Reason Celebrates Veterans Day

One year ago, Reason.tv producer Dan Hayes caught up with the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight from Wisconsin. Honor Flight is an organization that provides World War II vets and terminally ill patients from other conflicts free travel to Washington, D.C. to tour memorials.

Comments

[Tman]

The WWII memorial in DC is really amazing, and everyone should go check it out. I'm glad that it's a fitting tribute to Victory, and not some depressing morality trip on the evils of war. They also do a great job of emphasizing how each state contributed to the war effort.

Thanks veterans!

[NoVAHockey]

I think the Korean is a much better memorial. it's eerie, particularly at night.

[T]

Yeah, late at night it's particularly evocative.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

I agree that other memorials are better, in terms of evoking a certain feeling or mood. The WWII memorials seems to me to lack a focus. It's a bunch of pretty pedestrian "memorial-y" themes: granite, bronze, flags, eagles, a fountain, stars, benches, etc. And it's impressive in its scale. But it doesn't really evoke the war itself, what it meant, the effect it had, or anything. Although well-executed, in terms of workmanship, I find it kind of uninspired and uninspiring. The Korean War memorial is much more evocative. I also like the FDR memorial, just because it's interesting the way you move from "room" to "room" and discover a series of little vistas. I also like how his little dog Fala's head and ears are shiny from everyone petting him.

[Winter Soldier]

In Canada it is Remembrance Day. A chance to reflect on the costs of war, as paid by our veterans and their families. Any citizen that benefits from the great good fortune of living in either Canada, or the United States, should pause at some point today and give thanks that these brave men and women were, and are, willing to make that sacrifice on our behalf.
God Bless them all.

[BeltwayLurker]

Stop celebrating 1812 up there!

[Jim]

You hippies with your poppies pinned to your shirts.

[Gilbert Martin]

The intro to "The Pacific" is a good a tribute to veterans as any on this day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtmAiNG2Lxk

[Fleeing Cali]

why don't veterans get Veterans Day off? I remember we had a joke when I was in the Navy that it should be renamed "Banker and Civil Servant Day"

[J.E.C.]

I'm in the Army, and I've got the day off.

[D. Saul Weiner]

Why would Reason celebrate Veterans Day? Doesn't it know that war is the health of the state? Now Armistice Day, as Veterans Day started out as, that I can see celebrating.

[AlmightyJB]

"Why would Reason celebrate Veterans Day?"

'Cause they're not Dicks like you.

[D. Saul Weiner]

Another voice of "reason"

[mog]

Damn you reason. I though i was going to get through today tear free.

[EMp]

God bless all vets, past and present. Thank you for their service and for their families and loved ones.....

[bruno]

Thank you Vets, and thank you Reason.

[D. Saul Weiner]

"We perpetuate war by exalting its sacrifices"

From the movie The Americanization of Emily

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Due to fundamental human nature, there never will be an end to war as long as humans exist. At least not until the human race further evolves into something quite different than what it is today.

[D. Saul Weiner]

That may or may not be the case. But suppose it is true. Does that mean we should celebrate war? It may be inevitable that murder will always be part of human society, but we don't make holidays to celebrate murderers.

Certainly if it is true, we should do whatever we can to minimize its frequency and severity.

And frankly, as a market anarchist, I believe that war might be stamped out if we were to pay for defense services on a contractual basis as opposed to the coercive state basis of today.