Today's Must-Read: Memorial Day Edition

I know, I'm a day late, but the heat had built up so much in my apartment that I literally couldn't think. At any rate, Batocchio gets it right at Hullabaloo:

Memorial Day is meant for remembering those who died in military service (a worthy commemoration). It's also a holiday that naturally spurs thoughts of civilians killed in war, of living veterans and how they're treated, and how war is discussed in our country. It's only right to pause and remember the dead. And perhaps the best way to honor them the other days of the year is by challenging the belligerati who believe that casually and aggressively endorsing war or torture somehow makes them tough or makes the nation safer.

I forget who said it, but I ran across this idea as a history student: War is the last resort, after diplomacy has failed. Too many people in this country have started to think that was is the first option. That's not how you keep the peace.

Survivors

Those of us who, somehow, are still alive. Read this post from Joe.My.God., but brace yourself -- it's devastating. The comments are, many of them, even more so -- so many of us lived that story.

We're Not Alone

Got this article from a friend in Australia. Some interesting information on the reactions of other members of the animal kingdom to death:

Chimpanzees, as reported in next month's issue of National Geographic, and the closely related bonobos maintain complex societies, largely held together by sex and grooming.

They have often been seen apparently grieving for family and tribe members by entering a period of mourning after a death and showing subdued emotions and behaviour.

Such complex emotions may not even be unique to primates or even mammals.

This month University of Colorado ethologist Dr Marc Bekoff reported that magpies appeared to grieve for the dead and carry out a type of funeral ritual.

In one instance, four magpies in turn approached a comrade's corpse.

Two birds then flew off to return with a piece of grass, which they laid by the corpse. The birds then stood vigil.

Here's a portion of my comment in response:

I'm also willing to credit the idea that animals have much more intense and active emotional lives than we are willing to admit. Just watching my own cats over the years, as they had spats, wouldn't speak to each other, made up, developed crushes, and wanted reassurance -- and their reactions when the matriarch died of a stroke one morning (they seemed bewildered, and were very quiet and withdrawn) -- has reinforced that idea. It would be arrogant in the extreme to suppose that something as closely related to us as chimpanzees don't feel things in much the same way we do. In fact -- and this just occurred to me -- given the increasing evidence of same-sex bonding throughout the animal kingdom, can anyone really suppose there's no emotional component to that (or pair-bonding in general, of course), however bare-bones it might be?

Food for thought.

Memorial Day

This post by hilzoy brought it home to me. I'm swiping this image of Andy Olmsted from hilzoy: I was going to insist you go to her post and look at it, but I want to take away her context. You can read her post later. For now, I just want you to look at that lively, intelligent, good-humored face and then remember that he's dead.



I suppose I could go into a long post about death and dying and the reasons we sacrifice ourselves, but I'd rather you look at that picture and think about it yourselves, on your own terms, in your own frame of reference. I'm not going to make any suggestions as to your approach. Just think your own thoughts.

And remember.

Twisters

Yes, those are real buses and boats and stuff.

Via Digby, comments from Monkeyfister on the desperate situation in the Mid-South after the tornados last night. It's huge.

I can't describe how wide-spread the damage is down here. It's enormous. The Media, per usual, is only just now waking up to the situation, after their Super-Duper-Let's-All-Wet-Our-Pants-Together- Tuesday Political Hangover. Like NOLA, these are REALLY poor folks down here, and have nothing, and nowhere to go.

Here's another post, with contact information to those organizations in the best position to give immediate help.

Since we can't expect anything from FEMA or DHS, it's up to we the people. Lend a hand.

In Memoriam

Andy Olmsted, who posted occasionally at Obsidian Wings as G'Kar, has been killed in Iraq. He provided some of the most intelligent commentary on the war that I've seen. I didn't agree with a lot he said, but dammit, the man was willing to talk about it and make me reevaluate my own attitudes. That's become too rare a quality, which makes this loss even more grievous. My heart goes out to his wife and family, and to those who knew him: I've only lost the delight of finding an intelligent and thoughtful commentator. Their loss is much the greater.

He left a final post, which hilzoy has posted. Read it.

"Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt"

Kurt Vonnegut has died.

Anything I can say is insignificant.