Friday, November 17, 2006
A Waste
I was going to put stupid as the title, but I've been using that a little too much lately. Yet another local soldier, 29-year-old Sergeant William "Jack" Jackson, was killed in Iraq on Veteran's Day. As I drove in this morning to work, I heard WNEM-AM (1250) do a report on it. A very short story (I think these deaths are becoming too common to be big news anymore) about this is also on their website.
First, let me just say that the reporter who did this report just plain annoys me regardless of content. I just really hate his voice and the way his puts his words in his stories together. So I tend to be a little more critical when I have to listen to him. The phrase that set me off this time was "...fitting day to die..." This guy has four young kids and a wife. Does anyone really think this was a fitting day to die for him? There is no such thing.
Our guys and gals are over there getting killed because of lies. After four years of war and peace-keeping the current result still allows around 150 (nobody knows the number for sure 40-150?) people were kidnapped right out of a school last week and about 120 more Iraqis were killed in other violence on the same day. And there's still no WMDs, Osama is still running around and you'd better not be flying United with a four ounce bottle of perfume in your purse. Oh, by the way, 2,853 American soldiers killed over there.
Speaking of waste, here's a semi-related bit about Pakistan's Muslims. Basically, Pakistan's national assembly has voted to amend the country's strict Sharia laws on rape and adultery (with the religious nuts loudly complaining). Until now rape cases were dealt with in Sharia courts. Victims had to have four male witnesses to the crime - if not they faced prosecution for adultery. So if you're a woman getting raped under the eyes of Mohammed, you'd better hope you have a lot of spectators who while not bothering to help, will testify at your trial.
