Today, President Barack Obama has said that he is still weeks away from a decision on a new military strategy in Afghanistan.  Americans are hopeful that a well-considered and properly executed plan will bring stability to the Middle-East, but many (myself included) are even more concerned with ending the loss of American lives and exorbitant Military spending.


In this display created for Veteran's Day in my hometown of Toms River, N.J., there is a miniature flag in the ground for each of the 5,000+ soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since U.S. military action began in those countries at the beginning of the decade.

Many critics are skeptical, however, because of the president's track record in other recent efforts.  Certain 'pet projects' may well have distracted  Mr. Obama from with dealing truly pressing issues like loss of life overseas and our much-needed but difficult-to-pass health care overhaul.

First it was the Olympics that got Obama distracted.  Our president wanted the games to come through his hometown of Chicago in 2016, so he took a trip to Denmark in an effort to convince voting members of the International Olympic Committee that Chicago was the place to be in 2016... but it didn't work out.  Meanwhile, the issue of an exit strategy in our Middle Eastern engagements has been left hanging for nearly a year.


Losing the Olympic bid for Chicago might be a blessing in disguise-- the need to build facilities and prepare for a swell in tourism often distracts host cities and nations from tending to the needs of their people.  And we have plenty of issues to take care of right now...

In retrospect, it seems a little insensitive to compete with Rio de Janeiro, which defeated Chicago and is now set to be the first city in South America ever to host the Olympics.  Critics worry, understandably, that Mr. Obama was picking his pet projects unwisely and neglecting more important issues.

Round two of such criticism came over the past two weeks, when the president very publicly endorsed democratic candidates for governor in hotly contested New Jersey and Virginia elections.  Both of Mr. Obama's favored candidates were defeated by Republicans, and the revised military strategies failed to materialize.

Today, Barack Obama told American reporters that is "very close" to a decision on the next step in his strategy for the war in Afghanistan, a war that he hopes "...not to hand off ... to the next president". 

It's great to finally have a president who is even considering an exit strategy, but I still wonder if Mr. Obama may have have already left our servicemen out to dry a few months longer than neccesary. 

When the wars are over and soldiers are home, that's when we can worry about hosting another set of Olympic games.  Till then, we've got bigger fish to fry.

Most of the time when we hear "professional athlete" we immediately think of fame, fortune, and endorsements-- but there's another side to life as a professional athlete.  The word 'professional' doesn't mean 'superstar' or 'celebrity'.  It just means that they make some amount of money at what they do, be it big bucks or minimum wage.

One man who is redefining the public concept of what a professional athlete does is former NBA player Tim James.  James enjoyed a three year NBA career before feeling as though his days in the league were 'winding down'.  Though he never became a household name, James is in the news today because he decided to join the Air Force this year, before the next Basketball season. 

James didn't see a huge amount of game time during his time in the NBA, so his role was often, as the New York Times wrote in an article today, "confined mostly to practices, where he pushed himself and his teammates".  Mr. James looked back on his career with the Times, saying “It has helped me not complain when things don’t go my way, when things kind of hit the fan a little bit."

Clearly being a pro athlete isn't all interviews and sponsorships.  For every Lebron James snagging the spotlight, there is at least one Tim James, working behind the scenes without most of the glamour. 

It's easy to forget that America is currently at war, but I like to think that with competent leadership under a new administration and a well-trained army full of soldiers like Tim James, the situations in Afghanistan and Iraq can stabilize enough to warrant a major troop evacuation of the regions. 

In other words, I hope that Obama and the army can work together like a well-practiced basketball squad and end these wars by 2010 like Obama plans to without major political or military backlash.  The cost of human life is obvious, but the economic burden on our country is serious as well.  If we want to end the deficits, we could start by ending the wars.

image source

I wanted to share with everybody this AWESOME MAP by Genocide Intervention Network.

It highlights major areas of violence and conflict, and gives a brief description of what's going on below.

If you'd like, you can then read more about the issue in very simple terms, with an overview, whose involved, etc. It's a great resource for those looking to learn more about some of the conflicts that have been mentioned on this blog, and others that I have yet to cover.

 

 

Knowledge is key to awareness

Awareness is key to creating peace

 

(Photo courtesy of Genocide Intervention Network)

A little over a year and a half ago my best friend joined the national guard. He was so beyond excited that I couldn't help but feel happy for him. At the last minute something happened and he wasn't allowed to go to basic training in Ft. Jackson. The guy that had enlisted with him did go, though, leaving him alone for an entire summer. When our senior year started he was in a frenzy. He had to go, had to, so he gave it another try. On May 17th, the day after our high school graduation, he was shipped to Ft. Leonardwood, Missouri to start his training. In October he'll come back a fully trained military policeman.

 Why did he do this? Why did he sign the next four years of his life away to the government? There were a few reasons ranging from the money to college help, but the primary one was his dad First Class Sergeant Brian Pohlen, who has spent the better part of his life in the national guard as an engineer. He's watched his dad go away for multiple tours of Iraq and Afghanistan. He's picked up the phone only to find the governor on the line asking for his dad to come to dinner (that's pretty cool and a funny story, by the way). Anyway, Jake joined the military to placate his father, but he'll be making a lot more money than his dad and he could rise through the ranks faster.

This other guy that he enlisted with went off to Ft. Jackson to train to be an engineer this summer and he'll be back in August for a couple of ways before getting shipped off again. The likelihood of him making it to Iraq or Afghanistan is slim, which puts my mind at rest. 

While I'm 100% supportive of my two friends and the rest of the United States military, I do get scared. I'm a born worrier so I'm always thinking that something bad could happen to those two crazy kids and then I'm left with the biggest worries: What about their families and what happens to them if they come back injured?

Well, through my research I have found a way to assuage my fears.

The National Military Family Association, Operation Mom, and Military Families United are dedicated to making sure that military families and their soldiers are not forgotten and are supported.

And Soldiers' Angels, which works with the VA,, makes sure that veteran hospitals are kept clean and the soldiers never feel alone or are mistreated.

Check out their sites for more information:

National Military Family Association

Operation Mom 

Military Families United 

Soldiers' Angels 

 

P.S.

Conversation between the governor of SD and my friend Jake

Jake: Hello

Governor: Hello, this is Governor Mike Rounds. Is Sergeant Pohlen home?

Jake: You aren't the governor

Governor: Um... yes I am.

Jake: Is this a joke?

Governor: No, is Brian home?

Jake: Dad, the governor's on the phone!

Brian: Good, I've been waiting for his call. 

Apparently, President Barack Obama isn't the only one engaging in peace advocacy between the Middle East and the West this week.  The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) SportsUnited office, in partnership with Global Sports Partners/Sport4Peace, the University of Tennessee and the National Basketball Association, is hosting a delegation of basketball-playing girls and their coaches from Iraq beginning June 3rd and ending June 18th.

The idea is to allow for young Iraqi girls who aspire to play basketball the opportunity to learn about the sport and engage with another culture at the same time.  Hmmm, that sounds familiar (whud up, Just Like You!).

According to Sport4Peace, since 1974, girls and women’s basketball in Iraq was no longer offered as an Olympic sport opportunity.  During Saddam Hussein's rule, the Iraqi National Women's Basketball team was disbanded.  It was only until the 80's that the team was "revived" under Saddam Hussein's son, Uday.  However, under Uday's rule, many male and female athletes were subjected to horrific torture when they "did not placate [Uday's] obsession to win."

But a new day has arrived.

Ten girls, ages 14-16, and two female coaches are from Sulaymaniya, Erbil, and Baghdad will have an awesome opportunity to work with Basketball Hall of Fame coach Pat Summit of the University of Tennessee, and attend a WNBA game in Washington D.C. in the coming weeks.

This is one of those times when sports shows the world that it isn't just a verb of mere child's play or physical entertainment, but something much more.  It can be a medium through which people and communities can work together in transforming social dogma into cultural progress.

Photo courtesy of Williamhartz's Flickr page.