Comparing Wars makes no sense


Knowing what a tremendous sacrifice military service is, both for those who serve and for their families, it sickens me that these lives were given for such an ill-advised, unilateral, and imperialistic war like the one we're fighting in Iraq.

I don't often just write extemporaneously, but I heard something on NPR today that motivated me to give it a shot.

Sen. John McCain was speaking about the Iraq War, and compared it to the losses sustained at Palau in WWII. Palau was one of the last islands taken in the battle of the Pacific, and one of the most bloody. Nearly 7,000 Marines were lost, said Sen. McCain, and 1,500 soldiers from the Army as well.

He seemed to be trying to make the point that Americans have lost their tolerance for War, that we've forgotten what real loss is. I disagree. Americans know all too well about real loss, and the fact that we've lost tolerance for our sons and daughters being killed is a good thing. As of this writing, nearly 700 brave soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq; more than 50,000 died in Vietnam, half a million died in WWII and over 100,000 died in WWI. Our country is honored by the sacrifice made by these brave soldiers. Trying to say that because ONLY 700 have died, our resolve somehow isn't as strong as it was in WWII or Vietnam cheapens the service of those soldiers in Iraq.

ANY loss of life is tragic in war, and more lives lost doesn't make any one single death more or less valuable.

Knowing what a tremendous sacrifice military service is, both for those who serve and for their families, it sickens me that these lives were given for such an ill-advised, unilateral, and imperialistic war like the one we're fighting in Iraq. This war isn't about freedom or democracy. This war isn't about terrorism or making our country safer. This war is about money and oil, about lining the pockets of the Bush family and Cheney and his Halliburton cohorts.

I support our troops -- they're just doing their job, the best they can, given their circumstances. Military life just works that way.

It's our Commander and Chief and his advisors I disagree with.

Posted: Thu - April 15, 2004 at 08:55 PM          

©