Dayhoff Westminster Soundtrack: 20070711 "90 seconds"

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

20070711 "90 seconds"

Military Army United States Military Academy (USMA) West Point

July 11^th, 2007

My Tentacle column is up on the web site.

Writing this column was rather poignant for me…

The jarring juxtaposition of visiting the United States Military Academy at West Point and seeing the dedication and sense of service and sacrifice on the hallowed grounds and then to read, on the same day, the sanctimonious twaddle of the New York Times editorial last Sunday, “The Road Home” was enough to make your head spin and spew pea soup…

I had wanted to write a simple “travelogue” of West Point. I just wanted to attempt to capture some of the history, tradition, and grandeur of the storied institution that dates back to 1802 but I was so taken aback by reading the New York Times editorial in the context of just having toured the grounds, that my keyboard was just not having it.

Especially since there is a profound disconnect in reading about the successes, efforts and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform in harms way from the military blogs and what is being reported in the mainstream media.

"90 Seconds" by Kevin E. Dayhoff, July 11, 2007

It was nothing short of cruel irony that I happened to be on a guided tour of the United States Military Academy at West Point on the very day The New York Times editorialized for the United States to unconditionally surrender in Iraq. It was this past Sunday.

The editorial, "The Road Home," opened with this: "It is time for the United States to leave Iraq, without any more delay than the Pentagon needs to organize an orderly exit."

We live in an era where irony rules, the truth is illusory, paradox pervades and the 90-second difference between reality and perception continues to become "curiouser and curiouser."

To witness the impressive grandeur of West Point and the omnipresent homage to past graduates who have fought for our way of life and the freedoms we have come to take for granted - just days after the 4th of July - and then to read the New York Times, just 90 seconds after leaving the post, was mind boggling.

More…

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