Articles written by Mick Marten

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About me - Mick Marten

I was born in Detroit, Michigan, where I was raised, and lived until joining the U.S. Air Force, where I served for more than a decade, "visiting" Panama, South America, Europe, and the Middle East.

I have been writing since grade school, mostly as an outlet,

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Politics, News & Issues > Political Issues Commentary: Using torture in the War on Terror: 1 of 19

I have a real concern with what is happening today to the word "torture". I have read and heard accounts of what John McCain endured during his captivity by the North Vietnamese, and I have read accounts of the soldiers captured during the second world war by the Japanese, and these accounts, in my opinion, justify the use o...
Politics, News & Issues > War & Peace Should soldiers be allowed to opt out of wars they disagree with?: 3 of 53

Here in the U.S.A., military membership is voluntary. There is no forced membership, or draft anymore, although young men are supposed to register with "selective service" (information used to locate and notify for draft purposes) at the age of eighteen (few do). All of the young men and women who have served in any conflict...
Sports & Recreation > Hunting The art of hunting: 1 of 13

When early man drew depictions on cave walls of his life, what he saw, how things were, inevitably, there were depictions of hunting. Pictures of stick-men with spears, and four-legged drawings running from, or being killed by them. Great care was taken in making these drawings. So much care, in fact, that particular species...
Politics, News & Issues > War & Peace Why we should be angry about the war in Iraq: 1 of 12

"Why we should be angry about the Iraq war"; What an interesting title! It sort of removes any room for discussion about whether or not we should be angry at all, doesn't it? It's sort of like the old entrapment question that any first year law student has no doubt heard: "Are you still beating your wife?" No matter how you ...
Politics, News & Issues > Politics in Asia Should Japan apologize for victimizing Chinese and Korean "comfort women" in World War II?: 1 of 12

As I've said many times before, the Japanese have a lot to apologize for; the 'comfort women' are certainly one group that is due this apology. I mentioned the horrible and unconscionable treatment of the 'comfort women' in a past article on Helium regarding whether Japanese officials should continue to visit the Yasukuni Sh...
Politics, News & Issues > US Law & Justice (Other) Concealed weapons law in Michigan: Not the answer: 1 of 7

As a Michigan resident, I closely followed the discussion, and eventual passing, of the "shall issue" law in my state. The law stated, in loose paraphrase, that if a person hadn't given obvious reason in the past for the state to disallow them from carrying a concealed handgun, then the state "shall issue" them a permit to d...
Society & Lifestyle > African-American Issues White flight's negative impact on the education of African-Americans: 1 of 6

The term "white flight" is one that I never heard until I was in high school here in the Detroit area, even though I had apparently already lived through it's inception into the lexicon. The term is used to refer to the mass departure of whites from the (at least here) city of Detroit to the suburbs, and the supposed reason ...
Politics, News & Issues > Economic News Commentary: Hosing drivers at the gas pumps: 2 of 11

"Hosing Drivers at the Gas Pumps"....what an appropriate title. We are getting hosed, and in so many ways by so many different parties, that it really begs the question: Why would anyone oppose alternativee fuels? I remember bemoaning the price of gas as it rallied past the one dollar mark as though a meteor had just been sp...
Education > Education (Other) Should the education system allow teachers and principals to "hit" students if they are misbehaving in class?: 7 of 37

I attended a private school (Baptist) from fourth grade until graduation. When I first began attendance, parents were informed that the faculty reserved the right to discipline the children "any way that they saw fit". (This was the actual wording on the waiver) There were spankings, detentions, and kids slapped across the m...
Society & Lifestyle > Immigration Issues Minuteman: Patriotic people or vigilantes?: 1 of 5

For decades at least our southern border has been more non-existent than merely porous. Illegal immigrants (I still use this term, because it is accurate; these are parties who have migrated here illegally) have freely crossed into the USA from our southern borders and back again so easily and for so long, that the outcry th...