In the last month and through the 1st week of October, over 1,000 American soldiers were wounded in Iraq. In a little over a month, another thousand families have been added to the long and growing list of people left to quietly deal with the real hardships of that debacle. And this is just those with physical injuries. Countless others have discovered there is no glory in war, just hardship, and now have to live with the trauma and memories inflicted on them as lifelong burdens.
Why bother talking about it now? All the talk before did no good and made no difference, save to alienate some friends and relatives who trusted the "news" and to this day can't believe they were duped by their real friends in Washington and on TV. A conspiracy that large can't be possible, so it had to be that we who protested got it wrong. We were the nut cases to be avoided in conversation because whatever we said, we were out of touch with reality and even un-American. Personally, my view on that debacle has put miles between my lady friend and I, but the biggest hit I've taken is with my one brother, the one I "suggested" to that we join the Marines and go Vietnam. He spent his year in Khe Sahn and the jungles, was stricken with malaria, and his health has never right since. He now, like so many Americans, watches Fox News and he listens to his President. We have argued this war so much that now we don't even talk about it anymore. He believes the bullshit every bit as much as I detest it. Within my large family, only one other brother feels as I do, the others we can't talk to. I can't help but wonder how many other families and friendships are similarly divided. Now, here we are today, and it's not over. The kicks in the ass, like the bullshit, has no end. Another thousand casualties, on top of countless Iraqi's, and barely a mention. In my view, among the curious and the thoughtful, the truth has emerged and is plain as day, yet according to an article I read yesterday, a large percentage of Americans STILL believe the lies that were used to launch that invasion. Is all this just water under the bridge, yesterday's bad dream for it's casualties, no longer worthy of attention - or is this something we should be more concerned then ever about? Think about our situation today and our options. We're being programmed to believe there are three options: we can walk away, stay the course, or make the war bigger. Needless to say, the right choice, not to start it, is no longer arguable. We can't turn the clock back. As to the three options: We can't make the war bigger without a draft and/or resorting to big guns and sucking more countries into a larger war. We can't stay the course for very long because the casualty rate is not sustainable. There comes a time when even the all-volunteer (that is, mercenary) troops wouldn't take it anymore. The other option, to walk away, will haunt us more then Vietnam did. It will cost us stature, respect and power in the world, to say the least. At the most we may face terrorism again, and again. Is all lost? No. There is a 4th option: we can come to terms with having been duped and put the protagonists on trial for war crimes for the world to see, to apologize and start making amends for the destruction they've caused, to promote the UN's rightful place in this world, to turn our attention to the blights that face mankind, and to lead the world forward into peaceful exploration of space. This is the track I hoped would come of the Fitzgerald investigation, but apparently the powers that be are even larger then I thought, because he's been neutralized. This gives me the willies, the chills, because I thought that kind of power only happened under Mao, Stalin and in crazed pre-war Germany. I expect to hear that this talk is from the edge of sanity, and that those of us who feel this way are in need of counseling and re-education. I'm tempted to say that I don't give a damn, but I do care about my family and friends and I sincerely wish this never happened. Bill _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
