Americans Abroad

David,

For many good reasons, I have stayed away from discussion boards for almost 20 years, after I closed down my newspaper. It was one of the first in the nation online, so even in 1995 I was anxious to be a part of the social media until I found out how little I could say there. There are many people who sit hours on end without much else going on in their lives except to "troll" (is it?) the words of others. I have no problem with that.

I have written for a living for many years, so it does not bother me that some people use their time to live that way in the waters we all inhabit. Perhaps, at best, they are hooks to catch us at our mistakes in a catch and release world of bits and bytes.

After returning in 2011 from Iraq at 63, none of that really bothers me. I'm as much at home at the keyboard/keypad as I was in a helo headed for Basra or Kirkuk. Life is always interesting, both in safety and in danger.

And words are very important, but they can only build or destroy, they only live in hate or in love. Intellect, or the absence of it, is only a messenger's tool in each of us. Pick your poison, I say. I will always believe in free speech, even though I may reject most of it as meaningless.

By the way, I have no idea - yet - what MIRT stands for. I still am acronym-impaired, a badge I wore proudly as I worked with soldiers! I suppose I will find out soon.