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Month: August 2009

There is only one first day of Kindergarten

The first day of kindergarten is a momentous day for both child and parent.   The weeks and days leading up to the first day of school have been filled with anticipation and excitement.  Visits to the school, meetings with teachers, introductions to the principal, shopping for a new outfit, learning bus riding procedures, and packing, unpacking and re-packing of the mandatory accessory — the backpack.

The day before the first day of school, a few parents of the soon-to-be- kindergarteners organized a pizza picnic.   After catching up on summer adventures, one of the excited moms asked me, “Are you going to go to school in the morning and take pictures?”   Puzzled I replied, “I had not thought about it.  Carly is taking the bus.  I am going to the bus-stop and planned on taking a few snapshots there.”  Politely, but firmly, she told me that there is only one first day of kindergarten.

“Women in Combat: An American Story” NY Times August 19, 2009

This letter to the Editor of the New York Times appeared in both the on-line and print versions of the New York Times on August 19, 2009.

To the Editor:
The topic of women in combat remains controversial. Conventional wisdom and current law prevent women, no matter how able, from serving in units with direct offensive combat missions — infantry, armor, artillery and special forces. The justification for this exclusion includes that women are not fit for combat and battlefield stress because they lack the emotional stability and physical strength.