was all worth, AQ already taking back Ramadi and Fallujah. Its almost too much to bear knowing so many of our losses were virtually in vain because we never truly finished the job... and the survivors guilt... that nagging feeling that I should have been there - My God, it feels at times like it never goes away. That I'll never sit back with these guys over a glass of bourbon again.

----22 veterans commit suicide every day----

So far since getting out in early 2013, I know 5 personal friends that I will never hear from again. They got out and it was all too much. For a while I thought that maybe the pressures of life were too great... now I'm wondering if maybe it's an absence of.

OAFNation said "You know what PTSD is... its knowing that we'll never be this cool again."

I can't help but wonder how close to the truth this is. We as OIF and OEF war veterans knew danger as most never would, particularly those in direct combat, those that worked with the MTT/BTT/PTT teams (when its 15 Marines, 1 Corpsman, and 200+ Iraqi soldiers, many of whom are anti-American, you learn to constantly live in fear that it's going to be one of the IA guys that finally off you... and they have more than enough support to do it) know fully just how dangerous this country is. Then you come home... you come home to a people that ask stupid questions like "how many people did you kill." We all know the answer... It doesn't fucking matter. Fear is fear. PTSD can develop just from living in its shadow.

The system is totally flawed, the VA doesn't even see people for over a year after they get out - and most of us are too prideful to admit we may have PTSD, yet others around us can see it plainly... which plays out the aggressor-victim role over and over and over again. like a broken record.

 I don't have a problem, so back off. Stop looking at me like I'm a victim.

Sadly, many deny their problems until they end up in a drunken depressive rage with a loaded pistol and a bottle of pills... they never truly made it out of county alive.

----The wounds of war aren't always visible----

We all carry them. The first time a gunshot rings out near you and you run to the source rather than away... you know you have been fundamentally changed.

The first time mortars burst nearby - or you run over an IED that didn't go off etc - you just switched to a mindset of borrowed time.

So some of us come back reckless - some withdrawn - some unchanged (I seriously doubt anything phased Bill. He started off as an asshole, ended up one of my best friends, and still an asshole). 

We come back, changed somehow. I wish I could classify it... it just... happens.


God, this is seeming more like a collection of thoughts spattered onto the

Women of Afghanistan in a Post Taliban World

A fine line must be drawn between cultural relativism and political engagement. The former being the understanding of a culture on it’s own terms and the latter being the moral condemnation of a culture, religious practice, or ideology based on the presuppositions of another.  In examining the morality of Female Genital Cutting (FCG), a tradition practiced by some Muslim societies, 21-st century anthropologists and feminists question if it is even possible to take a stand against it. (Mascia 68) . Undoubtedly any interference, especially American, would be perceived as yet another affirmation of western imperialism, while overlooking the obvious threat it poses to basic human rights would be considered negligent. This creates a paradox, which prevents foreign cultures from being held accountable on the basis of cultural autonomy and it’s women from receiving the support some may need. In a similar manner, women in Northern Afghanistan have been marginalized and forced to accept a diminished quality of life that not only limits their access to modern medical centers but also restricts their social mobility due to the heavy influence of Islam. In this context, religion can be seen as the primary means in which the Taliban regime and Islamic conservatives have used to assert arbitrary despotism over Afghan women, resulting in a new status quo that denies them their basic human rights. This article will investigate the historical background preceding Taliban rule, the factors contributing to the status of women now, and the role of Islam in the newly formed Afghan government.

Historical Background

            Towards the end of the nineteenth century enlightened Muslim thinkers began to look for ways to modernize Islamic communities, which would improve gender inequality and thus give Afghan women a more vital role in society. The first reform was started by Amir Abd al-Rahman who ruled from 1880 to 1901 and resulted in a unified legal system that would increase women’s rights. The next two rulers that superseded al-Rahman created legislation that would prohibit child marriage and forced marriages while increasing awareness campaigns for women’s rights (Riphenburg 410). These reforms remained in effect until the Taliban regime took control of northern Afghanistan after which they reversed the social reforms that gave women equality and replaced them with conservative Islamic laws. The results were severe and widespread, as female TV announcers were forced to quit their jobs, female doctors received death threats if they did not comply with house arrests, and all females received mandatory dress codes.  Women were forced to stay in their homes and have their windows painted black to prevent anyone from looking inside. (Mulrine web 15Nov2012) . Those who vocalized their objections were brutally punished : one man was executed and left hanging in front of  a soccer stadium for three days to serve as an example to others who chose to challenge the Taliban.

Consequently, the lack of female employees and teachers led to a complete realignment of Afghanistan’s social infrastructure. Prior to Taliban rule, women composed 60% of university faculty, 40% of trained doctors, and 50%  government  held jobs. Their dismissal from work severely crippled Afghanistan’s workforce and led to a rise in poverty which effects are still being felt to this day. Most importantly, the lack of female doctors in the country has resulted in record-breaking mortality rates among infants and pregnant women.

The Inadequacy of Healthcare

            Of the 24 million people that are living in Afghanistan,  there is only one clinic for every 24,000  civilians, and of the clinics available to them, only 24 % of  the medical facilities actually have electricity and nearly half of them do not have a female staff (Riphenburg 414) .  Because Afghanistan operates under Islamic law, many men do not find it appropriate to have their wives examined by a male doctor or nurse. In cases of pregnancy, the wife either has a natural delivery or her husband would arrange to have a mid-wife assist in the process. According to Riphenburg’s article on the changed out look for afghan women, 92% of these child deliveries are done without  medically trained  personnel. This explains why 165 infants out of a thousand die before their first birthday and how one and seven mothers will die during childbirth. It is estimated that a woman dies every 30 minutes delivering a child in Afghanistan.

            In a effort to address these problems as well as other medical issues, Afghanistan’s ministry of Public Health developed the “Basic Package of Health Services” (BPHS), which would provide medical care at a low cost. Additionally the program would examine maternal and newborn health, child health and immunizations, public nutrition, communicable diseases in regards to Tuberculosis and Malaria. In order to assess these areas, a national cross-sectional multistage cluster sample survey on disability was used. It consisted of a three-stage cluster sample based on the division of Afghanistan’s local populace. 34 provinces, 397 districts and more than 30,000 villages were assessed and would be representative of all Afghani households however certain areas were omitted for safety reasons. (Jean-Francois 1747). Physicians who had previous experience with large surveys conducted training for interviewers, which were locally educated high school civilians. They assessed several core issues that ranged from Activity limitations and functioning difficulties to health condition and access to healthcare. 

            Their findings indicated that there was a positive reception to the health care centers among female patients who were in remote areas, less educated and physically disabled. This contrasted with higher-class civilians who relied more on private sector and alternative care because they possessed the financial means to pay for it. However despite the positive reception to health care centers, the level of use among poorer patients was still at 18.5%.  Several factors explain the low percentage of use, first being rural areas lack access to BPHS facilities. Because Afghanistan’s rural communities are located in mountainous terrain, many patients who became sick did not have the ability to travel outside of their village leaving them to either die of sickness or recover naturally. Secondly, traditional views of diseases can dissuade a patient or family from seeking out care because of religious beliefs. Some communities believe that psychological diseases and intellectual handicaps are a curse from god.  Lastly, according to Afghanistan’s census, 87% of its population lives in rural communities making access to medical facilities a major obstacle for the Ministry of Public Health.

 Malnutrition and Commodification

The effect of Afghanistan’s diminished workforce is evident in the rise in poverty over the past three decades. In the initial Taliban takeover, bakeries that were owned and operated by women were shut down despite having a customer base of 7,000 (Mulrine web 15Nov2012).  According to a 2002 report released by State of the Worlds Mothers: Mothers and sons at war approximately 25 % of children in Afghanistan suffer from mild to severe mal nutrition.( Riphenburg 407). The consequences of this can be fatal and can even effect the regularity of a woman’s pregnancy. Since Afghan women usually get married at 15, those who were malnourished could have an underdeveloped pelvis which would ultimately result in internal bleeding during their delivery due to fetal trauma.  

Similarly, the paucity of employment throughout Afghanistan has stripped rural families of their financial means leaving them so desperate that they are willing to sell off their daughters in exchange for a bride price- the financial compensation a family receives for giving up their daughter to another family (Riphenburg 406). The International Red Cross  has found evidence to support this claim that indicates girls as young as 10 are being sold off  just for a 220-pound bag of flour.  However it is important to note that these actions should not be looked upon as deficient but rather as a circumstantial consequence to living in a oppressive regime.   The deficiency is vested in the institution itself, which has maintained patriarchal dominance through fear and intimidation. Understandably, Western society may be reluctant to take action given it’s  history of destroying native cultures in the name of god and enlightenment (Rachels 171) .Moving beyond the fear of “repeating history” in light of cultural relativism is an important step towards a solution, which up until this point has resulted in more destruction and violence. However Carole Nagengast cautions in chapter 3 “Politics of Anthropology”   that it can also be used to “excuse, rationalize, or explain women’s differential treatment before the law” (Masica-Lees 69)

Conclusion

For thousands of years humans have struggled to reconcile the inevitability of modernization versus the antiquated values of the past. The dichotomy between science and religion aptly characterizes this struggle, and remains a subject of heated debate and justification for wanton violence both domestically and internationally. However the root of this problem does not lie in scripture or reason, but in the human condition itself. From it, faith or reason can be used as a means to an end, particularly in matters of dominance and power. As Dr Ahmed el- Tayyeb points out, many passages of the Qur’an may be misinterpreted in favor of male superiority which overlooks the central value of Islam:  Justice. God condemns transgression and oppression. (Shaker 296) This value, along with many other passages that endorse gender equality, illustrates the deliberate manipulation of Qur’anic scripture in order to subvert Afghan women and maintain the status quo through religious persecution. The lack of education within the female population, especially in rural areas,  remains a big obstacle to overcome before Afghanistan can successfully achieve social reform. Furthermore, bigger strides must be taken to repair its infrastructure, which will create a sustainable environment for academic and industrial growth. Lastly it is important to look at the women of Egypt, who for almost a hundred years fought for gender equality, as an example to emulate . Their success defied Islamic stereotypes and demonstrated the possibility to live in a Islamic society where they could be allowed to participate in matters outside of the domestic domain and were respected and treated fairly.