Relief in Vermont, and the real cost of the war in the Middle East
August 2011 holds the record for the highest death toll in Afghanistan thus far, with total US soldier casualties reaching 66. That is, however, not the real and total number casualties in the war with the Middle East at all. I am not even talking about the civilian death count, especially from drone strikes, which is far too high to be justified. In fact, I am not talking about anyone in the Middle East at all when I refer to the real and total number of casualties from this decade long war. I am actually referring to those of us living in the US.
That is upon whom these wars, or really, these occupations, have taken their greatest toll. This has been done by draining, over the course of a decade, a nearly unfathomable 3.7 trillion dollars or more from this nation.
Now, surprising as this money loss is, it may not be immediately clear how it causes the death toll to rise. This brings me to my next point: The devastation of Vermont from hurricane Irene and the lack of government aid currently there. In short, the US government has sent all of its money and helicopters to the Middle East, and now there are none left to help those in need in Vermont.
It is such a tragedy when a world power cares more for killing than for saving. Such a tragedy when a single war criminal bankrupts the strongest nation in the world to a point at which they do not seem to have enough money to save the lives of their own citizens. And so abhorrent it is that our government official’s hate for others trumps the love for the people they swore to protect.
To me, it is the latter point that resonates most with me. The deaths are tragic, of course, but the idea that a group of people could be so governed by hate that they lose the ability to put life before death, and love before hate is sadder even still.
That is why the real death toll in the Middle East, and in any war at all, is much, much higher than most numbers show.
