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Talking with my good friend (and fellow grammar cop) late last night, we spent some time reflecting on the grim news that American troop deaths in Iraq had reached 2,000. Then, we spent a few minutes smugly marveling over the inane crap that makes it way into the media.
For example, my friend mentioned a news report she'd seen that baffled her. In it, a reporter said the number of American troops killed in Iraq had reached an "all-time high." Let that one sink in for a second and you'll be unable to control the rolling of your eyes, just as I was. An all-time high, huh? Couldn't that be said about every single day another casualty befalls our troops? I mean, is 2,000 any more of an all-time high than 1,997, 1,998 or 1,999 was?
As my friend pointed out, it's not like these numbers are going to go down, folks. We've reached a new all-time high every single day since the first soldier was killed. And we reach a new one every day another soldier dies needlessly. What inept, half-asleep editor let that ludicrous term slip by without realizing just how distasteful it was? And how unsettling that his was far from the only media outlet to latch on to that highly inappropriate cliche. Americans are getting dumber by the second and the media simply pander to them. It's not pretty.
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But, back to the sad matter at hand. 2,000 precious American lives lost. One for every single year of the past two millennia. Thousands of Iraqi civilians killed. And for what? We are not an inch closer to "Mission Accomplished" than we were when our smirking president stood boastfully under that painfully erroneous, out-and-out offensive banner more than two years ago.
Scientists, meteorologists and everyday people all over the world worry ceaselessly about hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis. But no matter how powerful a fury Mother Nature may unleash on an underprepared Earth, war is by infinite measure the bigger scourge on our society and our planet. Especially an unjustified, illegal war perpetrated by powerful egomaniacs to line their own pockets while tossing other people's children onto the fire for the purpose of getting themselves re-elected, or worse, to trick the American people into believing we were going after an enemy while the real enemy continues to flourish elsewhere, loathing us more with each casualty. 2,000 lives lost in a war based on lies, trickery and fear. And for what?
2,000 American lives lost in Iraq and our administration is doing nothing about it. Kind of like the way they've done nothing about the nearly 3,000 lives lost on September 11, 2001. As always, I just have one question for our worthless president: Where the fuck is Osama bin Laden? Remember him? The guy you promised would "hear from all of us soon" when you made your inspiring speech in lower Manhattan FOUR FUCKING YEARS AGO? Why is Saddam facing trial while Osama eats Big Macs in his cave, plotting to strike us once again while we're busy trying in vain to secure Baghdad?
How fortunate for us that all these Bible-thumping, church-going, born-again conservative pretenders believe so fervently in heaven and hell. Because, based on their oft-avowed convictions, it should come as no shock to them when they all find themselves huddled together, burning in hell for all eternity as repentance their blatant, indefensible sins against humanity.
Indictments? Yes, please.
Posted by ayelet at October 26, 2005 09:58 AM