The part that finally made me leave the room, bawling, was our lack of protection for national sites in Iraq. The fact that we, yes, WE (even though I didn't vote for the guy in the White House, and even though I have been adamantly against the invasion and occupation of Iraq from the moment it was suggested we might go there, I still consider the mess created there to be Ours), allowed the destruction of so much of human history by ignoring the looting and desecration of the Iraq National Museum and in the burning of the national library. Books, people. Books and manuscripts dating back thousands of years. History of so much of human existence. Gone. Ash. Fragments, crushed to powder. It makes me physically ill.
I am so tired of war. I am sick to death of violence and the sight of dead bodies and anger and
hatred. I am worn by the pain of desperation that would lead someone to strap explosives to their chest, walk into a crowded building and die, just to convince an uncaring, faceless nation to remove their troops from the streets. I mean, how much must they have lost to be willing to sacrifice so much more? They're people. They're people just like me, who have grandmothers who are aging and not well, who have mothers and fathers that they worry about, have children and brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and cousins and aunts and uncles that they love and wish only the best. And they're watching those relatives and their friends die. They see a city demolished by bombs and abject poverty everywhere. They have jobs that no longer exist because their office or factory or school is a heap of rubble. What do they have left but anger and hatred?
I've said it before: it's hard enough for the human race to survive without trying to kill each other. I just wish everyone realized that and cared for the rest of humanity as they care for themselves and their families. I wish there was an end to war.
And, since I haven't posted pics in a while, here's a quick glimpse of my main reasons for wanting peace. Look at these faces and tell me you don't wish the same:
