*The High Cost Of Iraq*

My faithful blog readers know how much I am against the war in Iraq and always have been. I knew that when war was declared by us that Pandora's box was being opened, maybe never to close.
Each and every day that passes, it seems as if the news in that country goes from grim to grimmer, with the costs, both in human lives and dollars escalating each and every day. It actually makes me feel that my heart is bleeding when I think of the over 2500 young men and women who have given their lives for this senseless and stupid war. A war of egos that should be fought by Presidents and leaders, not countries. This doesn't include the thousands that have been injured as well as the sad loss of some innocent Iraqi lives, among them women and children. This is a domino effect that includes thousands of lives in some form or another.
Are we becoming immune to turning on the news and watching the death and destruction daily?

In spite of what Mr. Bush professes, when was the last time you heard of anything good happening inside Iraq, any step in the right direction? He insists that he wants to bring democracy to this country, but does one actually see a Democratic process emerging there, through daily fighting, slaughter and death? What does the cost of this horrible war mean for us Americans? We have spent billions of dollars, so much that we do not have any money left now to work towards warding off a nuclear program that could surface inside North Korea and Iran, it's horrible when you consider it. The cost of a gallon of gas is almost triple what it was prior to the beginning of this war. We have yet to capture Bin Laden, and no one can prove to me that our country is safer today than it was prior to 911. I personally feel that we may be more vigilant, but are we truly safer? I don't think so, we have made ourselves a country that is hated rather than respected. We have borders that go sadly, unpatrolled and open for any type of invasion or threat. The cost of gasoline has raised all of our necessary goods and commodities, who can afford a vacation this year due to the high cost of gas, either by driving or flying?

My heart weeps when I see the families of those Americans who have lost sons, daughters, fathers and husbands, sisters and brothers, concluding, and in my opinion, that this is a sacrifice for our country. Take a long and hard look around our country today, assess the lives lost, the destruction of families because of this loss, the money spent and the oilmen profiting from it, and the amount of work that still needs done here in our own country. The Gulf Coast doesn't look much different than it did last year with billions of dollars squandered there. Are we truly better off today that we were 6 years ago? I hardly think so and I worry about the future of my children and grandchildren. Mr. Bush, you cannot leave office soon enough for me.