The people, mostly men, sat, huddled around the fire, hoping to stay warm. Although it was day time, they weren’t at work because they didn’t have jobs, were on some form of assistance, or were able to have some type of online work. Occasionally, one person would crack a joke and the others would laugh. Night was more of the same; small talk, jokes, fires, the eating of food and the setting up of tents. Someone had found a clock that chimed, and as the hours went by, the people became more agitated, waiting for their day to come. Now, if you thought that this was a line of refugees waiting to escape a war torn zone, you would be wrong. These people were fans of the new Star Wars movie and when it is all said and done, they will have waited 14 days outside in the cold to be among the first to watch the movie.
Now, if you find the idea of camping outside for days on end simply because you wanted to be the first to see a movie that no doubt, you will be able to watch at leisure a month from now strange, you wouldn’t be wrong. Apparently, dedicated Star Wars fans have their own priorities. In fact, the New York Times reports that more than 100 people are queued up right now at Hollywood's famous Chinese Theater in Los Angeles. An Australian woman at the front of the line said to a couple who stopped to snap a photo, "Yes, we still have a very long time to wait. No, we're not crazy." Crazy or not, here are a few things that moviegoers, or in this case, movie-waiters, might have missed in this week’s news flow.
Reuters reported that women are now able to serve in all parts of the US military, including combat positions. Addressing this issue, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said — “They'll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars, and lead infantry soldiers into combat. They'll be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green Berets, Navy SEALS, Marine Corps infantry, Air Force parajumpers and everything else that was previously open only to men.” That’s right. The American military is now an all-inclusive fighting force. And while many feminists are applauding the measure, others are beginning to ask if this is such a good thing. The military is, after all, a fighting force that deals in death, not a country club.
The Observer gave a brief summary of the ongoing scandal — “The story went like this: Two women graduated from the Ranger School and everyone cheered. “See, women really can do everything men can do,” those from certain quarters swooned. But soon, some began to question whether the women had passed by the same standards required of men. Rep. Steve Russell, R-Okla., asked the DoD for information about the women’s training. People’s Susan Keating cited “multiple sources” that said the women received special training and special treatment. Part of that special treatment allegedly included allowing the women to repeat parts of the program until they passed and surveying one of the toughest courses in the program ahead of time. Men, conversely, weren’t given multiple chances to complete the program and had to see the course for the first time when they attempted to traverse it.” So, the question is — who would you want to have your back? The person who really truly was able to pass the course or the one that was gamed through in order to score political points?
The Observer goes on to note that — “Now that gender bans have been lifted, this also opens women up to “the draft.” Since women had previously been unable to hold direct ground combat positions, their participation in the draft was seen as unnecessary. Now that they are able to hold those positions, a Pentagon analysis has found, the “factual backdrop” of the Supreme Court Case that exempted women from the draft has been altered.” That’s right, women aged 18-25 can now be drafted. That means that if there is a major war, their number could be pulled and poof! off to war they go. But why would the US brain trust be willing to push this agenda now?
Could it be because, as Time reports, that “…approximately 71% of the 34 million 17-to-24-year-old males in the U.S. would not qualify for military service because of reasons related to health, physical appearance and educational background”? Or could it be because of the recent events in the Middle East?
For instance, this past week saw Turkey shoot down a Russian plane. In addition, Turkey seemingly invaded Iraq, although the legality and motives of this troop deployment still remains to be seen. Iraq appealed to Turkish authorities, and apparently a compromise was reached, although shortly there afterwards, Turkey went on record as urging all of its citizens to immediately leave Iraq. In addition, there are rumors that suggest that Iraq will withdraw its security agreement with the United States and invite Russia into the country to provide security. If this happens, what would America’s response to being kicked out of Iraq be?
Although we don’t know the answer to that question just yet, we do know that as the pieces continue to move in the Middle East at a quicker pace, more and more people should be paying attention to the gravitas of the situation and following their respective governments’ actions and demanding accountability, instead of wasting time in self-imposed homelessness while waiting to be spend a few hours’ time suspended in an imaginary world of science fiction.
So, what do you think dear listeners, “Will the American conscience awaken in the United States?”
