Wisdoms from the Journey - Vol IV (Nov 2011 thru Apr 2012) | Page 62

The War on Peace … ( 03 / 26 / 2012 )

The War on Peace … ( 03 / 26 / 2012 )

“ When we remember that we are all mad , the mysteries disappear and life stands explained .” ~ Mark Twain
Today marks the 10 year , 5 month , 19 day anniversary of our entry into the Afghanistan War — a conflict that has claimed the lives of at least 49,344 lives ( that is the low-end estimate ; the real total is probably much , much higher ) … with at least one fourth of those killed being civilians who had nothing at all to do with the war ; civilians whose family-members now have a very understandable rage against and hatred for the United States . In essence , we have engaged a “ war on terror ” and are thereby creating terrorists … That is completely insane .
We also learn today that the American government has agreed to pay $ 50,000 to the families of each of the 16 Afghani citizens killed by a U . S . soldier earlier this year after he opened fire on them while they slept . $ 50,000 ? … seriously ? … That , too , is just as crazy .
Throwing our money around is not going to solve the problem . Apologizing sincerely , leaving the country immediately , and sending planeloads of flowers & food would be a start . And as ridiculous as that last option sounds , it ’ s actually not too far-fetched a concept — After all , 33 years ago today Egypt and Israel signed a Peace Accord that actually bore good fruit for many years .
Of course , such a rational choice is simply not going to happen . There is too much “ wealth ” at stake — there are too many egos involved ; too many folks who don ’ t have the guts to be courageous enough to do the Right Thing and humbly step away when they had the chance .
“ Our enemies are innovative and resourceful , and so are we . They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people … and neither do we .” ~ George W . Bush ( signing a multi-billion dollar defense spending bill )
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