Update: This photo expresses so much more than I can say with mere words.
John Moore, Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery / Getty Images
More info behind this photo is available, here and here.
Five years ago, I expressed my concerns about the war that has now lasted longer than WWII. Sad to say, almost everything I wrote about turned out worse than any of us could have imagined back then.
My friend Ben writes eloquently about one of the techniques that have been used to prolong the occupation: “another 12 to 18 months and things will be fine.” Right. That’s worked pretty well; almost as well as hiding one’s head in the sand like an ostrich.
And soon 4000 Americans will be dead. 40,000 have been wounded, and let’s not talk about how America has failed them with under-funded veterans health care and other benefits.
And I suppose it’s fitting that this post simply end, with no real conclusion, for I have no great insights, I have no reserves of energy to keep fighting this thing, but unlike the ceaseless and indeterminate occupation, I can stop.
Such a sad photo. And no one who can stop this seems to care. Oh, they care but not about lives. About oil. About money. About themselves. You see none of their kids fighting to keep us safe. I have no answers. And to think of how many innocent Iraqis have died or been wounded. Boggles the mind.