Articles written by Mick Marten

Where Knowledge Rules

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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 > US Military (Other) Should soldiers be allowed to opt out of wars they disagree with?: 1 of 73
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... More..
Education > Education (Other) Should the education system allow teachers and principals to "hit" students if they are misbehaving in class?: 1 of 42
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... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political Issues Commentary: Using torture in the War on Terror: 1 of 24
I have just finished reading some of the articles posted here on this topic, and I can promise you one thing: this piece will not, before your very eyes, morph into an anti-government, or anti-Bush diatribe. I don't begrudge anyone their opinions as long as they respect mine as well, but I do respect the reader's intellect e... More..
Arts & Humanities > British Authors Should Harry Potter author, JK Rowling, have announced that the character Albus Dumbledore was gay?: 1 of 23
I have to admit that Harry Potter books are really not my sort of reading; however, I have followed their progress, since they represent the most exciting and positive development in children's literature in decades, getting kids interested in reading, which is wonderful. With the power that Rowling has shown to get children... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics in Asia Should Japan apologize for victimizing Chinese and Korean "comfort women" in World War II?: 1 of 17
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... More..
Computers & Technology > Phone Technologies & Issues The negative side of text messaging: 1 of 13
Recently in my home we have been having extensive discussions about the pros and cons of text messaging. I list the cons, and my children list the pros; my list is much longer. As a parent, I tend to examine things with an eye to their potential to make problems, hinder achievement, distract from the necessary, and, in gener... More..
Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Why we should be angry about the war in Iraq: 2 of 24
"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 ... More..
Sports & Recreation > Hunting The art of hunting: 2 of 18
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... More..
Society & Lifestyle > African-American Issues White flight's negative impact on the education of African-Americans: 1 of 7
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 ... More..
Society & Lifestyle > African-American Issues Is affirmative action fair?: 11 of 65
When Dr. Martin Luther King said,"We shall overcome", the implication was that there was a barrier set before black people that had to be conquered in order for them to proceed on their way to the American dream. And there was. There were two Americas then, especially in the southern states. Schools, buses, bathrooms, and ev... More..