Today was a snow day. I arose at 5:30 am and went to the gym to run four miles. I had nearly finished running when it was announced that school had been closed due to snowfall. We get four snow days a year and though the purpose of snow days is to protect children from the storm elements, teachers benefit from an un-planned personal day. I’ve had a chance to clear our driveway twice with shovel, broom and rotary blower. I’ve also had a chance to continue my reading of a good book. While we were in Arizona my Mom loaned me her copy of, Where God Was Born by Bruce Feiler. It’s a very interesting read. It is difficult to put down. I also got a chance to watch C-Span and the riveting coverage of the mistreatment of wounded servicemen and women from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is refreshing to finally witness congressional oversight of a broken process. The Bush Administration and their allies have been quick to wave the flag and are equally quick to assail critics of the war. However, there is far more to supporting the troops than lip service. The hearings on the debacle at Walter Reed will help to destroy those myths and I hope that it will also invite us into a national discussion on the human costs of war not only for us but for the international community as well. As a veteran and a frequent visitor to the Veterans Administration hospital in Buffalo, New York I well remember the VA motto taken from Abraham Lincoln, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.”
Technorati Tags:
Where God was born, military medicine, veterans