Please Explain Why:

Clearly, it is a vast conspiracy to pi$$ off Jughead!

 

I was at the local watering hole down the street from the house on Veteran's Day. The Federally observed one, not the actual one. Well I was there too, but that's not part of the story. Anyway, this older guy wearing a boonie hat, an older army style camo shirt, sweat pants and a pair of army brogans bellied up to the bar next to me with a younger guy not all cammied up like he was, but was wearing a field jacket. I guess he could see the dog tag chain around my neck since I was wearing a long sleeve t-shirt. He asked if the dog tags were mine and I said yes. He asked the usual, service, branch and rank so I told him. He told me his and said "happy Veteran's Day". I thought it was a bit strange. For me a nod and maybe raise a beer would be sufficient, but he drug it out awhile. He introduced the young guy next to him as a combat veteran of Gulf War Part 1. I said "oh yeah, here's to you pal," and "glad you're home" and then I raised my beer and gave the obligatory and sufficient nod. He didn't say anything, just grunted something that sounded like "ok" and commenced with the 1,000 yard stare routine. They got their beers and walked off. I went back to my beer and burger and shrugged it off. It just didn't seem right. No big deal, but I don't care to make a situation or a scene of things like that. Raising a beer and nodding is plenty.

 

I think Clint's right. November 11th, at 11am, 1918 the Armistance went into effect. No more going over the top into the muzzles of machine guns and artillery barrages: HAPPY. If you were still alive the chances are you would stay that way, at least for a time: HAPPY. If you had been wounded and still had most of your parts intact, you now knew you wouldn't be going back: HAPPY. Knowing you wouldn't end up a rotting corpse in a muddy field: HAPPY.

 

Naaah....not buying it. I am going to write it off as "intellectual shallowness" and "knee jerk" greetings. I guess I would feel differently if most people actually new the history of the occaision.

 

Ehhh, I didn't buy it either, but figured, hey put it out there and see if it flies. Apparently it didn't, though I did attempt to make it sound plausible.

The real answer is salt. The decades long effort to get Americans to limit salt intake is having an effect. Years ago (1924 in the US) they iodized salt to combat iodine deficiency in the population. Iodine is an essential mineral in human nutrition and iodine deficiency leads to a number of serious health problems. One of the worst is that lack of iodine in the diet of pregnant females is the number one cause of cretinism in infants. Cretinism is the single largest preventable form of mental retardation in the world.
So 1.) We cut salt 2.) with salt goes the iodine 3.) without iodine retardation increases 4.) with increased retardation phrases like "Happy" Veterans Day occur.
Buy this explaination?

 

yeah nothing happy about it. i alway post it as veterans day remembered or observence

 

Well...I'll tell you...I called my dad and asked him, what he thought about it. HE said he appreciates a Happy Veteran's Day. Because he is a veteran, and because he signed up of his own free will and went to Vietnam...and he's happy to still be alive to be wished a Happy Veteran's Day. That's good enough for me.

 

We used to have a vetrans day..It was short lived and nicked by the policians...turned into armed forces day...hijacked by present conflicts...Nothing against serving members..but the hijack was for a reason and it seems to have worked for them. No holidays...just a quick mention by supercillious politcians on tv every year saying we should remember our armed forces and vetrans...then the vetrans are put back on the shelf and the parades start again.

Cynical? Me..you bet your bottom pound...or dollar or whatever....Recruitment is necessary even when the cuts are in effect...still need those young kids...the vetrans won't mind. Nick their day...