Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for November 06, 2011

How will anybody be able to tell when Walden is throwing a game?

Trudeau’s hanging onto this vets-come-home issue — as my late daddy used to say — like a bulldog on a root.

The BD character has completely opposite political views than his creator, Trudeau. Yet, GT has no problem in making BD a heroic character.

We vets will take any and all help we can get. Hell it only took 40 years to get a thank you for the lives i tried to save in vietnam. Its the same for all of them. Not bitter, just tired/.

There’s a lot to be said for BD. Two examples: He loves his family and is good to them. He sticks up for himself and for all returned vets.

I’m getting some positives about my green beret time in the 60’s. Now. People like my work ethic. Mostly before that I was a pet, perhaps explosive.You know, get me drunk, get me laid, nobody gets hurt.

Now I’m just a nice old guy. Girls like me…but it’s too late.Mostly.

I don’t understand, DT or Leftwing…Trudeau is obviously a liberal, as am I. But I think Trudeau is trying to present a more nuanced view. As a psychologist who has worked with Veterans from military conflicts ranging back to WWII, I know very well that persons with very conservative opinions often change when they experience war.BD was very conservative, and he will probably remain so. But he feels the pain of his brothers-in-arms. And brothers-in-arms are intent on having their brother’s backs. His brothers are not being cared for…and , as a warrior, BD will not accept that.That is not a liberal vs conservative issue. It is a right vs wrong issue. Sometimes politics don’t matter. On some fine issues, right and wrong should be obvious.I hate war, partly because I have spent my professional career trying to cobble lives back together after they have been destroyed by war. But anyone with a good heart should realize that we can never confuse any war with our Warriors who simply do their jobs and try to protect us all.I never meet a Veteran without thanking them for their service to our country. They are often embarrassed, and do not know what to say. And they will say they never saw battle. But they stood ready to defend our country. They were willing to take a bullet, quite literally, to protect ME.Can you say the same for yourself?

University of Phoenix has no problem admitting vets. In fact, they send out salesmen to recruit them, and everybody else. Urge them to take out loans, use their GI Bill money, whatever it takes to “pursue their dreams”. But getting a degree online is not easy. I did it, tho’ through a brick & mortar college, not through U of P. No classes, all homework, and nothing of the reinforcing loop of being on a campus amid other students. The majority of U of P students do not finish the program they start, and wind up with no degree and a pile of debt; owed, of course, to Uncle Sam. U of P doesn’t care, they’re in it as a business, not as a university (yes, there is still a difference, thank God). With vets it is a little different, they have less debt, but Uncle Sam is still out of the money, and the vet is no better off. In 2008-2009, U of P received more than $650 milllion in Pell Grant money, and 16% of the students enrolled actually finished with degrees, if you count only those students who enroll with nothing more than a high school diploma or GED, as the D. of Ed. does. U of P claims 59% graduation rate, saying that most of their students come at later ages, having left some other college earlier, and the D. of Ed. standard is wrong. Apparently the U of P is cleaning up its act lately, which accounts for the drop from 600,000 students last year to 400,000 this year. Settling the lawsuits and reforming its hard-sell, commission-based recruiting practices. And I am sure it fills a niche. Some systems provide higher education at public expense, but only to those who have demonstrated they are likely to succeed at it, and prove worth the investment to society. Other systems provide a higher education to all who are able to pay for it. Is it productive, however, to provide the opportunity to all, at no immediate expense to themselves, when so many are unable to profit from it? It seems that in practice this can lead to large bills for Uncle Sam and little real benefit to the students, especially in the hands of mercenary institutions which exist only to serve the bottom line, and educational quality be damned. Or worse, large numbers with no degree, a sense of having failed, and a huge debt which even bankruptcy cannot discharge. I don’t want to be too hard on U of P, and I don’t know that I have a solution. We need a better-educated workforce, we are falling behind many other countries, but throwing tuition money (and nothing else) at the problem may not work. Not everyone can hold down a job, raise a family, AND earn a degree all at the same time.

I’ve never understood “legacies”. Why should an individual be favored at an institution because his parent attended?

When I got home, State U gave me free tuition (not fees) and advised I grow some hair . Got to take courses about the murderous happenings in S.E. Asia. Grew my hair.

Doc, I’ve been thanking vets for forty years – sorry it’s taken so long to get to you … Thank You, doc…

Trudeau is now THANKING veterans? Gee, that wasn’t the case during the Viet Nam War when he HATED the US military and saw the enemy as noble and courageous and the USA as imperialist war mongers and American GIs as baby killers. Trudeau is a phony. If LBJ and Nixon were wrong about Viet Nam and GWB wrong about Iraq and Afghanistan, why isn’t BHO wrong for continuing Bush’s “imperialistic, war mongering” policies? Oh, yeah, Obama is a SOCIALIST, just like the North Vietnamese who invaded the Republic of South Viet Nam.

The unfortunate fact is that U of P and innumerable other “institutions of higher learning” prey on all working people to include active duty GIs. The allure of on-line education works well with those whose days are already filled with making a living and the attractiveness of at home study is hard to ignore. I did the majority of my degree work while still on active duty prior to the computer age and I can attest, as I’m sure many others can, that physically attending classes after a 10-12 hours workday is about as difficult as it gets. The quality of the education received is, however, exponentially higher than that received on-line. Regarding university admissions for GIs and vets; perhaps some of the private schools may be exclusive but, AFAIK, all state universities are very inclusive and often offer financial incentives along with those provided by the GI Bill.

U of P gives the students the tools? Really? I teach at a community college, and many of my students come to me ill-prepared to be in college. I don’t blame the students. I don’t blame the k-12 system, either. I blame the parents and the stupidest piece of educational legislation ever — No Child Left Behind.

Tell me — how is THAT not a socialist idea? Everyone treated the same and advanced at the same rate? Too many people are so afraid of hurting the child’s ‘self-esteem’ and ‘crippling’ them later that they enable them to do the minimum and still be advanced. Parents are more interested in being their children’s friend and hero that they forget to teach personal responsibility.

I love getting veterans in my classes — not just because I am one, but because they bring a flavor to the class that the kids just coming out of high school don’t and can’t. I often do spend more time with my vet students — mainly because they seek me out and ask for the help. THAT leads to me being able to help them succeed. THAT also gives them the tools they need. How does U of P do that? Gives them the tools my eye.

“[D]idn’t the GI Bill…guarantee higher education for veterans?”

It doesn’t “guarantee” higher education (never did), but it provides money (for tuition and expenses). That helps a lot, but it’s not everything, and Walden (being a stand-in for Yale) would probably have annual tuition that’s a LOT higher than what the GI Bill provides. Also, I don’t know whether the GI Bill grants any sort of “preferred admission” status; vets (as I understand it) still have to compete with the general public in terms of applying and competing, and since veterans are here being compared to athletes and legacies (two groups which ARE granted preference) that would seem to be the issue B.D.‘s talking about. The GI Bill provides the money, but it’s still up to the school to seek vets out, and to make them “welcome”; I’d imagine there are pretty heavy transitional issues for vets coming into a college environment, regardless of whatever “academic potential” may be evident from an application form.

@ DoughfootPicking up on our discussion of history, notice DMcQ’s caricature of revisionist historiography. (Does Rush Limbaugh do history like that? I always turn him off after a sentence or two of his non-sense.) The only difference between DMcQ’s revisionism and the professor’s is that the prof. is upfront with his students (and B.D. and Ray) about where he’s getting his evidence. DMcQ probably couldn’t say.Your observations on getting a higher education, and on the U. of Phoenix, are much too sophisticated and nuanced for this forum. All the same, I’d like to emphasize (for any thoughtful readers) your point that “so many are unable to profit from” the opportunity of a subsidized college eduaction.After forty years of college teaching, I can confirm that this is indeed the core of the problem. Students drop out not because they were unintelligent or unqualified or shouldn’t have been admitted—-although there are many who would have done better going into a trade or vocational school instead of a college of liberal arts (which, by the way, includes departments of math and sciences but not technology).Nor do they drop out because they lack a “work ethic”—-although that might help some of the more determined students to get their baccalaureate.The reason talented students drop out of college is that they discover that becoming an educated adult is a lonely affair. You can only learn from, or in, a group what the group already knows.That’s fine if you’re trying to learn how to do something. But if you want to know what something really is, you’ll have to do your homework by yourself. Few of us are motivated to pursue such an “impractical” task, especially when we discover that genuine education is antisocial.

This strip paves the way for Leo’s entrance into Walden.

When I got out after ’Nam, “G.I. Bill” paid not quite enough to pay my apartment rent. I had to work to support myself and spouse while in school. The school took the money from our Chemistry and Physics lab budgets to buy new uniforms for the football team (State University)!! There was not vet benefit regarding admission requirements.

My son is now back in college after 13 years Navy , and is retired on disability. His “post-9/11 GI Bill” pays his tuition and books. He gets by because he gets retirement and disability from VA. It’s a little better than after ’Nam, but our “kind” Republicans under Boehner actually CUT benefits for vets having to go to school out of state, because they changed the formula.

I was “radical centrist” but leaned more “right” after ‘Nam. GT always supported the troops, just no the war, just like me. My first cockatiel was named “Phred” with all due respect to Gary and his character. Today I remain “radical centrist”, but lean more left, because today’s “right” is way to the right of Goebbels and his propagandist friends of that “bygone era”.

The WORST memories of ’Nam, and for our troops returning from Iraq or Afghanistan is the nature of wars against “insurgents” that DOES result in “collateral damage”. Killing someone who directly means you “harm” is not the problem, it is the memory of those who did NOT that harms the veteran, and caused by far the worst PTSD.

The other thing that makes PTSD worse is the knowledge that those who lied to get us into war, especially this time, never “served”, and could care less about who gets killed, as long as they make money. At least Johnson and Nixon actually served in the REAL Navy, and didn’t get deferments, or desert from the National Guard, only to start wars for personal gain (power, revenge, and yes, cash).

GT and his characters merely shine light on truth, whether war, or the absurdity of how “education” now pays more to support football than physics, and THAT may be the greatest danger to our nation’s future, as our students learn go be cheerleaders, not chemists, doctors, or engineers.

Good comments, Sharuniboy. You’ve obviously had some experience as an educator.I based my “antisocial” imperative on Nietzsche’s dictum that all true learning is autodidactic (self-taught). One of the favorite catch-phrases you hear these days is “critical thinking.” Learning to think critically (“critical” is from the Greek krisis = judgment) obviously implies independent judgment, which is part of_autodidaxis_.You’re right that the autodidactic scholar can deprive our broader society of her learning when she publishes her judgments where only specialists can scrutinize them.To mitigate this unhelpful abuse of learning, we could remind our learned scholars that however fascinated they are by (antisocial) knowledge in itself, knowledge only becomes complete, as Socrates said, when it includes self-knowledge.If you then define the self not as the individual or autonomous ego or sould but as the citizen of a community, that takes care of our problem. In catch-phrase terms, what we need to teach is critically thinking citizenship.Have you noticed over your career as i have that our students increasingly find politics a distraction? (By “politics” I mean actual thought about government and the structure of the state—-the kind of thinking I gather is foreign to Limbaugh and his ilk.)

@Robert Wilson. Thank you! I wish more people thought like you do!

@David McQueen. Really? Are you serious? Or are you out of your Meds.

@Brian Crook,“This strip paves the way for Leo’s entrance into Walden.”I take it you’re referring to the strip in which B.D., by telephone, praised Leo whom Alex had met on the Internet (around Feb. 2009)?

More likely to this strip in which B.D. meets Leo:http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2009/03/17

One mark of our inability to think politically anymore is the hornet’s nest stirred up by by DMcQ’s addled reference to “socialism.” He wanted to call Obama a Communist but he can’t ignore the president’s success against our foreign enemies, so he decided to make Obama the enemy of capitalism instead. (Would that he were!)

Leo’s (a) already enrolled elsewhere, and (b) pursuing a career in Music Production/Sound Engineering, neither of which suggests to me that a transfer to Walden is in the cards…

I just went back and read the whole arc for 16 March 2009. Not only does B.D. try to help Leo (“Toggle”) get over his aphasia by joining the football team for spring practice, but the final strip (Saturday’s) brings a real surprise.Leo shows B.D. his Internet girl friend and B.D. exclaims, “That’s my college roommate’s kid!”Here’s the URL again:http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2009/03/17

Think Trudeau, here. As creator he’s got total control. His main craft (beyond being funny) is to make points, often political points. He takes care of his characters / caricatures in order to make these points. So, if BD loses his job, then Trudeau might ensure that he goes on to bigger and better things just to continue Trudeau’s implementation of him in continuing to make the all-important points. Trudeau’s own job security hinges thus on his ability to continue to take care of his little creatures.

The liberal peace-nik, troodough is suffering a guilt trip!!!

Am I the only one that has a problem with the NIKE product placement on BD’s shirt? Seems like such a sell-out to me.

DTpi, I think B.D. probably WOULD throw the games, or else his threats would be empty. That, too, is a form of integrity, and I think B.D. realizes at this point that there are more important things in life than football. Of course, I’d imagine that B.D. would ANNOUNCE that he’s throwing the games, and why…

bladerunner, as DT said the Nike “Swoosh” is a statement by Trudeau. The history of it is that, in order to get money from Nike for the Walden sports programs, a deal was made not only to display the logo (as does every team, college and pro), but to actually name the teams the Walden Swooshes. Back when B.D. was a player, the team’s helmets had a star on each side (like the Dallas Cowboys), but some time after he came back to coach the star was REPLACED by a Swoosh.

As a vet who has returned to college (UCF anthropology / archaeology) let me just say that the post 9/11 G.I. bill (put through by the democrats…go figure) is one of the best things that has been done for vets in a very, very long time.

I’d love to be a Nascar driver, just for the Zig Zag product endorsement.

“Holy smokes! How did the Zig Zag car make it through that pile-up?”

“,,, the post 9/11 G.I. bill (put through by the democrats…go figure …” I did, and it does figure. What would be harder to figure is if the Reublicans put it through. It’s a SPENDING program, after all.

“LIberalism” just means “thinking”, something really dangerous, “Bat Crud”.

Note to DOUGHFOOT (in case you’re reading this late in the day). Re yesterday’s comments about who’s responsible for launching the Bush 42 Iraq war: No, I — having opposed it from the beginning — am not responsible, not even a little bit. To say that I am would be akin to saying I’m responsible for slavery in this country when my forbears moved to Kansas so that they could VOTE to prevent slavery from extending into Kansas, and when they fought in the Union army in order to defeat slavery and preserve the Union on the battlefield. John Donne’s poem — “No man is an island …” — is a great one, to be sure. But Donne does not mean that one tiny part of a “continent” is responsible for what the rest does when it messes up badly. There is only one sense in which the “tiny part” is responsible: helping to clean up the mess. Therefore, we who opposed the war are responsible for helping the returning vets, even if some of them were gung ho for the war and still are. Trudeau, through his support of those same vets via his strip, obviously concurs with this part of the “responsibility” equation. But that does not mean that he is any more responsible for the war than I am. He is responsible only for its aftermath, as I am.

Er, Susan, Just because the GI Bill guaranteed it doesn’t mean it happens. Sadly, politics and greed always get in the way of keeping promise. Have been for over half a century.

The GI Bill guaranteed a lot of things. Some of them actually happen, now and then.

Take an afternoon and go visit a volunteer center for vets. Ask them some questions. Take a strong stomach and be prepared, If your an honest human being, to find yourself deciding to volunteer there a little yourself.

The fact that the nation experienced a “momentary rebirth” after 9/11 does not justify seeking to prolong it by invading a nation that had nothing to do with it. If our differences were set aside, and then that unity were cynically manipulated towards a personal vendetta on one part and a “business opportunity” on another, then I cannot agree that the unity itself had a beneficial effect.

Germany had a REMARKABLE rebirth of national purpose/national identity under the Nazis. (This is not to equate the NeoCon agenda with Nazism, but it’s the reductio ad absurdam of the argument you seem to be positing.)

NO MAN IS AN ISLANDby John Donne 

No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

I don’t have an issue with Trudeau hanging on to the vet issue. Both your vets ( I am assuming that most of you are American, my apoligies if you aren’t) and our Canadian vets are very under appreciated. I live on a street with two chaps who are currently in our military, and our town has a large military population due to proximity to the local base. I applaud his attempts to bring the veterans plight to light, the folks from both Gulf Wars, the current Afghan conflict, the Balkans, Nam (a dear friend volunteered for 3 tours there), Korea… you get the gist, are all under appreciated in benefits, schooling, etc. With Remembrance/ Veteran’s Day coming, I think we should all sit back and evaluate what Trudeau is trying to say! Sorry for rambling, but it needed to be said.

No, it made it financially more feasable.

Politicians start wars, soldiers are the ones who have to fight them (regardless of the politics, nobility, sense, or lack thereof.)As one who has never served, I humbly say THANK YOU to any and all who have served their country, in peacetime or in a conflict, if you’ve ever served,, and you read this, I thank you.