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Edited on Mon May-31-10 07:46 PM by NRaleighLiberal
A few thoughts came into alignment for me...triggered by working my way through the Pat Tillman book written by Krakauer.
So, as a country, we do everything we can to stay healthy. We load up on vitamins, or pharmaceuticals, we exercise - all so we can live as long as we can - because life is dear, or because we are so fearful of what's to come that life is all we have, all we know.
Then we have governments that throw people mindlessly into battle - counting on "attrition" (killing more of them than us) to win (whatever that means). All that live healthy stuff - all out the window, because of a thirst for oil, or hunger for the blood of revenge. The Governments don't even think their way through the ramifications, or if the war makes any particular sense.
It really clicked on when reading the part of the book where it is posed by the author that bin laden was itching for us to go into Afghanistan after the 911 attacks - to draw us into the type of endless senseless war that the USSR fought and lost.
And so here we are - continuing to chuck people into the amorphous "war" named Afghanistan - for what? Why?
Editing to add this: another trigger - we saw "The Messenger" last night. Made a big impact on us. Redoubled the message - war makes no sense.
I just thought on this Memorial Day it would be useful to, as we remember and give thanks for those that fought and died for their country, also remember of the great waste that war often is, dreamed up by politicians who for the most part are well removed from the action and the danger.
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