Someone Else's Shoes

While looking through old video tapes in search of an empty one to offload some TiVo, I found my tape of the "America: A Tribute to Heroes" telethon that aired 10 days after 9/11. As I watched I remembered how I felt at the time - stunned, sad, angry, helpless, vengeful. And I cried.

I cried remembering September 11th. I cried thinking of the people who were lost and those they left behind. I cried thinking about how united people were then and how divided we are now. I cried thinking about how the world came together and mourned with us and how BushCo has completely obliterated that good will. I cried thinking about what has taken place in this country and in Iraq since then and how the 9/11 tragedy has been used by this administration in a way that is unspeakably shameful.

I wonder, though, who in this country is crying for the more than 14,000 Iraqi civilians killed since BushCo knowingly turned their focus away from the terrorists actually responsible for 9/11 to invade a country that had nothing to do with it? Who is holding a telethon for the surviving members of their families? Who is rebuilding the devastation that has destroyed their homes and ravaged their country (Oh, right, that would be Halliburton)? Do they feel stunned, sad, angry, helpless, and vengeful? Would you blame them if they did? Would you blame their children if they grew up hating Americans? From your beautiful home, with all your "necessities" of life, can you imagine what it might be like to live in their world? Do you even care?