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Montebello E-News

 March 30, 2009

No amount of charters, direct primaries, or short ballots will make a democracy out of an illiterate people.
Walter Lippman  

1.  Announcements

2.  Redefining Patriotism?

3. About Montebello E-News and “My Montebello”  

Blowing in the Wind.  An e-mail was received from a Montebello resident regarding a proposed expenditure by our city council for those serving in the military.  I found his argument interesting, because he was saying that the money should be spent in a different way for those in the military.  Also, consider how the message below relates to what was said in “The Smoking Gun” in the March 15, 2009, E-News:  we do not have enough people involved in making decisions.

Thought you might be interested in speaking out or having some students come and speak out against Item #13 which would allocate the city to spend over 26 thousand dollars for blue star banners to commemorate military recruits and their families... nothing for when they die... nothing to help them when/if they return damaged, nothing for when they are homeless veterans... etc... i have asked for help from various veterans against war organizations and from Military Families Speak Out... i hope there will be others saying to the City Council to at least to do some research before authorizing that much money to reward kids who put themselves in a situation where they turn their minds over to those who will order them to kill or be killed... and to paraphrase one of the people i spoke with, 'the Military has been misused recently", so it might be good to evaluate how it might not be to their best interest to support it....

Hope this gets to you on time.. the meeting is a 6:30 pm... to speak, you or someone else would have to fill out a speakers card before the meeting starts.. one could speak in the general orals or wait till the item comes up in the agenda.. three minute limit..

More details at City of Montebello website...

Reality TV?  CHARLES GIBSON (ABC NEWS):  (Off-camera) Next to the US Military Academy at West Point . A new effort there is underway to collect the experiences of America 's soldiers, from the oldest veterans to troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The idea, to have their vivid recollections live on to help future generations better understand the realities of war. Some of what they have to say is disturbing, but so is war. Bob Woodruff reports. ...  Broadcast March 12, 2009.  Transcript at http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=User
DisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007216&docId=l:940367220&isRss=true

Some Fun Stuff.  Heavenly Choice invites you to join our new Hello Kitty Fan Club during our Easter Week kick-off celebration, Saturday, April 4, through Friday, April 10, from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm daily.  April 3, 4 and 5, make a Hello Kitty bracelet to wear with your favorite Easter outfit.  April 6, 7 and 8, create your own Kitty-theme Easter basket, followed by designing your own chocolate egg on April 9 and 10.  Heavenly Choice Plaza, 534 N. Montebello Blvd. For further details call 323 728-2728.

Two of the announcements above touch upon the horror of war.  One reason, I believe, for our war against Sadam Hussein was that so much time had passed since Vietnam and, frankly, most of us had forgotten about the horror which accompanied that war.

Questioning traditional gestures of patriotism, as the Montebello resident did, is very much needed.  A candid video history about war, as is being done at West Point , is very much needed.  These will not prevent war, but if such thought and history are taught in our schools—far more important, I believe, than some course requirements which take of students’ time these days—we as a country will choose our battles more thoughtfully and there will be fewer unintended consequences.