America and shared sacrifice
Not too long ago I made a couple of comments here pointing out the dissonance between those who serve in Iraq, who fight and die on our behalf, and those of who stay home...shopping. In light of the mass murder at Virginia Tech, and the ongoing carnage in Iraq, how is that a gap in blackberry service makes the front page of New York Times?
Did you even know that bomb blasts killed more than 158 people in Baghdad today? Note that these killings were just as pointless and horrible and random as Virginia Tech -- in one instant, 120 people were killed by a car bomb set of inside a marketplace.
I'm no better. I whine when I can't get my email. I complain because of waits on phone calls, and traffic at the shopping center, and book deliveries that don't show up on time. So it brings it all home when I talk to a young 20 year old Marine who has already served 3 tours in Iraq and is now trying to keep from falling apart.
Whether or not you support the war, or whatever, it's time we ALL sacrificed to bring an end to it. For five years I've talked with guys who served in Civil Affairs, and what do they tell me? No nonprofit organizations are operating in Iraq any more. Why aren't Americans -- especially those who think we should get out now -- giving money to support Iraqi NGOs so they can rebuild their institutions? Why aren't we sending books to the universities and supplies to the hospitals and whatever else we can? It's a fact that Gen Petreus has repeatedly said that the solution in Iraq is political and economic, not military. Yet we continue to expect our over-extended military to do it all alone.
So how come we all sit back and go shopping and don't do a damn thing to help in those other areas? Why do we leave it to less than one half of one percent of the population to get cycled back into Iraq over and over again?
End of rant for tonight.
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posted 08/11/2008
So, a large number of people have written and commented in the blog asking when the next chapter will be. The answer is, very very soon. Sometimes real life gets in the way, but I think I'm back on track schedule wise.
Insurgent Chapter Four
posted 04/16/2008
Insurgent Chapter Three
posted 04/05/2008
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