Twenty Five Years Later And Its Time For A New Wall

Today marked the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam War Memorial on the western side of the Mall in Washington. Twenty five years later, we need to build a new one. We have lost nearly four thousand soldiers in something almost as pointless as the Vietnam War. I say 'nearly' because we lost so many more young men in Southeast Asia in the 60s and 70s as compared to the mere 4,000 in Iraq this decade. That is not to trivialize anyone's death, certainly it is the ultimate sacrifice to give your life for one's country, even if the war is pointless.

That war was predicated on a lie just as the one started in 2003. As we celebrate today and tomorrow with parades, Google's army helmets and other remembrances, it is of the utmost importance that we not only pay homage to our veterans of wars past, but of the current one waging as I type these words. Men are being emotionally scarred, physically wounded and killed for absolutely no good reason. The "War on Terr" is just a slogan used by Bush and his propagandists to fuel the military-industrial complex and their own greed.

Just as veterans, family and friends come to make pilgrimage to the Vietnam Memorial, so will they to the Iraq Memorial twenty-five years from now. The only difference is that we have a choice on how many names are going to be put on the latest symbol of sacrifice.