show it as it is

There has been some discussion over the past few months about what should and should not be shown and reported from the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan. It started during the Bush administration -- those clowns who started the misguided, irresponsible, disastrous war in Iraq. Remember? Do not show pictures of flag-draped coffins carrying dead Americans returning home. The Bushies didn't want Americans knowing that war causes death. Then there was an uproar over the publication of an American soldier who died during combat. Some American newspapers published it. Some didn't. Many Americans screamed in protest.
I bring this up because I heard Robert Siegel on National Public Radio discuss reaction to a report by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, which included the sound of Taliban militants shooting at the Marines and Afghan soldiers, their return fire and the moment when one of the Americans, Lance Corporal Alejandro Yazzie, was shot and killed.
Siegel reported that Nelson's report upset several listeners, including one who asked: "How could you air the actual incident? As a former Army captain who served as a social worker in the military and currently counsels combat veterans, I can't tell you how wrong that was on so many levels." Siegel added that the listener added that "The American public has no right to share in that moment."
Not everybody agreed. Siegel added another listener who said, "Considering the fact that most Americans have no idea what is involved in being a member of the military, combat reporting from the front is more essential now than ever."
I agree. We have been fighting two wars now for more than eight years and I can guarantee there is a very large portion of Americans who are totally unaware of the wars.

I agree with words as I do with pictures, if Americans see and read and hear what is actually happening on the battlefield, they might start to look at what is happening with different eyes. We have been fighting two wars with Americans not in uniform having no idea what the hell is happening. And I venture to say a very large portion of Americans are even oblivious of the fact that there are wars going on. And of those who are aware of the wars, how many know that to date, at least 4,378 Americans have been killed in Iraq and 1,003 have been killed in Afghanistan. More than 20,000 Americans have been wounded in these wars. And that's only counting the Americans. How many civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan are we killing in an effort to save them?

There is a price to pay for war and it is a lot more costly than dollars and equipment. It is lives and limbs and sight and senses and mental capacities and marriages and families. And for all those flag-draped coffins that come home there are far more empty minds and half bodies and blown-apart lives and shattered families. And so many of us are so unaware. And our government and the people who complain about the publication of the truth and reality of war would like us to stay ignorant about the realities of war.

So, while you enjoy your American Idol and your Olympics and your Sarah Palin and you weep over your Tiger Woods, you better also know that your American soldier is getting his leg blown off. And you better know that you sent him there because you approved of his going there because you thought it was a good idea that he go there because somebody told you it was a good idea for some good reason for some war that had a purpose and was going to accomplish something or other. And what's on TV tonight?

For Beer and Jeans

This is a song that was sung at the Grammys last night. Maybe I am seeing too much into it. Maybe I am too sensitive about war. See, there is a verse that disturbed me. Here it is:

I thank god for my life
And for the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly, let it ring
Salute the ones who died
And the ones that give their lives, so we don't have to sacrifice
All the things we love

There is an eight-line chorus that is repeated five times:

You know what I'm a chicken fried
A cold beer on a Friday night
A pair of jeans that fit just right
And the radio up

Well I've seen the sunrise
See the love in my woman's eyes
Feel the touch of a precious child
And know a mother's love

Yes, thank god for those who die so that we don’t have to give up our cold beer and fried chicken and jeans that fit just right. And, yes, do it for the stars and stripes and old glory. And salute those who died. Should make them feel much better. Meanwhile, the peace man -- you know, that guy in the White House who won the Nobel Peace Prize who sent a whole lot of American warriors to Afghanistan – yeah, him, the president of the United States is overseeing the deaths of those we salute so we continue to enjoy our fried chicken, cold beer and jeans that fit. While actions in the name of the United States continue to kill civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. So that we don’t have to sacrifice all the things we love.

Maybe I’m reading too much into this song.

I am writing this on Feb. 1, 2010. So far, 31 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan. Another 20 coalition military personnel have been killed so far this year. The total after seven years in Iraq stands at 4,375 American of a total 4,693 coalition forces.

In 2007, U.S. beer consumption was 6.7 billion gallons, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores.