Happy Veterans Day!
There are two wars being fought that America has a direct involvement in. One war in Iraq. Another in Afghanistan. The one in Iraq started in 2003. Afghanistan even earlier in 2001. These are wars on terror. The total number of American troops killed to date are around 5,500. Total civilian deaths are around 60,000. And the money? Check this out.
What about post traumatic stress disorder? Or is a troop a pussy if they are 'just shell shocked?' Aren't they told to 'get over it?' Isn't there a stigma against troops who try and get help after they have come home from killing people? What if these troops didn't kill anyone? What if they just tortured different locals for information? Why do people on the left scream and yell at the military for torture but now that Obama has taken over the wars, see no issue with the killing of civilians? Would you rather be water boarded or decapitated? Regardless, what is the mental strain of performing these acts? And why is there a stigma?
And what about the husbands and wives of our troops? Are we doing everything we can to ensure their quality of life? Doing everything we can for their families? Does supporting them in any fiscal way go against the Tea Party principles? Isn't it a little socialist of us to provide entitlements for these folks and their families? Shouldn't the Tea Party look into making huge cuts in defense if they want to lower the debt?
What about the countries we are in? What's going on in Iraq right now? Are the vendors in the streets of Baghdad coming back? Are kids going to school in Tikrit? Are girls still being doused with acid on their way to school in the mountains above Kandahar? Is the NE border region, a place appropriately dubbed 'Swat Valley' safe? Are we making progress?
W was interviewed yesterday by Matt Lauer and said that he doesn't regret going into Iraq without WMD's. An apology wouldn't change the way I feel about the man. No matter the amount of rhetoric, I never thought he was an evil man, just stupid. An apology at this point would be like Buckner apologizing for 1986 or Costner apologizing for everything, needless and way too late. But as a self serving exercise, you may want to reconsider Mr. President.
It's no wonder that so many people hate Muslims. We have been killing and torturing each other for awhile now. They hate us in some of the same ways we hate them. For just being who they/we are. I like to think there are a lot of people in Iraq and Afghanistan who think the same way that I do. They don't hate Americans, they hate war. They want this to be done.
This Veterans Day I'm thinking, writing, and asking questions about war. None of the politicians that ran in the midterms on either side did this. Some of my questions have answers. Some don't. Some are skewed by my being a liberal and some are bipartisan, (because all questions involving government and defense have to viewed through this lens right?)
I encourage you to ask questions. Have uncomfortable conversations about war. Write a poem about Kabul. Watch Saving Private Ryan. Tell a person in uniform thank you. Create opportunities to think about it and not ignore it. Understanding and discourse are the only way that war ends.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." - Jesus Christ
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