Friday, December 22, 2006

Ain't gonna think, think war no more

All Things Considered ran a story tonight about the 3rd Infantry Division deploying to Iraq for the third time. Here's a a quote (best I can remember) from the wife of a 17 year veteran of both Desert Storm and the current Desert F**kup:
"We hope and pray that they come home safe, but we know there will be casualties."

I realized something, that in wishing that one's own relative comes home safe, and knowing that some would die, one is actually hoping someone else's family member dies instead.

Sick? No, perfectly normal in such a sad, screwed-up situation.

Don't get me wrong. No one sane (other than dirty f**kin' hippie utopians) believes society can exist without a military. So this sad wish to have the other guy die is a morbid necessity of using military force. Under some conditions, the whole thing would be tragically heroic.

But not this time. Not in Bush's, McCain's, Cheney's war. Nope, pure tragedy is all.

Bastards.

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