Seven American troops were killed in Iraq last week, five in Kirkuk and two in Diyala. Numbers of Iraqis were killed by bombs and other means. The violence continues. John McCain says the surge is working, and that we can stay in Iraq for many years as the violence decreases. He says we can have victory in Iraq. Will some enterprising newsperson ask him how exactly he defines victory in Iraq. What will it look like? We, the citizens, need to know.
The violence will not continue to decrease. Our military is worn out. Their equipment is worn out. The Iraqis do not have a functional government. They will not have one soon. Despite what McCain says, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
And then there's this story from Jane at Acts of Hope. A young man who had already served in Iraq received a letter saying that he would be redeployed there. He killed himself. He will not be counted as a casualty of the war, but he is very much a casualty of the war. Read the story as Jane tells it. Read her beautiful prayers, prayers that should never have been necessary. He is not alone. Others take their own lives as a result of PTSD after serving in this misbegotten war or to avoid returning to the war. We must bring the troops home. We must end this war.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord have Mercy, indeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd God forgive us for the despicable acts of our leaders.
Amen.
ReplyDeleteI harp on this subject in the (probably vain) hope that I am not preaching only to the choir - that perhaps one person who supports the war will begin to reconsider that support in the light of incidents such as this, a young life lost to what good purpose?
ReplyDeleteAt lunch I watched a bit of CNN, and it struck me how easily the number slip by on the crawl at the bottom of the screen. But amidst the tallies for delegate numbers, I also noted the current figure for American war dead in Iraq up to 3,960. With each life is so precious, what a gap will each one leave...
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, we have no accurate count for Iraqi dead--but it's in the tens of thousands, at least.
ReplyDeleteYes, American lives and Iraqi lives blown away, and the leadership in the Bush maladministration continue to call themselves pro-life.
ReplyDeleteYou know, a couple of years ago, when I first started using the word "maladministration" to refer to Bush and his cohorts, Firefox showed a misspelling warning, but no longer. It's now an acceptable word.
[rueful smile]
ReplyDeleteOT, but I love the music MP dedicated to you.
Kirstin, ya gettin' there.
ReplyDeleteHope so. Keep praying!
ReplyDelete