Hope you all don't mind me crashing the board.

Whether of course you choose to read further, that's up to you.

Me, I like letting my essays out into the public for some fresh air instead of locked away.

Warts and all on many of them.

The Challenges of My Life

Life is full of challenges. Getting up and out of bed on a Monday is a daunting task for anyone after an all too short weekend away from work. But what does the word challenge really mean? The dictionary says that a challenge is a stimulating task or problem. I am inclined to support this definition, and in fact I seek out challenges to make life more enriched and rewarding.

Can a challenge simply be anything in life, or is there a requirement level of difficulty to achieve a full-blown challenge? Watch in awe, the admiration of a child as you tie their shoe, and then watch it turn to frustration as they cannot master the task you have just shown them. Observe another older child as they master the bicycle after a few crashes and suddenly they are popping wheelies! Once these insurmountable odds have been achieved, they become ordinary and mundane. A routine sets in, and life starts to become rather stale and boring. Life is meant to be a challenge, once it becomes mundane, the wonders and glory of life can no longer be found.

For me, the challenges of life are never-ending. Not satisfied with a life in retail, and unable to afford to continue my higher education, I turned to the military to provide a challenge for my life. While I was waiting to join, I married the love of my life, now I had a lifetime of new challenges set before me. How do you adjust to married life, when a career change is just ahead? Any routine that begins is going to suddenly end and be tossed in a million directions at once. Once basic training was over, our lives began again in Alaska, and it was here, that life in the military and a married life would learn to co-exist as peacefully as possible for the next 15 years. After two years, life began to become peaceful and easy, so it was the perfect time to shake things up with a baby! Our baby girl arrived, and our lives would never be the same.

It was less than two years later that my next challenge truly set in. Moving to Maryland, my wife told me, “I’m content with one baby, so unless you want to have another one right now, we’re only going to have one!” That sounds like a challenge to me! I wanted to at least try and have one more, a boy would be great to balance out the family. Apparently, when I put my mind to it, I can overcome these challenges in life, because I had my little boy, but had not planned on a twin sister to go with him! So there you have a family of three, suddenly becoming five, and life was suddenly a challenge again! Strangely enough, just when those twins were becoming independent enough to allow us to have a semblance of normal life, the stork once again decided to challenge us and gave us the fourth child we had desperately wanted. She was a true challenge, because she was the one child that took nine months to conceive. Not that there isn’t fun in the trying, but when you have been successful before, and suddenly face the possible fear that you can no longer have children, it is heartbreaking.

Even with four children, life seemed pretty much on auto-pilot at this time. When a couple has you have more than two, I don’t believe that an actual number becomes a problem anymore. We needed something else. Suddenly, our lives were uprooted and we were sent to the Azores. No real challenge though as we adapted quickly. However, it was in the Azores that my oldest son was stricken with some form of seizure disorder. This was not exactly a challenge I wanted, and I’m sure he didn’t either! Tests proved inconclusive, he seemed to be that “one in a million” case, so we were sent to Charleston for continued medical care. The doctors here said he would most likely grow out of it, and that has been the case. Surviving that challenge, what was left to shake up our lives? How about twins? Again! Yes, lightning can strike twice, and we were doubly blessed with another boy and girl set of twins. This in itself helped me with the challenge I would have faced with twins: how do you tell them apart?

So there you have the makings of a challenging life. As the family grew, so did responsibilities and commitments to the military. Somehow we have managed to juggle it all, and keep it well balanced. In fact, you could almost say that life has once again become a little boring and predictable. Cue child seven? Nope, not this time anyway. Instead of needing an upgrade to a bus, I went in a different direction for a challenge. It was time to go back to school. So now I don’t just balance the family and the military, I’ve decided to throw a third ball into my juggling routine and added two classes a semester into the mix. Life is a series of never-ending challenges, and I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Coast to Coast:
The Great Outdoors in Oregon and South Carolina



Go west young man! That was the nation’s Manifest Destiny, and thousands of pioneers blazed a trail from sea to shining sea. Was life really so much better out in the wilderness compared to the overcrowding cities of the eastern seaboard and the sprawling plantations of southern grandeur? It is very difficult to say with any certainty which group made the correct choice on where to live and breathe in the United States. Two hundred years later, history would reverse itself and send someone who grew up in the west back to the eastern United States. So which part of the country has more to experience and offer than the other? Travel along in the footsteps of a 21st Century non-pioneer and examine life in Oregon and South Carolina.

When exploring the beauty and wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, animals of all shapes and sizes are apparent. The woods are teeming with all varieties of birds, and the forest floors are covered with enough woodland creatures to make Walt Disney proud. 3,000 miles to the east, the woods of South Carolina are also populated with birds and woodland creatures aplenty. The main differences between the two wilderness journeys are not the breathtaking animals to behold, but the animals that can literally take your breath away. Oregon is home to bears and mountain lions that can attack and kill a person strolling through the forest. While attacks by these animals are rare, it is a concern to keep in mind. The wilds of Carolina have different predators in store. There are eight poisonous species of snake that routinely patrol through the forests and marshlands of the Lowcountry. In addition to the snakes, the alligator lurks throughout the swamplands and the drainage systems. The alligators have a wider area of concern as they turn up in swamps, ponds, rivers or any other wetland area, including swimming pools! Considering a majority of the Carolina lowlands is swampland territory, the meetings between people and alligators tend to be more common than those between man and predator out west.

The animals are not the only attraction to see in either of these states. The scenic wonders are breathtaking and plentiful in Oregon. Growing up in the lush Willamette Valley, home of some of the greatest farmland in all the country, everything was within a two hour drive. There are mountains and forests surrounding the valley to provide year long entertainment. Hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter are the norm for the mountain ranges throughout Oregon. South Carolina has few mountains to call their own, and the mountains they do have are hours away from the majority of the state’s population. For skiing, pack the car and head to North Carolina or Tennessee because the mountains of South Carolina are not equipped for winter festivities.

Like the twin mountain ranges, the scenic coastline of Oregon is one of the most beautiful in the world. The jagged rock formations that line the coast contain the treasures of the deep washed within their tide pools. The majestic crashing waves wash seashells and sand dollars ashore for the avid or casual stroller to find. Sadly, the frigid Pacific temperatures make the water unbearably cold for swimmers except during the short summer months. South Carolina boasts an impressive coastline with sandy beaches and warm water that allows swimmers access nearly year round. Shells also wash ashore across the warm sands, and on occasion families of starfish can be found stranded by the receding tides. Unlike Oregon, the shores of Carolina are not very scenic, simply miles of sand stretching out before the beachgoer. The waves also do not provide hours of crashing entertainment as they are much smaller and less impressive than their Pacific counterparts, except during hurricane season.

This brings to mind the final comparison between the two sides of the country- the weather. Oregon has all four seasons in magnificent glory. The summer is hot, but rarely sees multiple days over 100°. If the heat is unbearable, standing in the shade will actually provide cool comfort. When winter comes along, temperatures will fall and snow becomes a likely prospect. South Carolina has the same four seasons, but with an increased temperature. The summers become unbearable as multiple 100° days are commonplace. It is not just the heat; the humidity also plays an important part as the stifling oppressive heat bears down turning 90° days into heat indexes over triple digits. When winter finally sets in, life becomes comfortable, at least as far as the temperature goes. The threat of snow is nearly nonexistent, and on the off chance of any snowfall, the entire state loses it’s collective mind in a panic.

The biggest weather misconception that plagues the entire Pacific Northwest is that it rains there all the time. Growing up in Oregon can make this myth seem real as the rain does fall with seeming regularity. Oregon rain, however, is simply falling. It rains and stops, or persists lightly all day. When compared to the near-daily thunderstorms that provide South Carolina with afternoon deluges all throughout the summer, the myth falls apart. Coupled with the half-year hurricane season, the South simply drowns under rainfall while the Pacific Northwest remains a moderate green.

The results are not surprising when the two states stand head-to-head. Both beautifully loaded with the fullness of nature, they each stand in marked contrast with one another by their presentation. The choice of where to live falls solely on the shoulders of the individual. For this transplanted Northwesterner, Oregon comes out ahead as the better state to live in. The variety of activities that is available all year round can simply not be matched in the South. While living in South Carolina, the call of the pioneer spirit can still be heard today through the voices of so many who long to embrace their adventurous spirit, beckoning to once again: Go west young man!

A Letter to the Governor


Governor Mark Sanford
PO Box 12267
Columbia, SC 29211

Dear Governor Sanford:

I am writing to you today as a concerned parent of homeschooled children. A recent news report by Connie LeGrand from News Channel 7 entitled “Reading, Writing and Regulation” on July 10th cast an ominous shadow over the entire homeschooling community with the use of almost one-sided, scare-tactic reporting and the threat of pending legislation in the fall to bring homeschoolers under a tighter authority by Education and Public Works Chairman, Representative Bob Walker. Officials are upset because of information that appears contradictory when viewed in the context of the story. Third option homeschools report their progress annually to the associations they belong to. The associations then pass along the numbers of families who are homeschooling in the districts as required by law. Representative Walker claims that he has no idea how many families currently homeschool under this option, but that notion should be patently false if the associations are indeed following the letter of the law. What are more telling are the remarks of Superintendent of Spartanburg District 1 schools, Dr. Jimmy Littlefield who said in the story “But we have no clue who they are-who the individual children are out there.”

No offense meant to Dr. Littlefield, but the school district doesn’t have to know who the specific children are, the law made that clear when it was adopted in 1992. The story in question presented the concerns of a father and grandmother who were concerned that the 8 year old son was having difficulty reading. If you raise this flag to public officials, they will of course feel outrage that children are “slipping through the cracks”, and yet where is their concern for the hundreds of children that “slip through the cracks” of the public school system or private schools throughout the state? They fail to realize that in a normal homeschool environment, the students have a ratio of 1:1 with their teacher, or at worst, 7-10:1, depending on how many children the family has. No offense to President George W. Bush, but “No Child Left Behind” was invented by homeschoolers. We don’t slap a label on our students and pass them to the next grade and wait for the problem to be fixed by someone else. We work with that student until the problem is resolved, putting in the hours beside our children as we struggle together to break through the learning barriers.

As a father of six, I have enjoyed watching my four oldest grow and learn as we teach them daily. I know the feeling of struggling and the tears from both the parent and the child as the tear-filled eyes look you in the face and say, “I’ll never be able to read!” This has happened to me with all four of my children so far. So we try new books, and we juggle teaching behaviors trying to find what magical combination of teaching skills will unlock the capabilities within that child. My oldest son, now in 6th grade, struggled with reading up through the middle of 3rd grade. Then suddenly, one day, it simply clicked with him. He is now one of the strongest readers in the house, reading at above an 8th grade level. His vocabulary skills rival that of any average high school student.

As my children’s education has proven, homeschooling really works. However, educators agree. A study in 1998 by Dr. Rudner showed the following: In Spring 1998, 20,760 K-12 home school students in 11,930 families were administered either the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) or the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP), depending on their current grade. The parents responded to a questionnaire requesting background and demographic information. Major findings include the following: the achievement test scores of this group of home school students are exceptionally high--the median scores were typically in the 70th to 80th percentile; 25% of home school students are enrolled one or more grades above their age-level public and private school peers; this group of home school parents has more formal education than parents in the general population; the median income for home school families is significantly higher than that of all families with children in the United States; and almost all home school students are in married couple families. Because this experiment was not a controlled, experiment, the study does not demonstrate that home schooling is superior to public or private schools, and the results must be interpreted with caution. The report clearly suggests, however, that home school students do quite well in that educational environment.

Roughly 3% of the student population of the United States is homeschooled. As I prepare to deploy to the desert next month, I wish I could leave my wife and family with a peace of mind that there will be no troublesome legislation looming over their head while I am away. I have homeschooled my the children in Maryland, Europe, and here in South Carolina. I will continue to homeschool wherever the Air Force decides to send us. Like the overwhelming majority of homeschool families, I will also support whatever legislation is in place on how to homeschool my children. I will also actively lobby against further restrictive legislation that attempts to erode rights and freedoms I already enjoy.

Governor Sanford, I urge you to veto any legislation that might come before you this fall that calls for more restrictive legislation regarding homeschooling than we currently have. If any legislation should be passed concerning homeschooling, I would hope that South Carolina might follow the lead of Alaska and Texas and have no form of homeschool legislation whatsoever. Show the rest of the world that South Carolina embraces homeschooling and will help the parents continue to help mold and shape the next generation of students. Colleges accept and desire homeschooled students. The military recognizes the benefits of homeschooled students. Last week in a monumental decision, the Supreme Court acknowledged homeschooling as a legitimate, viable option for educating children. Let South Carolina follow this lead, and allow no further restrictive legislation regarding homeschooling.

Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.

Homeschooling in the 21st Century

Homeschooling is not a secret society of religious zealots or socially defunct parents that the American public thinks of with a broad stereotypical vision. The children are not locked in dungeons to avoid contact with the evils of society and then married off to a distant cousin at the age of eighteen because they are socially inept at functioning in the real world. Instead, real people who have real jobs are deciding for one reason or another, that they feel it would be in the best interests of their family to educate their children at home. It can be for religious reasons, it could be due to distrust of the public school system; every parent approaches homeschooling on their own terms and conditions. Why would parents take on this massive responsibility? Isn’t it enough to provide for a family? To take on the role of provider and educator is a daunting task. If the child struggles, there is no blame that can be passed to a public school system that fails; instead the burden must be wholly shouldered by the parents. Time and again statistics show that homeschoolers do a better job of educating children, and they do it for much less money. Why risk the wrath of a public school system that sees homeschoolers as a threat that needs to be eradicated? The answer is almost too obvious; they do it for the children.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and many other statesmen who are credited as the founding fathers of America were not born as leaders of a new country. They were raised in their families where any education took place in the home, not in a public school setting. Research on the history of the public school system shoes the fact that it was not be until after 1840 that public schooling became free for all children to attend. Up until that time, education was performed at home or in small communities and any location that had a public school was for wealthy children only (Thattai, 2001). In 1918, all of the states required children to attend at least elementary school. In a mere 70 years, homeschooling was nearly forgotten as the public school system ruled the landscape. What would happen to the educational ways that were good enough for the framers of the Constitution, but were no longer good enough for the children of America?

Meanwhile, down but not out, homeschooling survived in pockets throughout the country. During the tumultuous times of the sixties and early seventies, there was a movement to return education back to the family as people grew disillusioned with the public school system. In 1983, the Home School Legal Defense Association was founded by homeschooling parents who were also lawyers (HSLDA, 2007). Through the rest of the decade they worked within the legal system and often battled states to secure legal rights for homeschooling parents in every state of the union and the territories as well.

Every state has a compulsory age for children to attend school (Education Commission, 2005). No state has a compulsory requirement that the children learn and advance within the school system. The outrage has been mentioned every few years as students graduate from high school and shock the world with allegations that they are unable to read or write. How can this happen in America? Yet it does, as teachers pass troubled or special students on to other teachers hoping that the problem will be fixed, but if not, at least the problem is no longer theirs to deal with. This is not discussed to paint the public school system with a broad brush of inadequacy. For every student that cannot read, there was a teacher that worked tirelessly to make their students achieve more than they ever thought possible, and every few years Hollywood will treat the public to their life story. There are good stories along with the bad, and broad accusations should not be tossed around lightly. Conversely, accusations that claim homeschool families are attempting to circumvent the system should also be silenced.

Who has more investment in the education of a child, a parent or a teacher? Teachers are outnumbered 15, 20, 30 or more to one. Homeschool parents often enjoy the one to one ratio, or depending on how many children, a ratio that is far less than what public school teachers endure. This allows the parent to tailor the education and training toward the individual child instead of hoping that all of the students get the concept as the class must move along in the syllabus in the hopes of ending the school year on time. The majority of homeschools are run year round. This fulfills the 180 days of education that is required for annual teaching requirements (HSLDA, 2007). This 365 day school year allows for additional time to slow down and make sure that a child truly grasps the subjects that are being taught to them. “No Child Left Behind” was invented by homeschoolers, and had been in practice for 20 years before President Bush even took office. Looking at the statistics from homeschool students during this time shows that the extra time given to the student truly pays off.

A research project by Lawrence Rudner in 1998 showed that homeschool students outperformed students in public and private schools (Rudner, 1999). Some of the findings showed that 25% of homeschoolers were enrolled in grade levels higher than their age level and scores from all grade levels were normally in the 70-90th percentile when compared to the national average of the 50th percentile (1999). On average, an 8th or 9th grade student was achieving scores on standardized tests that rivaled or exceeded that of a public high school senior (1999). According to 2006 statistics from the American College of Testing (ACT) exams, homeschoolers have outscored the national average for 10 straight years. Homeschoolers began being tracked by ACT in 1996 (HSLDA, 2007). In a research paper by Professor Romanowski provided the same superior statistical scores on ACT and SAT testing (Romanowski, 2006) independent from HSLDA findings. These statistics hold true with the findings Rudner had nearly a decade earlier; homeschooling not only works, but it works very well.

Three of the last seven spelling bee champions have been homeschooled (HSLDA, 2007). A 10 year old won the geography bee, the youngest student ever to win this contest. This does not mean that parents are teaching their children only one subject or concentrating on winning competitions. Homeschool parents do not have to run a school in the same conventional way that the public school system does. There is no wasted time of reading answers and correcting papers for 35 students and assigning hours of homework in the hope that half the class will grasp the concept. The close interaction between student and parent allows both to realize when the subject has been grasped and when something must be repeated to make sense. The needs of the student continue to come first, something that is overlooked in the public school system as too often the school is more concerned about fixing years of neglect to ensure they receive the funding for the next year.

The ultimate acknowledgement for homeschooling finally came in 2007 when the Supreme Court ruled that homeschooling was a legitimate option for parents who were concerned with the way their children were treated in the public school system (HSLDA, 2007). Only 3% of the student population in the United States is homeschooled. They are not attempting to subvert and overthrow the public school system; the homeschool family simply wants equal care in the legitimacy of what they do in the education of their children. Even something as simple as a trip to the library can be a chore as author Ann Slattery observed. To be free to take a trip to the public library during the day without fear of people contacting school districts due to truancy is a dream for many homeschool families (Slattery, 2005). They are operating within the letter of the law as established by each state yet have the fear of legal action because most public school officials and concerned citizens are oblivious to the homeschooling rules until legal action has already been started. Homeschooling should be embraced as another legal option to educate the children. This helps keep schools from becoming overcrowded and teachers overburdened with still more students.

The proof is out there that not only does homeschooling work; it works more effectively than the public school system. Public schools will not go away as an entity as homeschooling becomes embraced by the American public. Not every parent is willing or able to take on the daunting task of educating their children. For those that have found homeschooling as their calling, they should be allowed to homeschool without constant attacks against their ability to do what they feel are the best decisions for their families. The Washingtons, Jeffersons and Franklins of the 21st century need their chance to learn and become productive members of society.

Biology 103...

The Human Papillomavirus

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the name for a strain of over 100 viruses, the majority of which are transferred during sexual contact. Once infected, most individuals are not even aware that they are carrying the disease and may transfer it to other partners or continue transferring back and forth with the original host. Some of the strains are relatively harmless and will pass over time, while others are more deadly and can result in cancer in their victims. Scientific research has moved forward in the prevention and cure of these viruses, and a vaccine has recently been created that may prevent the cancerous strains of the virus in young women.

According to the Center of Disease Control, over 20 million people have contracted at least one form of the HPV virus (CDC 2004). Estimates suggest that half of all sexually active men and women will contract at least one strain of the HPV virus during their lifetime (2004). The majority of the people who have contracted a form of HPV will be completely unaware that they have even been exposed, depending on which strain of the virus they have been infected with. Depending on the sexual activity of the individual, the virus could be spread among the population or self-contained within a monogamous setting. The only upside that the virus has is like most viruses, it will normally go away of its own volition over time. Often, the individual may never even know they suffered with any virus at all, but that is not always the case.

While the majority of the HPV strains have no noticeable side effects to even let the person know that they have been infected, certain strains provide obvious clues to the individuals and allow the person to seek treatment. The most common of the strains is genital warts (American Cancer Society, 2007). There are different methods of treatment for the warts. There are medicines that can be prescribed from doctors, or homemade remedies that can be found online. Another popular form of treatment is simply treating the virus like other forms of viral strains, and waiting for it to simply go away on its own. There is no prescribed method of HPV virus treatment from the CDC for a standard form of care. Since there is no standard one-size fits all treatment, doctors and patients proceed cautiously during treatment to try what might work best depending on the strain of virus, the severity of outbreak and willingness of the patient. Naturally, since the majority of these strains are very benign, it is rare that they are even noticed at all. Often it is just luck that a patient happened to be being treated for one thing when the HPV is diagnosed.

Normally when a woman receives her annual gynecological exam, everything turns out fine. However, when the patient has been exposed to HPV, abnormal pap smears will alert the doctors that the patient may have been exposed to an HPV strain and then they can decide what course of action, if any, is required to be taken. The results that women receive on pap smears will often give them a hint that something is wrong. Men normally do not have any exam that routinely catches or even screens for the HPV virus. Unless they have something noticeably visible such as genital warts, they will never realize they have been exposed, nor will they seek treatment. This is normally how the virus manages to linger and spread among a population. Unseen and undetected, the virus will spread among the participants for as long as the virus can sustain itself. For a vast majority of those that become infected, HPV is nothing more to their life than an annoyance.

There are however, a percentage of women where HPV takes a deadly turn and can develop into cervical cancer. According to CDC statistics (2004), 10 of the 30 strains of HPV that cause genital HPV can cause cervical cancer in women. CDC estimates from 2004 estimate that over 10,000 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed each year, and over 3,000 of those patients will die (2004). Research on this matter shows that normally this cancer is attributed to women who engage in activity with high risk HPV carriers and who also do not receive regular gynecological exams that could detect the cancerous cells at an earlier stage. If they receive an annual exam, the majority of the cancerous cells can be detected and treated before it develops into an invasive case of cervical cancer (2004). Routine care can find and detect the HPV strain, but routine care can also prevent HPV as well.

As with any sexually transmitted disease, there are some easy steps that can be taken to avoid being infected with HPV or anything worse. Abstinence, the age-old solution to a wealth of problems from HIV to pregnancy and everything in between, is the easiest way to avoid contracting HPV or anything else for that matter. The effectiveness of abstinence however is proportionate in resolve with that of the willpower of the individual. Peer pressure will often overwhelm an individual, and this first and best line of defense will weaken and fall when presented with temptation. At this point, possibly the only thing separating someone from pregnancy or disease is now a miniscule piece of latex (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 2007) that may or may not prove to be effective. At least the addition of protection will provide a layer of protection that those without will not enjoy, and likely wind up exposed to a strain of HPV or something worse. If the individuals must engage in salient behavior, they should attempt to do so in a monogamous relationship. This will help prevent any additional influx or outbreak of virus strains into additional unwitting participants. Science attempted to take a step further in attempting to solve the HPV problem, and may have created a new solution.

In 2006, researchers at Merck unveiled Gardasil, a vaccine that is designed to prevent the cancer-causing strains of the HPV virus and the strains that also cause genital warts (Gardasil, 2007). The hope is that vaccinating the girls before they come into sexual activity with potential HPV carriers will reduce or eliminate their chances of being exposed to HPV and potentially developing cervical cancer later in life. So widespread is the belief that Gardasil is the answer to HPV, many states have adopted it as a mandatory shot for girls starting at the age of eleven. This has caused a stir among parents who wonder why a shot to cure sexually transmitted viruses is being mandated for children not yet even in their teens. The latest desire is to provide Gardasil to young boys in the hopes that they will have protection against genital warts and possibly reduce the risk of cervical cancer in girls as well (American Cancer, 2007). Sadly the drug is still too new to know if the benefits it claims to produce really exist, or if this is just a 21st century spin on the snake oil sellers of old. There are many claims about the side effects of the drug on the young girls receiving the shot, and Merck is receiving backlash from many groups for possibly pushing the drug through development and the FDA before the product was completely ready. The potential for a vaccine that could help prevent cancer opens the realm of hope that further vaccines will be developed that could attempt to prevent or cure other forms of cancer. Hopefully the controversy over Gardasil will encourage scientists to find a new path to follow; a medication that does what it claims and does not drive an ethical wedge between patients and doctors.

The pieces are all in place as science moves forward through the 21st century to further isolate and prevent strains of disease. Tackling a more benign yet problematic strain as presented by the human papillomavirus is a step that cancer researchers everywhere can turn to as a sign of hope and achievement. For the most part HPV is a quiet virus that does not often show the ugly side to the victims, yet sexually transmitted diseases are probably the disease that has plagued mankind the longest. Perhaps with further research and development, many of the 100 strains of HPV could be completely eliminated or provided vaccination against in the future. Any advancement in the prevention and eradication is a welcome sign for researchers and practitioners everywhere.

Nice essays, Serge, especially the one about Oregon. It sounds like it must have been quite a fascinating place to grow up. You mentioned going to school. Were these done for course assignments, or did you just decide to write them?

Thanks!



Oregon was a beautiful place to grow up. I've been very lucky to live in some gorgeous places my entire life.

These were some essays done last sememster. The first 4 were for English, the last was for Biology 103.

Welcome, Serge!

Thanks Matt!

I've browsed a few times, but was hesitant to jump in with the rest of you guys.


I figured the essays would be an icebreaker.

Nice stuff, Serge. I liked the one about home schooling. I hated school with a passion, and if I were a parent, it's something I'd seriously consider doing.

Have a go at the 'story that never ends', Serge! You couldn't do any worse than I have!

I looked at it yesterday and began pondering...

History 157 ~ The History of the US since 1865.

The Military Necessity for the Internment
Of Japanese-Americans During World War II

The radios all across America brought the news, “Yesterday, December 7, 1941- a date which will live in infamy-the United States was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”¹ With these fateful words, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt let the American people know that Japan had declared war on the United States of America. The neutrality which the United States had tried so hard to sustain during the global conflict was now officially over. Now plunged fully into war, President Roosevelt was determined to win the war, whatever the cost. One of the pressing concerns for the President was the immediate safety of mainland America. Pearl Harbor had shown America that Japan had no qualms about striking far away from their shores, and now the Pacific Fleet was nearly completely destroyed. An air or naval strike along the Pacific Coast of the United States was a very real threat. Living within this area were 112,000 Japanese-Americans, and there were questions about where their loyalties might lie. The President was hard pressed by politicians in California and military advisors that the Japanese-American threat along the West Coast of the United States of America was indeed a real threat. The safety and freedom of the American people was at stake, and the President made his decision. President Roosevelt decided that it was indeed a military necessity to have the 112,000 Japanese-Americans moved from strategic West Coast locations to internment facilities located in other parts of the country.

To understand the perceived threat as Roosevelt did, let us interpret what his intelligence agencies and military advisors were telling him. The population of Japanese living on the West Coast around 1940 numbered 40,000 individuals. They were known as Issei.² However, these Issei were the parents and grandparents of 70,000 Japanese-Americans. Born on American shores, they were citizens, and are referred to as Nisei.³ 112,000 Japanese-Americans living along the West Coast of America, a shoreline that was now unprotected thanks to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Most history records paint over everything that Roosevelt did as nothing more than an extreme case of racism. Anti-Asian sentiment had permeated the West Coast ever since the first Chinese had arrived in the mid 1800’s.4 Those that feel everything that happened during World War II, happened because of racism, fail to see that these Japanese-Americans were ancestors of the same country that had just declared war on America. The same country that had been attempting to negotiate peace with America while preparing an attack against Pearl Harbor at the same time.

With hysteria from the Pearl Harbor attack, and the long history of anti-Asian feelings on the West Coast, it was natural to turn an eye to a group that numbered over 100,000. Where would their loyalties be? Were they loyal to the land of their birth, or the land of their ancestors? Many Issei were members of kenjinakai which were associations of other people from the same clans.5 Others were members of kai organizations which showed loyalty to Japan.6 These kai organizations collected money that was sent back to Japan and would help support the war effort. For example, “the Togo Kai was named after a hero from the Russo-Japanese War; its purpose was to collect funds for the Japanese navy.”7 Similarly, many Japanese-Americans celebrated holidays that honored the Japanese emperor, the same emperor who had declared war on America.8 It is easy to see these prejudices did not help the Issei and Nissei when President Roosevelt was pressed with a decision.

News from the Hawaiian Islands contributed to Roosevelt’s decision. After Pearl Harbor, a Japanese pilot landed on the island of Niihau.9 He received aid from Japanese-Americans living on the island. The pilot threatened the village, and attempted to coerce them all to give him aid as the first couple had already done. With promises that the Japanese were coming and would take over the island soon, it was an easy decision for some to make, and a difficult one for others who were solely allegiant to the United States. Two of the islanders fought back and killed the pilot. The Japanese-American who had given him aid was shamed, and committed suicide.10 The news was broadcast back in Hawaii, and would eventually be reported in Washington D.C. In summarizing the aid of the enemy on Niihau Island, the district intelligence officer for the Fourteenth Naval District, Captain Irving Mayfield concluded, “The fact that the two Niihau Japanese who had previously shown no anti-American tendencies went to the aid of the pilot when Japan domination of the island seemed possible, indicates likelihood that Japanese residents previously believed loyal to the United States may aid Japan if further Japanese attacks appear successful.”11 Lieutenant C.B. Baldwin concurred stating that their decisions “indicate a strong possibility that other Japanese residents of the Territory of Hawaii, and Americans of Japanese descent…may give valuable aid to Japanese invaders in cases where the tide of battle is in favor of Japan and where it appears to residents that control of the district may shift from the United States to Japan.”12 Lieutenant Commander Suguru Suzuki of the Japanese naval intelligence concurred, telling Admiral Yamamoto’s chief of staff that if Japan were to invade Hawaii, local Japanese would aide the invading forces.13

Two months after Pearl Harbor, a Japanese submarine surfaced off the coast of California.14 Commander Nishino opened fire on an oil refinery near the town of Ellwood. Their attack damaged an oil derrick and a pier.15 For the first time since the War of 1812, foreign enemies had opened fire on mainland America. The very thought that President Roosevelt had feared, the Japanese navy attacking American shores, had happened. Not even three months had passed since Pearl Harbor, and now the enemy was at the door. Ready to answer that door, 112,000 Japanese-Americans whose loyalties were under scrutiny since the Niihau Island investigation. In Japan, Radio Tokyo declared “Sensible Americans know that the submarine shelling of the Pacific Coast was a warning to the nation that the Paradise created by George Washington is on the verge of destruction.”16

In addition to the attack on American soil, military intelligence had been deciphering Japanese codes since December 1940.17 The code-breaking operation became known as MAGIC after Major General Mauborgne referred to the code-breakers as “magicians”.18 The machines were so perfect, the code-breakers were able to decode the messages nearly as quickly as their Japanese counterparts. Outside of the code-breaker unit, barely a dozen high-ranking officials knew of MAGIC’s existence. Among these individuals was the Secretary of War, Secretary of State and the President himself.19 Messages decoded in January 1941 urged the Japanese embassy and consulates to begin establishing espionage networks to function during a time of war.20 A decoded cable in February gave more specific instructions including: strengthening or supplementing of military preparations on the Pacific Coast. Ship and plane movements, and an additional 10 specific points that related to National Security.21 In June of that year, another cable mentions “making use of a second generation Japanese lawyer to collect intelligence on anti-participation organizations and the anti-Jewish movement.”22

At President Roosevelt’s disposal was usage of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Created in anticipation against war with France, it was first used against the British subjects during the War of 1812.23 The Act is still in force today and authorizes the President to detain, relocate, or deport enemy aliens in time of war.24 “Whenever there shall be a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion shall be perpetrated, attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States, by any foreign nation or government,” all males aged fourteen and older who are not naturalized are “liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured and removed, as alien enemies.”25 Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the FBI began arresting nearly 3,000 possible enemy aliens.26 Half of these were of German and Italian descent,27 discrediting the very notion that the internment of Japanese-Americans was strictly a reaction based on racism. The Alien Enemies Act had been successfully used in the War of 1812, the Civil War and during World War I. 6,300 European enemy aliens had been detained and interned in prison barracks during World War I.27 During World War II, 31,000 enemy aliens, half of those from European ancestry, would be interned in Department of Justice camps.28 By February 1942, with MAGIC communiqués at his disposal that showed a potential for subversive use of Japanese-Americans to aid Japan and the potential for a mainland attack, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 to evacuate Japanese-Americans that lived in or near “military areas” of strategic importance to the Pacific Coast of America.29
Mike Masaoka, the national secretary of the Japanese American Citizens League issued this statement in April 1942, “Our primary consideration as good Americans is the total war effort…We may be temporarily suspending or sacrificing some of our privileges and rights of citizenship in the greater aim of protecting them for all time to come and to defeat those powers which seek to destroy them.”30 In the journals of interned Japanese-America Yamato Ichihashi he notes, “there are alien enemies-Japanese, German and Italians and “Internationals.”31 In June 1943, Gordon Hirabayashi challenged a conviction against Executive Order 9066 to the Supreme Court. The court was unanimous in their decision, and Justice Frankfurter talked another Judge into changing his dissenting opinion to not show a break in support for the Army during a time of war that “could play into the hands of the enemy.”32 As Chief Justice Stone noted in his decision, Executive Order 9066 stated that, “the successful prosecution of the war requires every possible protection against espionage and against sabotage to national-defense material, national-defense premises, and national-defense utilities.”33 Justice Douglas concurred, “After the disastrous bombing of Pearl Harbor, the military had a grave problem on its hands. The threat of Japanese invasion of the west coast was not fanciful but real. The presence of many thousands of aliens and citizens of Japanese ancestry in or near to the key points along that coastline aroused special concern in those charged with the defense of the country.”34

By 1944, most of the interned were being released from camps after satisfying national security requirements. The Free Press, a newspaper the interned Japanese-Americans created released this editorial on January 1, 1944 before ending publication as the camps were closed. The editorial as printed:
Greetings to you for a Victorious New Year, people of America; from your kindred 50,000 citizens inside the barbed wire fences. We send you greetings, we who have been lodged by circumstances of war inside these Relocation Centers in the deserts of the West.

In three months we will have spent two years in these centers. The tragic experiences of evacuation, the business losses of the evacuees, the unwarranted hatreds engendered by some people because of our hereditary kinship with the Asiatic foe-these we write off our ledger…
In seeking to resettle and re-establish ourselves in our respective trades, businesses and professions, we realize the unwisdom of trying to force ourselves upon a people who view us with suspicion… We are prepared to shoulder our share of further sacrifices. We will not shirk…[Some] who have already left are contributing to our embattled nation’s war effort in Europe and the South Pacific…
We ask you, the American people, to try us on our own merits, realizing it is one of the characteristics of the country we love to appraise its people by the contribution they can make toward the total welfare of the nation.35
So it was, the internment camps slowly the camps were all shut down. The Japanese-Americans returned to freedom to begin their lives anew. Soon, World War II would finally come to a close. The MAGIC decodings had proven invaluable to American military intelligence. The Alien Enemies Act and Executive Order 9066 had allowed the West Coast of America to be free of potential enemy agents and saboteurs that could give aid and information to the enemy.

Clearly the relocation and internment had proven to be a military necessity. The attack on mainland America, coupled with the Niihau Island report and MAGIC decodings helped ensure the United States Supreme Court would uphold Executive Order 9066. Untold lives were saved by removing any chance of sabotage or spying along the West Coast. This prevented the war from continuing any longer than it did. While Roosevelt’s decision was not an easy one to make, it is the choice that helped keep the United States safe and free.



My first "C" paper.

Ever.