Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Happy Anniversary?

It's been five years since the war in Iraq started.

Think back...where were you in your life five years ago? Were you comfortable in that new home (with that mortage you thought would never go up), in a decent job, thinking, like I was, hey, this war is only going to last a short while! Besides, Saddam has WMD's! He aided Osama! Our President has the evidence! Screw that U.N. and the French for not beleiving us!

Five years ago, a majority of us supported the war with the firm belief that we were doing the right thing. And then guess what happened on the way to celebrating shock and awe? The truth won out, like it always does.

We may not like the truth (can we even handle it?). It can be ugly. It can be uncomfortable. It can force us to admit we were/are wrong.

And we were wrong. Horribly wrong.

In our hope that justice would be served, one way or another on Bin Laden, our bravest of citizens, and their families, have paid the highest cost. In return, we give the injured or the families that are left behind, little help. It's a sad sign of our times when we allow former Congressmen that serve just a few years better benefits than those that serve in the military or have seen action.

To make things worse, there is no end in sight. And our press, while touching on the issue today, still seemed more concerned with the release of Hillary Clinton's minutes from her husband's presidency (where was she the night Monica's dress got stained?).

Shame on us for letting Bush have his way without we, the people, actually taking time to think "Is this the right thing to do?"

Shame on us for letting the press focus more on the former Govenor Spitzer's hooker than on the millions in Iraq who are homeless or not maintaining the pressure on the V.A. to ensure they treat our vets and their dependents with the respect they deserve.

Shame on us for falling for the Bush argument a second time in 2004...and falling for it again when we hear "the Surge is working."

It's working? Of course, the massacre isn't as bad as it was last year but we are only about ten people away from having four thousand dead. And no, those numbers are not as hideous as Vietnam, World War 1 or 2, but it's unnecessary. Four thousand for us and thousands of Iraqis. And yet, our President finds the cause of war "romantic?"

I guess it wasn't romantic enough for him to fight in Vietnam.

On a personal note....

Sorry it's been three weeks since I've written a blog but I've returned back to work now that my health has stabilized. It's good to be among friends again however, I am not letting this latest health setback get in the way of Ivan and I starting our future together. Last year, I was shocked and awed in my own way by what happened to me. This time, I am just pissed off that it happened again; and determined to ensure I am going to spend the rest of my years with my family.