What Price?

The United States government as opposed to the Bush administration is now telling American Fighting men and women that their tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan are going to be lengthened to 15 months from the now stated 12 months. This length increase traded for a guarantee of 12 months at home in between tours. I was under the impression and so were a lot of soldiers they already got to stay home for twelve months between tours. Was the Bush administration lying then or now?

Who cares? I’m of the opinion that not enough of you do. You’re not volunteering for service so you don’t give a damn if other young men and women get to spend an extra three months in a combat zone. You’re not going over there, you have nothing to worry about, and you don’t have to dodge bullets or IEDs. You just keep putting three-dollar a gallon gas into your car and drive off to the movies.

How can you keep letting a small, dedicated group of people risk their lives in combat as you play video games in the safety of your living rooms? How do you justify that inequity to yourselves? How do you sleep at night? Apparently you can without any qualms and visions of sugarplums dancing in your head.

Last year in the U S approximately 45,000 people died in car accidents. Another 45,000 to 50,000 died as a result of a gunshot wound. 200,000 or so died from the effects of cancer. About that same number died from heart disease. Where are the wars to stop these killers of Americans? Far greater numbers die each year from these causes than died in the attacks of 911. Why have we the people let 3,200 and counting young Americans die in Iraq and Afghanistan?

What are you afraid of America? How did you get to this state? What are you willing to change in order for the betterment of all? Please, starting right now, require more personal involvement from yourselves and demand greater integrity from our government.