Every picture truly tells a story

[SEpatriot]

Rosemarie Dietz Slavenas sits in her living room with a stuffed bunny toy that once belonged to her son, Brian, who at 30 was killed in Iraq last November when his helicopter was shot down in Iraq.
(Photo: New York Times)

I'm not an overly emotional man. As part of my job, I regularly deal with criminals, with corporate jerks and with people who are seriously injured or have lost loved ones to tragic accidents. I don't think I've been desensitized, but I also don't consider myself to be easily swayed by emotional appeals. That's why the picture is so powerful.

It didn't change my mind about the war, I was already opposed. It didn't change my mind about the Bush administration, I already believe that they don't care about people, unless those people happen to have millions of dollars. But it effected me - maybe more so since my young son will soon turn 2. Maybe because I don't want to see anymore useless waste of life. Maybe because Barbara Bush had the audacity to say that she didn't want to waste her "beautiful mind" worrying about body bags and seeing little Georgie "suffer" because of them. Maybe its because people like little Georgie couldn't even show up to their specially-procured little spot in the Texas Air National Gaurd for 18 months while other people's sons, husbands and brothers lost their lives in Vietnam.

Try telling this woman that its all worth it. Try explaining to her and so many others like her how her son's death has made the world a safer place. Tell her that flag that they hand her at her son's funeral can replace the life that was taken away so that we could capture a man who Donald Rumsfeld shook hands with (and handed our money) in 1984.

I guess it just makes me sick. A special word of thanks here is due to Will Pitt for posting this picture on his website at http://www.truthout.org/

[THUNDER HANDS]

1. that's such a sad photo

Utterly amazing, but so sad...

[bleedingheart]

2. that picture rips my heart out

because as a mother I can't imagine losing any of my children.

Her son did his duty but died because an unelected president lied about why we were going to war.

[molly]

3. It makes me very sad and very angry

[sui generis]

4. GWB has made great sacrifices for freedom

he sacrificed the children, brothers, sisters, and parents of other Americans for a made up war, in hopes of controlling oil and profits to his cronies from that region.

He somehow sleeps at night -- but is truly a monster. I cannot imagine the monstrous greed that justifies in his mind sending our children to their death, day after horrific day, how a human can live with the grief and tragedy he has inflicted not just on idealistic, duty-and-honor-bound Americans, but on the families of the thousands of Iraqis murdered as "collateral" damage.

[nostamj]

5. painful to look at

it could be an illustration of this number from our upcoming show (it's not ALL laughs)

an excerpt from “A Mother’s Lament” - from THE QUESTION W REVUE

A MOTHER’S LAMENT

NO, I DON'T FEEL ANY SAFER
AND I AM NO LESS AFRAID.
I MARCHED TO STOP THIS MADNESS
HAVE WE BEEN BETRAYED?

YOU SAID THE THREAT WAS REAL.
YOU SAID THAT WE HAD CAUSE TO FEAR
BUT WAS THE MOTIVATION CLEAR?
DID MY CHILD DIE FOR A LIE?

THE COFFINS ARRIVE IN DARKNESS
THE WOUNDED KEPT OUT OF SIGHT.
YOU SAID YOU'D HUG EACH MOTHER
BUT I'M STILL WAITING

YOU'LL NEVER KNOWN THIS PAIN
YOUR PRIVILEDGE PROTECTS YOUR CHILDREN
BUT NOT MINE.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN?
I ASK YOU AGAIN:
PLEASE, WHAT WAS THIS WAR FOR?

Original Lyrics Copyright 2004 by Jeff Matson

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