I'll say it again... HUH....
Soldiers still dying in Iraq. Wait a minute. Hasn't the "war" been over for months now??
As the Pet Shop Boys said, "I hope it's going to be alright... I hope the music plays forever..."
War is one of the ultimate stupidities of mankind. There is never a reason for it. Never. I know some may disagree with me on this, but it's a simple fact. Hatred is energy wasted and misdirected. It's children fighting over toys and jealous of what one has over the other. It's name-calling with guns, knives, and bombs.
Religious beliefs and territorial disputes seem to account for every war ever fought. Of course, in saying this, I am ruling out revolutions. They aren't real wars. They are a plea for human rights and civil treatment. In such cases, physical attacks sometimes are the only methods that work. Any cornered animal will lash out to survive. Fighting for your own inalienable rights is understandable; squabbling over who is better or who owns what is simply grown men acting like children.
Sting said it best in his song, 'Children's Crusade':
"Pawns in the game are not victims of chance
Strewn over fields of Belgium and France
Poppies for young men, such bitter trade
All of those young lives betrayed
All for a children's crusade..."
Sadly, he's right. Soldiers die for someone else's pettiness. They are innocents whose lives are cut short without valid reason. Some of us believe it was justified, citing past arguments and demanding retribution. When all is said and done, is that truly enough? Can we say that the slaughter of a man who honestly knows nothing of his victim but for what he's been fed and taught is a heroic act? Isn't it truly yet another senseless act of violence perpetuated by our own self-cruelty? Where do we draw the line between murder and justifiable homicide? And most importantly, why do we allow the beliefs of one individual in power to determine our own fate?
I say we go back to the old ways with war, and I think George Washington and Napoleon would agree with me: the leaders of the nation should lead the battles as well. Put Bush on a horse and send him charging in front of the soldiers, planning the battles, seeing the casualties firsthand. Maybe if our world leaders were in that place, they would think more carefully before sending in the troops.
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