TxTravelPro, Please give your son our heartiest thanks and praise! And may God keep him safe!

I am appalled at your dd's teacher's actions and i hope the school's administration has been informed. That is totally out of line and would never be tolerated in our system. I hope your dd will be ok.

RANT & RAVE: DD is going to her junior prom this weekend. The drama continues with dates, friends etc., all the sweet and innocent (somewhat...) stuff of high school.

RANT: That i just can't freeze time and shield her (and DS) from the reality of this wicked world (besides catty friends in HS, etc. )

RAVE: That we can't isolate our kids, but God can insulate them.

RAVE: The news about RJ's sis, yaaaaay!!!

Agree, travelinwifey - the Vietnam template: destroy this country in order to save it.

Rave: 171 days until we vote!
Rant: 260 more days of moron.

TxTravelPro: Just when I thought my co-worker was the only twisted one who had enough morbid curiosity to see the entire clip of the beheading. But you're daughter's teacher??! That's appalling. I can understand teaching kids realities of life, but that wasn't necessary.

(On the other hand, isn't it also strange how in America a lot of things are shielded from us? When I was in PR, when there was an accident or shooting, you saw the dead bodies bloodied and contorted close up on the 6pm news. That would NEVER be seen here.)

Don't be so sure, missjama - when Vietnam carnage made dinner hour TV, at 500 per week, marches started, the pullout was hastened, and a president sent home in disgrace. What we're going to get is more media about Iraq, and US kids are going to see it.

The teacher is a great guy (ROTC, retired Army E9)
I sort of understand his frustration. He felt the need for balance and wanted to remind the cadets of the difference between our "atrocities" and theirs...
We have been bombarded by photos of the prisoner abuse but we are shielded from viewing the horrors of what the terrorists are doing in Iraq (bombings, beheadings, etc...)
Examples will be made of the idiots involved in the humiliation of the prisoners and to blame Bush for that is just silly. The unit commander is clearly responsible.
The teacher was out of line, no doubt about it. My daughter is 18 and has her own computer. She would have seen it by now had she wanted to see it.
My daughter said she was expecting something like in a movie and that was not the case at all. She said it was just horrible and that man's screams will live in her for a long time.

I think political opinions should NEVER be forced on our children by school teachers... EVEN IF they are the same as mine.
It is not their place... period.

Mms, I don't want to make anyone angry by my comments or start any nasty name calling. But I did want you to know my father in law has been in the Navy since he was 16 and retired at 70. Served our country for more than half his life. He does not agree with what's going on either. I respect all our soldiers who have more courage than I could ever dream of. Good luck.

Oh yes, and before anyone trys to say I'm lying about FIL joining at 16, he was not born in the States and at that time took the opportunity to join our military and live the American dream. He started as a cook and retired as a Chief. After 28 years active? duty he administered tests to military hopefuls. Happy travels all.

Teachers should take care, I agree. Opinions should never be forced on school kids. He was out of line. Discussion would have been preferred.

Too bad about that Iraqi kid who was on our front pages two days ago running for her life with school books in hand, on her way to school. Talking would have been better.

It is easier if we and our kids do not see any real violence, I suppose. We get enough through entertainment. And that helps us by hardening us against realization of reality.

Bush's policy is based on lack of education, bogotry and phony machoism. But he says he's a leader and claims to have a plan.

Fodors will pull this soon.

Well I was born in 1974, therefore I couldn't comment on how Vietnam was portrayed on the evening news.
My point was that in general if someone gets killed, we don't usually show the dead body up close in personal. Nowadays, you have to go to the net to see the real deal if you choose to.

I'm sure there's a lot of things that are going on in Iraq that we don't know about on both sides. My father (who served in the Air Force) basically said these people in the prison were untrained and unprepared and were either following orders or acting out on the things that were done to our people.

Rant: That this has become a political forum.
Rave: It's Friday AND it's payday!

Oh, to be able to spell "tries"

Nothing I have beats RJ's rave. but one for me: Finally hot water after 3 attempts to have fixed.
Rant, I can't take advantage of the Air France deal.

rave: four weeks till riviera maya!
i will not rant because my life is good: great hubby, beautiful son, and thank goodness my two brothers retired from the air force several years ago. as a mother and a sister, i can't begin to imagine the pain a pennsylvania family is feeling right now for the loss of their son, murdered in such a horrific way.
and travelinwifey..i'm with you, my brothers who served (and all their military friends) are with you, my hubby who voted for the current president is with you (and alleluia the hubby has seen the light and won't be making that mistake a 2nd time!)..we get being in afghanistan, we just don't being in iraq....ok...so maybe that was kind of a rant.

As sad as I am about all the things going on in Iraq, back to Rants 'n' Raves.

Rave: I'm taking off work early today and going up to Mackinaw City to rescue the grandkids - daughter & SIL sold their house, had to be out the end of April, and the new house won't be finished for another two weeks. They're staying with SIL relatives, and stressed out daughter has to work all weekend on Mackinac Island, so grandma is getting a hotel room for two nights so the kids can swim, go to the movies, eat pizza, etc. What fun!

Rant: We've only had one really nice weekend so far this year. Is summer ever going to get here? (in mid-Michigan)

MsJanna, your dad may be correct but are either of these reasons acceptable?

Rant: the shrub is here today...
Rave: It's gonna rain all over his parade!

Rave! rjw's sis!

Rave! TxTravel and Joan's children graduating from high school! Congrats!

Rave! Having a wonderful time here in Myrtle Beach for bike week! Glad we decided to spend the week here for bike week.

Rant: hate to get logged off Fodor's, and then I can't remember my password!

Rave: my junior son got accepted to Berkeley University! Speaking of program cuts in California...

Rave: the family celebration will be on Sunday. Rant: I will cook all day.

\/
Ditto payday/Friday!
Nothing hurts.
Mrs Kal.


Ditto politics on the travel board.
Snakeheads in the Potomac River (No, not James Carville/politcal talk).

>-

I consider the entire area of domestic and international politics so appalling that I can't even begin to comment. So I'll turn to the things that I can talk about without losing my lunch.

Rave: Sweeps month is almost over and the hype will die down.

Rant: but we'll start to get hype for the truly DUMMMMM shows they're thinking up for the summer.

Rave: At least they're going to try "Last Comic Standing" again, and maybe this time the conclusion won't be quite so bizarre.

Rant: My TV listings seem to indicate they're going to repeat last night's Frasier finale tonight -- whyyyy? It was a really luke-warm ending. Only Anthony LaPaglia and Daphne's brothers really made me laugh. Otherwise, the vagueness of Frasier's next move (take SF job? go to Chicago to fetch the Lady? both? hook up with the hot shrink on the plane?) left me actually not all that interested. Bub-bye.

Rave: Going to my first Tiger game of the summer!!! With some of my best friends from my college days, should be crazy fun!

Rant: More stupid thundershowers are threatening to rain the game out!!

Rave: Thunderstorms won't close the bars, so it should still be a fun night in D-Town!!

Rant: I want the ability to vote for someone other than Bush, Kerry, or Nader!!!

Rave: The fragrance of lilacs is in the air! YUM!