Fort Hood attack displays tragedy of war

The Fort Hood tragedy woke us up with a shock. Two things rushed into my mind. First, the mystery of the event. Then, the immensity of the installation, which had been unknown to me.

The plan of the assailant is still a mystery. But the goal of Fort Hood itself is well known: thousands of people whose day-to-day work is to teach young men and women to kill and destroy.

I had been unconscious under a fluffy bed of red white and blue and had not been aware.

Presidents lie. Newspapers lie. Insurance companies lie. Salespeople lie. Husbands lie. Wives lie. I lied, together with millions of others, whenever we assented to the statement that “this war is necessary.”

There are things that make us sick to our stomachs that we would not do, but that we routinely ask our combat troops to do in our name. Why? What is the goal? What do we have to show for it? When are we willing to stand up and say “Enough is enough?” When will we ever learn?

Marianne Michael

Hills