thoughts from a brokenSoldier

Okay, after all the recent ire I’ve spilled onto the virtual pages here, it’s time for a little aside on a lighter note.  There is a habit among our media - country-wide - that kinds of sticks in my craw.  (I am an English Major, which explains why I take issue with this…)

In recent history, I have noticed that many journalists, national and local, have taken to using the phrase "an historic" when describing significant events in our society.  While this seems very intellectual and proper, it is quite definitely an erroneous use of the language as we have come to use it in America.  (Before you accuse me of nitpicking, be advised that I know this is a minor thing, but I wanted to stray away from the political, even if just for a moment.) 

The use of this phrase can quite easily be traced.  When speaking in the British dialects of the English language, the phrase "a historic event" is most certainly incorrect, but only because in those specific dialects, the "h" is silent.  That means that the first syllable actually pronounced is the vowel "i."  And as we know, when putting an identifying article in front of an adjective, the "a" becomes "an" if the first pronounced syllable is a vowel, illustrated by the difference between saying something such as "a building" and "an event."  But when American journalists speak, they pronounce the consonant "h" in the word historic.  So what we end up with is the phrase "an historic event."  Try it in reverse and you’d get something like the phrase "an significant event in history."  Take away the fact that British speakers display this trait, and we have no reason to place the word "an" in front of a word that begins with a consonant.  As an example, do you ever hear anyone describe something large and heavy as "an hefty item?"  You do not, even though the British dialect, true to its form, would certainly mandate such a pronunciation.  The problem, though, is that British journalists rarely ever use that phrase. 

Hey, I told you it was minor!  I simply wanted to take a break from outlining the faults of the McCain-Palin ticket for just a hot minute.  I mean hey, you can only say something so many times before it becomes a bit boring, and boring is not something I take a lot of enjoyment in being.  At the risk of being branded sexist, I’ll use a well-known axiom to explain my momentary departure from my recent theme.  Trying to get a message across to hardcore Republicans about how unfit their nominees’ ticket is is like teaching a pig to sing - the only two things you’ll accomplish are to waste your time and annoy the fuck out of the pig. 

But don’t despair…  With all this recent material surfacing about the inconsistencies in statements and policy records/ proposals from the McCain-Palin camp, I’m sure I’ll be getting back to familiar topics fairly soon!

Hey guys and girls!  I promise I haven’t abandoned this blog like I have done with many of my other writing endeavors, but I am just so swamped between dealing with my conditions and their treatments and replying and contributing to the multitude of offers of help I have received in the aftermath of PZ’s publicization of my situation at Pharyngula that I haven’t had enough time to get on here and wax sarcastic about my thoughts of the goings on in our world.  However, I do pledge to return to my rants once I get my situation settled down enough to do so.  I hope my absence hasn’t put off you few readers who have graciously included me in your rounds, and once I return, you can be sure that I’ve got some great stuff to expound upon (however belatedly).  Thanks again for all your support, and I hope to see you again when I can resume my work here.  Best wishes to all, and I hope this finds each and every one of you doing well and feeling great!

     I want to take a minute to sit down and try my best to thank each and every one of you that have shown such support for the story that I’m trying to get out into the public purview.  My appeal to Dr. PZ Myers at Pharyngula was a pure shot in the dark when it first came to mind, but PZ - quite true to form - took up the request promptly and quite laudably, IMHO, and it swelled much further - and much faster - than I could have ever imagined.  I have been receiving offers of assistance since the minute he posted that thread, and I assure you that I treasure every single bit of that support.  From the journalists who have offered their skills and connections, to the individuals who have offered to write letters on my behalf and that of my fellow veterans, and to those kind souls that have offered their moral support, I have been genuinely moved by the display of pure humanism shown by every one of you that has contacted me. 

     My hope is that this effort will bring to light the problems faced by so many veterans worse off than myself, and if even a few of the numerous measures that have been offered to me thus far manage to succeed, I’m positive that it will surpass my greatest expectations.  I have no idea how to express my thanks in a manner befitting such an outpouring of benevolence, so I will simply, and quite humbly, say thank you to you all from the bottom of my heart.  As a veteran, as a citizen, and as a fellow human, I am immeasurably indebted to all of you.

     Since the moment PZ’s thread was posted on my behalf, I have seen only a very few manifestations of the more antagonsitic side of our shared nature.  These scant occurrences, however, have been utterly and completely drowned out by the unbounded exhibitions of kind-heartedness and altruism, and that has given me a great deal of satisfaction and comfort.  I’ll wrap this one up, but I’ll leave you with a quote - one of my absolute favorites - that perfectly reflects my sentiments towards this situation and the response it has elicited:

No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth.  

                                                                                                           - Robert Southey, English Poet Laureate (1813 - 1843)

As I’m sure is painfully obvious by the look of my page, this is my first blog.  Hopefully it won’t take me long to pick up a few skills that will go toward making my page a bit more aesthetically palatable, but until then it’ll just have to look sloppy.

Just to give a little background information, I’m a 28-year old retired veteran of the Army.  As my pseudonym implies, I was wounded overseas, and this fact naturally colors many of my perceptions of the world.  I have a Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Mississippi, and I’m in the process now of getting myself into graduate school to study for a Ph.D. in Philosophy, after which I’ll have to make a choice as to what field I want to study for my second graduate degree.  This is all in preparation for a career in academia, hopefully teaching at the university level.  Right now I can’t decide between a degree in sociology, anthropology, or comparative religion, though right now I’m leaning more toward anthropology.  But one good thing about the fact that it takes quite a while to get a Ph.D. is that I don’t have to make up my mind about the second anytime soon.

This blog will likely be a little sporadic, as I’m not the best at keeping to a daily schedule of writing, and will deal with anything that happens to be a thorn in my mind at the time. So, welcome to my blog, and I hope something you read will cause you to think about something you hadn’t before you stumbled across my ramblings.