The Tragedy of Afghanistan

We Owe the Troops an Exit

By Bob Herbert
The New York Times

August 30, 2010

One of the reasons we’re in this state of nonstop warfare is the fact that so few Americans have had any personal stake in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is no draft and no direct financial hardship resulting from the wars. So we keep shipping other people’s children off to combat as if they were some sort of commodity, like coal or wheat, with no real regard for the terrible price so many have to pay, physically and psychologically.

Not only is this tragic, it is profoundly disrespectful. These are real men and women, courageous and mostly uncomplaining human beings, that we are sending into the war zones, and we owe them our most careful attention. Above all, we owe them an end to two wars that have gone on much too long. (Full Story)

With the majority of American citizens having no direct involvement or no skin in the game, the Afghanistan War continues to devour American blood and treasure at an accelerating rate. If we believe this war is worth its cost, let’s demand that our elected representatives reactivate the Selective Service System and institute a war tax in order to equally spread the war’s cost among all citizens.