From the Winchester Sun we learn that a 22-mile march to raise
awareness of Veteran suicide will begin in Richmond, KY on Memorial Day, Monday
morning at 6 a.m. and end in Winchester at approximately 5 p.m. Gathering at
Whitehall, marchers will travel down KY 627 across Bypass Road, onto Lexington
Avenue to Main Street and end at Sterling Street, where the Winchester VFW Post
is located.
"Every penny we raise through the march will go directly to
the hotline," according to Justin Williamson.
An average of 22 veterans die every day according to the 2016 report from the Veterans Affairs Office of Suicide Prevention. This is 21 percent higher than the average U. S. citizen. Donations can be made to the VFW or at veteranscrisisline.net.
As tragic as is this senseless loss of life, the greater tragedy is how we politicize and glorify the failed politics of war. War can be deplorably gruesome as we currently see in Syria. In nearly every instance war results from failed diplomacy. Yet, we glorify war as a form of super patriotism; we exult in the economic boost it brings munitions manufacturers and gun dealers.
War most often results from someone's self-centered assertion of rights over another. Most wars remain without moral justification and should be looked upon as societal failures. The higher living standard that comes to those who profit from it should be seen for what it is - "blood money."
The effects of war often destroys the souls of men, not because those men are necessarily weak but because war is abnormal to human experience. Humanity was not created for the inhumane treatment - the intensely destructive behavior against fellow humans created in times of war. Although many return home and live seemingly normal lives most are seldom the same for war destroys families and societies and nations. War is a supreme tragedy that should be avoided at all reasonable cost, usually costing more than gained—it pays a high cost for a low return.
While WWII looked quite moral to most Americans, numerous
writers and historical reporters have found the seeds for WWII first
germinating in the travesty of Versailles that concluded WWI. That can be said equally
of the contemporary conflict between the West Powers and the Islamic Middle
East. While Hitler pulled the trigger that started the conflict; he was
historically little more than a petty bully (albeit insane) and undeserving of such historical notoriety.
Consider the wisdom spoken by that early American man of wisdom we greatly admire: “After much occasion to consider the folly and mischiefs of a state of warfare, and the little or no advantage obtained by those nations who have conducted it with the most success, I have been apt to think that there has never been, nor ever will be, any such thing as a good war, or a bad peace” (The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin/Brands/620)
An average of 22 veterans die every day according to the 2016 report from the Veterans Affairs Office of Suicide Prevention. This is 21 percent higher than the average U. S. citizen. Donations can be made to the VFW or at veteranscrisisline.net.
As tragic as is this senseless loss of life, the greater tragedy is how we politicize and glorify the failed politics of war. War can be deplorably gruesome as we currently see in Syria. In nearly every instance war results from failed diplomacy. Yet, we glorify war as a form of super patriotism; we exult in the economic boost it brings munitions manufacturers and gun dealers.
War most often results from someone's self-centered assertion of rights over another. Most wars remain without moral justification and should be looked upon as societal failures. The higher living standard that comes to those who profit from it should be seen for what it is - "blood money."
The effects of war often destroys the souls of men, not because those men are necessarily weak but because war is abnormal to human experience. Humanity was not created for the inhumane treatment - the intensely destructive behavior against fellow humans created in times of war. Although many return home and live seemingly normal lives most are seldom the same for war destroys families and societies and nations. War is a supreme tragedy that should be avoided at all reasonable cost, usually costing more than gained—it pays a high cost for a low return.
While WWII looked quite moral to most Americans, numerous
writers and historical reporters have found the seeds for WWII first
germinating in the travesty of Versailles that concluded WWI. That can be said equally
of the contemporary conflict between the West Powers and the Islamic Middle
East. While Hitler pulled the trigger that started the conflict; he was
historically little more than a petty bully (albeit insane) and undeserving of such historical notoriety.Consider the wisdom spoken by that early American man of wisdom we greatly admire: “After much occasion to consider the folly and mischiefs of a state of warfare, and the little or no advantage obtained by those nations who have conducted it with the most success, I have been apt to think that there has never been, nor ever will be, any such thing as a good war, or a bad peace” (The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin/Brands/620)
… working for
the reconciliation of all humanity ...
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