AN EYE FOR AN EYE . . .

Really? Does that concept really exist, and do people really believe it?

Al Qaeda says its people beheaded Nicholas Berg in revenge for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners-of-war committed by American military police. An eye for an eye. Great. So does that mean we're done? We're equal now, right? Both sides whipped out their big ol' penises and peed all over the fire, proving their manhood, their power, their strength and domination. Can we all go home now?

Noooooo. Silly me, the idealist. American forces are not going to stop their abuse; more evidence and photos and confessions are going to come out. Then Al Qaeda and/or Iraqi insurgents are going to commit more atrocities in "revenge." Then we're going to retaliate for their "brutal acts against humanity." Then they are going to bomb some more embassies and fly more planes into buildings. Then we're going to instigate another senseless, endless, purposeless (where is Osama bin Laden, again? Remember him?) war. And we go around and around and around on this f*cked up, stupid carousel from hell.

An eye for an eye, my ass. I'm waiting for the next big man on campus to whip out his dick so the pissing contest can escalate. Winner gets to say he won, and drag a whole lot of body bags home with him. Congratulations.

(Do I sound pissed? YEAH I'M PISSED. I'm pissed that my people are dying at the hands of terrorists who don't have the balls to fight a real fight, and lie in wait for their enemies to come to them and set hidden traps instead of going hand-to-hand. I'm pissed that my government ducks and rolls and weaves side to side to avoid responsibility for a really messed-up war against who, exactly? I'm pissed that my country is seen as a bully and as a renegade, willing to do the irrational for some stated lofty moral purpose. I'm pissed that we're no better than the people we're fighting. Really. I'm pissed that my country has lost all credibility in this world. I'm pissed that we finally bullied the world one bit too much and now everyone hates us. I'm pissed that I no longer feel safe traveling, or having anyone else I love travel, to Europe, Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East. I'm pissed that everywhere I go, outside this country, from now on, people will hate me, and some will want to kill me. I'm pissed that this will probably happen inside my own country. I'm pissed that people are dying and people are suffering and children are left parentless and spouses are left spouseless and parents must bury their children and homes are being levelled by bombs and lives are being changed in the worst way possible. Yeah, I'm pissed. This is CRAP.)