"Ramblings of a Sane Man" -Editorial Letter

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

Ramblings of a Sane Man

By Dick Kazan

The colossal mistake that is the war in Iraq is growing. As of 7/27, this open ended, undefined conflict has cost 2,571 U.S. soldiers their lives and caused immeasurable heartache to their families.

It has cost over 50,000 Iraqi civilians their lives and has devastated their country.

Adding to the pain, it has emboldened Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Palestinian territories and others as they've watched al-Qaeda and insurgents stop the U.S. military in Iraq with a fraction of the firepower and far fewer soldiers. It is a Jihadist's dream.

And now Jihadists are expanding the attack, as their leadership sacrifices many of their young people in suicide missions and in military actions. These leaders do not sacrifice their own lives but rather the lives of those who believe in them.

In response, Israel with U.S. support is trying to destroy their enemies and leaving death and destruction in their path, for bombs don't know civilians from combatants.

And some U.S. citizens want the U.S. troops to "finish the job" in Iraq meaning to kill even more. Few of those people would put their own lives at risk to do this, nor risk the lives of their family members.

For those who call for more blood to be spilled, I urge them to look at the newspaper and television pictures of human misery and ask themselves where it ends. They may also want to speak with parents who have lost sons and daughters in Iraq and listen to them cry out for their loved ones.

When rational minds prevail, all the parties will go to the bargaining table which is how conflicts are settled. In the meantime people will die.

If those of us who seek peace don't make our voices heard in the media and at the ballot box, years from now when emotions have cooled, as we saw in Vietnam and in many other wars, people will wonder why the wars were fought and why the massive carnage was necessary. They will also wonder why we were silent while it happened.

Dick Kazan

(Posted with permission by NDD) Thank you, Dick

[redqueen]

1. Love that... thanks for posting it here. n/t

[calimary]

2. K&R - especially that last paragraph.

Let NO ONE have the mistaken perception that WE remained silent.

[surfermaw]

3. Did I miss the numbers wounded...