There is so much negative press about high school students.
All too often there appear news stories about high school students caught fighting, drinking, or even saying “meep” (this is not a typo). Of course, stories like these are what sell newspapers or attract visitors to news sites, so it is to be expected. After all, who wants to hear stories of “good kids.”
I do.
I had the pleasure of collecting tickets for recent tournament games conducted by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. These games included soccer, field hockey, and football. While collecting the tickets I remember thinking how nice it was that so many of the students were polite and courteous. Repeatedly I heard “please” and “thank you” at each of the events, terms that one would think, if you listen to some adults, had disappeared from the vocabulary of our youth. As a matter of fact, most of the problems we had at these events involved rude adults, not students.
For this I want to give a shout out to the students from the following Massachusetts schools: Auburn, Bartlett, Douglas, Grafton, Holy Name, Leominster, Longmeadow, Maynard, Nipmuc, Oakmont, Shrewsbury, Smith Academy, Southbridge, and Wachusett.
You represented your schools with class and your communities should be very proud.
More of our troops are headed to “the enemy camp.”
I have received four emails asking me my opinion of the president’s speech regarding sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. The president has been criticized, and rightly so, for taking so long to draft a strategy for proceeding with the war in Afghanistan. He stated that he needed to be sure the best possible plan was in place before he would commit our young men and women to fight. This makes me wonder how the mothers and fathers of young people already deployed in this God forsaken place must feel. Their children are putting their lives on the line everyday, why must their children be put in harm’s way before our Commander-in-Chief develops his wartime strategy.
No president wants to be a wartime president, and clearly, President Obama is no exception. I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it must be to order our young men and women of the military into harms way. This is a task no caring individual can possibly take lightly. I don’t believe it excuses the amount of time it has taken to develop an Afghan strategy, but one can certainly understand the care and effort being put forth.
As for the speech itself, so far, reviews by “experts” have been mixed. The greatest amount of controversy revolves around the timeline outlined by the president. President Obama stated that the troops will be sent with the expectation that withdrawal from Afghanistan will begin in 18 months. There are many, on both sides of the political aisle, who are stating that the timeline is ridiculous. The goal should be victory, and that war is not fought with an overhead clock. Many wonder what will happen in 18 months if we have not yet achieved victory, a word not actually used in his speech. Others say that a timetable is necessary to motivate the Afghans to take charge of their own fate. That without it the Afghans would sit back and continue to let us do their dirty work. While I don’t think letting the enemy know that they have 18 months to plan their strategy for when we leave is a good idea, President Obama has the advice of people far more intelligent than myself. The best I can do is pray that our president is right and pray for the members of our armed forces who will be fighting on our behalf.
By the way, wouldn’t it be ridiculous if an American ever referred to members of the United States military as the enemy. Actually, this is exactly what a member of the media did immediately following the President’s speech. The President outlined his plan in a speech at West Point. An audience of cadets apparently were less than enthusiastic for what the President had to say. Their response to the speech prompted MSNBC’s Chris Matthews to make the following comment:
I don’t know what will be the final outcome of President Obama’s new Afghanistan strategy. I do know that it is sad when an American says that the Commander-in-Chief speaking at West Point in front of members of our military is in “the enemy camp.” This comment is unforgivable and he should be reprimanded. These men and women, the so-called enemy, are preparing to risk their lives to protect the very freedoms that allow an ass such as Chris Matthews to make such a comment. Both the far left and the far right are capable of some ridiculous remarks, but no one should be insulting the men and women in uniform who take their orders and fight on our behalf.
Those cadets are not the enemy, Mr. Matthews, they are preparing to fight our enemies. Don’t insult them, get on your knees and thank God for them!
Update: According to one of Europe’s largest weekly magazines, Der Spiegel (“The Mirror”), the cadets at West Point were coached to give an enthusiastic response to President Obama’s speech. From Der Spiegel:
One can hardly blame the West Point leadership. The academy commanders did their best to ensure that Commander-in-Chief Obama’s speech would be well-received.
Just minutes before the president took the stage inside Eisenhower Hall, the gathered cadets were asked to respond “enthusiastically” to the speech. But it didn’t help: The soldiers’ reception was cool.
These games included soccer, field hockey, and football. While collecting the tickets I remember thinking how nice it was that so many of the students were polite and courteous. Repeatedly I heard “please” and “thank you” at each of the events, terms that one would think, if you listen to some adults, had disappeared from the vocabulary of our youth. As a matter of fact, most of the problems we had at these events involved rude adults, not students.
