It's something to be mindful of in the midst of all the holiday barbecue and beer:
Biden, like Obama, said U.S. combat troops have returned home from Iraq, the conflict in Afghanistan is winding down and American commandos killed al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011."Those warriors sent a message to the world that if you harm America, we will follow you to the end of the earth," Biden said.
Meanwhile, why we fight:
A suspected NATO airstrike killed eight civilians---including six children---in eastern Afghanistan, a provincial spokesman said.The airstrike took place Saturday night in Paktia province, said Rohullah Samoon, spokesman for the governor of Paktia. He said an entire family was killed in the strike.
Now I know what the standard rejoinder is, that The Enemy® uses these poor and unfortunate wretches as Human Shields™, and while collateral damage is always unfortunate, incidents like these are further proof that the Islamonazis hold no value for human life and we must redouble our efforts, etc., but I think it underscores the reason why so many people of my generation can't get too amped up over this particular holiday. Not because we don't care about honoring those who have fallen in battle on our behalf, but because too many of those who have fallen in our lifetime---in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and before them in Vietnam---died for no fucking reason whatsoever; because the leaders who lied to the nation and sent them off to their deaths have evaded all accountability for their actions; and because hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, from Haiphong to Fallujah to Kandahar, have been slaughtered over decades so one President or another could emerge victorious in some geopolitical dick-swinging contest. This sure is not the kind of change I voted for four years ago, but I guess in the realm of foreign policy, it scarcely matters who's President anymore. The hegemony of the Empire must be ever upheld, and never questioned. Only deeply unserious persons would deign to think otherwise.
---Vitelius
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