Jonelle Degenhardt

“Lieutenant Belguzar? Did you hear me?”
“No, sir. Sorry. Could you repeat your question?”
“What happened on the second of April? I want every detail; everything you were contemplating.”
― Behcet Kaya, Murder on the Naval Base

“Ultimately, social class determines how people think about social class. When asked if poverty in America is the fault of the poor or the fault of the system, 57 percent of business leaders blamed the poor; just 9 percent blamed the system. Labor leaders showed sharply reversed choices: only 15 percent said the poor were at fault while 56 percent blamed the system. (Some people replied “don’t know” or chose a middle position.) The largest single difference between our two main political parties lies in how their members think about social class: 55 percent of Republicans blamed the poor for their poverty, while only 13 percent blamed the system for it; 68 percent of Democrats, on the other hand, blamed the system, while only 5 percent blamed the poor.15”
― James W. Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

“The war draws you into it and changes you forever. That’s what war does best.”
― Michael Zboray, Teenagers War: Vietnam 1969

“The locals call me alligator man, not only because of my scar, but because I keep an alligator by the name of Emma on my boat. I caught her as a young ‘un back in Louisiana. She’s small and doesn’t take up much room. So far, I’ve had no complaints, although I have no illusions that at some point I will be forced to give her up. For now, what better watch dog could I have? No alarm system needed. I simply post my sign, ‘Beware of Alligator’ on the dock.”
― Behcet Kaya, Treacherous Estate