I'm Back

Work is a bit more sane so I can take a moment to say hi to all my readers. I hope both of you missed me! Not much has changed during the past few days, though. The cable news pundits are still salivating over Obama's preacher and hardly noticed that we have marked the 5th anniversary of "Shock and Awe." Approval ratings for the war have started creeping back up, due in no small measure to the lack of news coverage, and what coverage their is promotes the un-nuanced lie that the "surge" is working. The frequency and deadliness of bombings in Baghdad increased in February and March, but the pretty people of Tee Vee news somehow forgot about that tid bit.

My personal theory is most people don't really care about the war. Most people don't know someone in the military and their lives haven't been directly impacted so the war doesn't mean anything to them. They might put a "Support the Troops" magnet on their car and think they're accomplishing something, but the phrase means nothing to most people.

There are certainly many thoughtful, informed people who have considered opinions on the war, but I believe most people are completely unaware of the numbers of dead, the numbers of grievously wounded soldiers, the shameful lack of care for our returning wounded, and the mind boggling cost that is bankrupting our country. This was Bush/Cheney's plan all along, of course, control the flow of information, encourage people to do their part for the war effort by shopping and going to Disney World, and cutting taxes during war time. If citizens don't perceive that they're paying a price for the war then they ignore it and don't demand change. With the lavish help of the complicit press, Bush and Cheney have succeeded quite well. The war remains unpopular, but that unpopularity is paper thin. If the Democrats don't start bringing the war home and reminding Americans why it became unpopular in the first place, we could be looking at President McCain.

So that's my light, upbeat return to blogging this week! Wee! Happy Friday!