In the midst of the Foley Feeding Frenzy, it seems all too easy to forget that there is a war going on and that people are dying. Ask a Black person you know and chances are good that they know someone personally affected by the war in Iraq — a co-worker, a cousin, a brother, a mother, an uncle, etc has been called to serve in the “war against terror”. Go ahead, I dare you. Let’s call it: Ask an African-American!

Me — I’ve had 2 cousins serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. One is a career soldier. The other was called from a comfortable life back into uniform. Everyday they’ve been there, the entire extended family has prayed for their safe return — alive and with all limbs intact. When 8 soldiers are killed in one day in Iraq, it causes a ripple through our society that encompasses all who knew those young men and women. That’s why this war is unpopular. That’s why this war is not just a comma to those it impacts.

Americans stand ready to sacrifice when sacrifice is justified. We’re sick of hearing Bush’s ever-changing, hollow justifications for the bloody occupation of Iraq. It’s time to re-focus our efforts so that lives taken or disrupted truly build toward a safer America.

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