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Haven't been on DU much myself, lately. Glad you got to work with the group...it sounds fascinating and congenial, to say the least.
I retired in January and have been traveling. Went down to Isla Mujeres, Mexico and spent 3 weeks. It was interesting to hear questions about Katrina/Rita from all my American and Canadian friends who were on the island at the same time as I. They all wanted to know about Louisiana's "recovery," and a few came out and said the whole fiasco was our governor's fault. Boy, did they get an impromptu tutorial from me!
On the flight down to MX, I met a young soldier in the Houston airport. We were outside smoking, and he was on his way to Iraq for his second tour. He was dressed in the camaflage uniform, so people kept coming up to him and shaking his hand, telling him they would pray for him to stay safe and to thank him for "fighting for our country." I swear, he looked all of 17 years old, like one of my high-school students, wide-eyed and innocent and new. It broke my heart. I finally told him that I, too, also hoped he stayed safe, and that I appreciated the soldiers but did not support the war. He looked at me, very surprised. "Well," he said, "this is the way I look at it: It's better to fight them over there than to have to fight them over here." He was so sincere when he said that. Not wanting to get into a long explanation about what was so wrong with his statement, I just said nothing. He was very proud of his "job" and finally told me that he was much in demand because of his "job." I asked him what his "job" was....he told me he was a sniper. And, he was SO proud of that (a job killing other people), this young, young kid. Depressing.
On my flight back from MX, my seat-mate and I got into a casual conversation about current events, and I told him in no uncertain terms that I did not support this war. His reply to me? "It's better to fight them over there than have to fight them here."
So, you see what has stuck in the public's mind about the war (the ones who support it)? That damn, but meaningless phrase. I was appalled that people are so clueless. They spout platitudes and think they are the some kinds of profound political truth. Damn.
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