Drones

Remember those slumber parties in middle school when you thought of people you could instantly vaporize, no questions asked, no blame assigned?  Just, pouf! They would be gone and that boy who hit on you or the girl who was so popular and beautiful, a thing of envy would be gone from your lives. But we knew it wouldn't really happen and we'd have to deal with these people and so many others in the stretch of our lives. As adults, we came to realize that those persons we might want to vaporize needed to have attention paid.

Drones. These planes (of death) are sent to the Middle East and North Africa by the CIA in a midwestern state by strokes on a computer keyboard. At first, it seems that this is a really good way to run a war: no one is killed except the enemy. Sometimes there is a mistake and a whole village is wiped out, or a whole group of innocent folks who happen to be where the drone strike is happening. The folks at the bunker from where the CIA sends out their minions have no idea of the human fallout. After their day they go home to a MacDonald's take out supper, put the kids to bed and watch the ball game on T.V.

I believe that if war is the thing to do,  real people must be responsible for the damage. Real people must actually kill and maim (if that is the goal). Real people must be there to actually shoot and hurt other humans. Isn't this the definition of war?

We have been ten years into the Afghanistan war. Most Americans have not had to participate at all. Some folks put bumper stickers on their cars and no one has to face the Draft. We pretty much ignore the returning vets who need so much.

And now we have the drones, the ultimate 'zipless fuck'. We have war fatigue - and none of us were even there!

We should get out of Afghanistan, and we will. In quiter moments we may realize the futility of it all. War is no good. Especially when the fighting is anonymous.