In a democracy dissent is an act of faith. Like medicine, the test of its value is not in its taste, but in its effects.
~ J.W. Fulbright

I saw this quote today, and it immediately made me think of the reservists who refused to go on the refueling mission in Iraq. Their dissent has made headlines, and will hopefully shine some light on the fact that the Army is treating these people as disposable soldiers. They may not be Special Forces, or have any experience, but they are still valuable people. You can ask their mothers if they are expendable for the war effort.
I've also been reading a lot about how the reservists and Guard soldiers are very similar to the draftees in Vietnam, in their mentality, preparedness, and training. They were given a week or two of training before being shipped off to a war zone where they're getting shot at and bombed. In the Reader's Digest this month, there's a story about a man who was a software engineer for many years, but he made the decision a year or so ago to quit his lucrative job and take a severe pay cut in order to teach 2nd graders in an inner city school. He joined the Guard in order to help support his wife and four children. One day he's reading stories in the classroom, and then he's in the desert with RPG's exploding all around him. It was a great story, he actually had a very spiritual experience as he focused on the fact that he was in the ancient holy lands of the Bible, and he was even baptized in the Euphrates River. Thankfully, he is back home with his family and his students now, but he still carries his prayer rock that has a huge indentation of his thumb from rubbing it so often while in Iraq. He said he never knew how true it was when someone said "war changes you". I wish more stories had happy endings. I hope those kids who thought that the National Guard was a good way to get help with college make it home safely, and can actually spend their days in school instead of dodging bullets and bombs.