It is my belief that whereas the twentieth century has been a century of war and untold suffering, the twenty-first century should be one of peace and dialogue. As the continued advances in information technology make our world a truly global village, I believe there will come a time when war and armed conflict will be considered an outdated and obsolete method of settling differences among nations and communities.
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama
I wish President Obama would have spent some time with the Dalai Lama before making a decision on Afghanistan. To say I'm deeply disappointed in the decision to send more troops would be an understatement. His decision didn't come as a surprise; this is the position he articulated during both the primary and general elections. I knew he'd likely support a prolonged war effort in Afghanistan and voted for him anyway. Did I sell out my personal commitment to peace. I think I did? Having a son who is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan in about five months, I'm feeling more than a little conflicted.
3 comments:
Wow, I had no idea about your son. I'll keep him, and you, in my thoughts.
Thanks, Elusis. This will be his third deployment in five years (two previous tours in Iraq). He just returned from Iraq in October and should ship out to Afghanistan in May. WTF? It strikes me that seven months isn't enough of a break between combat missions but what do I know?
Best wishes for you and for Adam. I wish it weren't necessary for him to be there.
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