Apparently enough is NOT enough...

Hi all,
Generally this blog is about an American couple's idylls in our adopted home of New Zealand, but recent news around the world has compelled me to talk a bit about the current state of affairs regarding US foreign policy especially as we are now seeing it through the eyes of those whom we live amidst.

Are we as Americans so busy trying to keep our heads above the financial waves that we have no time for activism against this increasingly disheartening and futile war without end in Iraq? Can you "support" the troops and not support the war? To those who look askance and question your patriotism if you're not fully behind the troops, I say "wake up," those men and women volunteered to be there and have no one to blame but themselves. You can't have it both ways, you can't tout an all volunteer army and then bemoan the fate of those whose choice ultimately may put them in harm's way, besides the fact that their own choice put them in a position to take the life of another. Any loss of life is lamentable but can one be honest and admit that the troops chose their path and must accept the consequences of their choice?

And what of the fate of Iraqis? Being a history teacher is both a blessing but mainly, a curse. From time immemorial Mesopotamia has been awash in blood, mostly of the innocent, who have neither the means or inclination to escape those on the warpath for whatever moronic or fallacious reason. Sumerian priests exhorted their captive and captivated followers to smite those "others" deemed dangerous to the city-state. "Deus Vult" has an excruciatingly sad and gory past and present, from Sargon and his ilk, to the Crusades, to G.W. bush who apparently hallucinates that god is blessing his effort to bring US style democracy to biblical eden. One of my favorite headlines from the parody news source "Onion" was "Dead Iraqi Would Have Loved Democracy."

I'm so glad that now in the 21st century we can see through those charlatans who claim to represent god on earth yet advocate violence against those made in his image...
oh wait...
I just checked my bible again and somewhere in the back I found these old chestnuts, "turn the other cheek," "forgive," and "love thine enemies (not exterminate them)." Was Jesus misquoted? Apparently so...

By now I would hope that only the dimmest dittoheads could still be clinging to the WMD fabrication, 9/11 connection, or whatever
perverse lie/rationalization is used to justify the bloodletting that continues. How obscene must the level of war profiteering be to finally compel those millions of kind and decent Americans to rise up in collective angst and rage and say "No More in Our Name." I guess enough is not quite enough...