“The level of dialogue on national security issues would embarrass a middle schooler. People are out there making threats that are totally unrealistic, totally unattainable. Either they believe what they’re saying or they’re cynical and opportunistic. In a way, you hope it’s the latter, because God forbid they actually believe the things they’re saying.”
(Republican, and former Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, discussing
some of the Republican Presidential candidates)

The casual, caustic warfare rhetoric being thrown around Iowa yesterday treated the military personnel & their families, yet again, as mere commodities at best, and inanimate pawns at worst.

Over the last several years, we at ScreamFree have been invited to assist over 10,000 U.S. military families around the world. The men, women, & children I’ve come to know in that work are striving to be as human as possible–even as we, through our inability to diplomatically mediate conflicts and build coalitions around the world, ask them to willingly fight in a seemingly endless war. Year after year after
year.

The fact of our military’s willingness to serve till death cannot, in a humane society, be commoditized in order to gain political power.

Beware the candidate who writes easy checks with other families’ blood.