...the damage goes to the brutalizing effect that war has on the people required to wage it. Post traumatic stress syndrome is a reality. The sad fact is that our young troops are subject to the adverse effects of war. Period.

This is part of the reason Von Clauswicz saw war as a measure of political failure.

Lao Tsu told us that wars should only be fought for defense or when there was something of value that could be won.

Is the trade off in Iraq worth it?

Look at the position of the zealots on these boards. Patting themselves on the back for our willingness to prosecute those caught on film. No mention is made on having any investigation into the unknown number of times these actions have been committed without benefit of camera. No question of the dubious morality that condones such atrocity.

And no condemnation for holding "hostile combatants" without benefit of Geneva Convention protocols or making any arrangements for a trial. Arrest without any legal process?

I tip my hat to National Loyalty Day.

Publius