I'm a veteran, and a pacifist. And I'm a little disgusted by the disrespect voiced toward the Tomb

[Skidmore]

34. Thank you for the information.

Lately I've had it up to my eyeballs with the cult of militarism from a family member. My family has had people in the service from the time of the Revolution to the present day (at least those who weren't Quakers). My father, all of his five brothers, and three of my brothers have served. I have nieces and nephews currently in the service. However, I have a particular cousin's whose whole family derives its identity solely from their involvement with the military. Never mind that her husband and two of her sons have disabilities and her third son committed suicide, they are now working on the next generation, male and female. If you suggest that perhaps the world would benefit from a little effort directed towards peace, she goes ballistic and can literally see no other solutions to world problems other than for people to suit up in camo and point a gun. I know they've had a hard time but they keep going back to the well and are pretty much making it hard for people to be supportive of them, largely in part to their insistence that the family all somehow owes them extra special considerations because of their service. It just gets to be a little much after a while.