red onion

The news is all bad. The killing of 13 protesters in Iraq, the ongoing question of the killing of journalists in Iraq, the war itself, the hatred it has spawned; it seems our leaders have no conscience, and have lost touch with their most basic humanity. Iraq has become the American killing fields, just like Vietnam before. We haven't learned, from our mistakes. How many time must we repeat them? How do our leaders hide their shame? In private worlds of our leaders, what games do they play with each other in order to shelter the truth from each other? I would imagine, blanketing the issue is a common tactic. Large, generalized, sweeping, blanket statements, such as, "The Iraqis needed to be brought kicking and screaming into the 20th century. Nevermind the 21st century." This was actually a statement I heard on a morning radio talk shock, I mean, show. No matter what rung the ladder, the war proponents still speak the same language, the same rationalizations, self-justifications, only the stakes are much higher as you travel up the ladder. We have become bullies, in the name of our beliefs. Dangerous bullies, intent on fullfilling our greedy coffers, and justify our obscene actions in terms of racist "they can't govern themselves" beliefs, refusing to look at ourselves in this house of mirrors while we lose control of our own economy. We have lost our way.