I wanted to take just one minute in time to thank you all for accepting the fact that we all are different. Why ? There is an Almighty God that guides who we are ! Judas had his purpose and each of us has ours. One year ago I would have sworn to you that I would die in some petty conflict but today we are inexplictably wound in a fight for our own morals--not as inviduals but rather as "brother to bother" and "sister to sister" moreover--"family to family". I not sure about how you feel ? I have sacrificed a son on the alter of the Almighty USA-- but he is a man now and the same freedoms endowed by God (not by any founding father) are endowed on him also. Would you lay your son on an alter for what we have ? I would lay my own body down but I would refuse to offer up my children: frankly, there is not much left to hold onto. It is my sincere hope that those of us that remember freedom are the ones to die for it. There is little left of me but words but Ghandi, MLK, and Robert stemmed the tide with words. I am what I am and so are are you ! I was wrong to respond to hate with hate: but I was never wrong to resist by whatever means necessary. Question, resist, vote, and HOPE: and if it all goes south ? Don't let them take you alive !

-- Joel Rosen (JoelnBecky@webtv.net), February 16, 2002

Answers

Joel, maybe your son just needs to reinvent the wheel? Ya know, when I was still at home a thousand years ago, my Dad was pushing me to take a scholarship available to me to go to Yale, but I HAD to major in Colonial History. At the time, I thought the only thing I might be able to do with a degree in that was to right period romance novels and I was not predisposed to do that. What a fool I was! It only took me 15 years to realize he was right....grrr. Kids often have to do the thing their folks are most opposed to just to check it out for themselves.

Regarding resisting with whatever means necessary...the pen is still mightier than the sword. I love it when people make me examine my opinions on things. Words are very powerful and like anything can be used for evil, or for good. Those who refuse to submit will die, but if there is nothing worth dying for, there is nothing worth living for,imo.

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), February 16, 2002.

Your right Doreen. We as parents without knowing, preselect the life choices of our children. I picked one for war, one for college and I'm still watching the 7 year old but I presume that I already selected sports. What happened was the warrior became a business owner at 24 years old and the college student quit to go to war and the seven year old rarely misses a target at 30 yards with a bow. Things get so turned around. I just hope that I can show some pride in the fact that my son completed boot camp without showing the disappointment in my eyes of his leaders. Well will see if he completes the crucible on thursday than I will go see this thing created--a 5'll'' 150 pound bullet proof being that keeps God happy by filling Heaven with fresh souls.

-- Joel Rosen (JoelnBecky@webtv.net), February 17, 2002.

Joel, It seems that in these times that we really don't have a choice what are children will do..I raised two boys and they decided the service was the best way to go..My oldest son barely got through 4 years without getting a dishonorable discharge and then turned to the world of drugs..He is on disability and has had 5 heart attacks in the past ten years,And he is only 44..On the other hand my other son went into the service and distinquished himself and stayed for twenty years, servied in Desert Storm five times and was decorated 15 times. And now cannot find a job because we live in a small country style area and every where he goes to apply for a job, he is over qualified and we live 100 miles from the nearest big city..So he babysits his children while his wife works as Directer of Nursing in a fairly large town 30 miles away....So actually we can onlyhope our children survive this cruel world like we are trying to do...Lucky I don't have that many left to suffer..Thank you

-- Bob.....S.E.Ohio (snuffy@1st.net), February 20, 2002.