What is a Life Worth?

A single human life is worth more than can ever be measured. It is more valuable than mountains of gold or jewels, or megagallons of oil.

Yet, especially during war, human life is often devalued. Beautiful girls and striking men become mere statistics on a "count of death." Usually, we do not have the courage even to call war what it actually is-- organized mass-murder. A person who is responsible for a war is as morally culpable as a hundred Ted Bundies or Boston Stranglers. Indeed, he is literally a mass-murderer.

Culpability is massively increased when there were viable alternatives to war. Yet again today, we heard yet another announcement of the death of a proud young man. As he bled to death under the hot desert sun, he must have sincerely and bleakly wondered whether his government even cared at all that he had made the utter and ultimate sacrifice for his country. As many as seventy-two percent of soldiers are now against this war. And, as the six generals recently implied, this includes their leaders. As many as eight out of ten Americans might also now be against this bloody and expensive war.

The girls and boys (not truly women and men) are among the very best and brightest that our country has to offer. Now, thousands will never again add a penny to our economy. They will never invent anything new, make any new discoveries, create anything of beauty, wisdom, or lasting social value. They will not create families of Love and communities of peace. They will never love again, in this world, never again laugh, never again play with their children.

Our nation is as sadly and irrevocably impoverished by their many deaths as if we had been savaged by the bloodiest, most ruthless, terrorist. But because they die only a few at a time, it is easy to yawn and ignore the infinite beauty and value of each girl and boy who bled to death on the hot, harsh desert of Iraq. When terrorists kill a few thousand Americans, we are rightfully and righteously outraged, and our ferocity lasts, as it should, for years! But when they are murdered a few at a time by an unfeeling, incompetent, fascist theocracy, we all look the other way. "It's not such a terrible tragedy after all," we manage to lie to ourselves.

I submit that murder is murder, and that this totally wasteful death and murder of our finest young girls and boys is the result of a stupid and incompetent government run by an egomaniac out of control. He cares only about personal power and money, never about human beings. If Iraq has not demonstrated this beyond the shadow of any reasonable doubt, look again at Katrina. Here, in this tragic disaster and utter catastrophe, more than a thousand people-- all Americans-- died of thirst and hunger right smack in the middle of the wealthiest country in the world. Would these fellow human beings-- our sisters and brothers-- have suffered from longterm and repeated neglect if they had been the wealthy oil-executives who are the special friends of the president?

The presidency has been brought into shame by the current pretender. He struts, peacocks, and speaks arrogantly and insensitively of a hideous war of which he is actually proud. He cannot, upon inquiry, manage to think of a single mistake that he has made during his entire administration-- or, his entire life! When challenged on the war, he simply smirks, dismissing all the rivers of blood-- both American and Iraqi-- that he has spilled. But it is not his daughters dying on the desert sands. He brags and boasts of his "Christian" values. But actions speak more loudly than, drown out, mere words. His actions have proved that he values dollars, oil, and power much more than human life.

Being incompetent and inept, he actually boasts of those events and activities that should bring only shame to an honest man. A modern honest person would rather be a street-sweeper than the president, so lowly has he made this formerly honorable and noble profession. He has driven his own office into deep shame and humiliation, and our entire country with it. America used to be the light on a mountain, to guide the world. Now, it is seen as a pool of evil and darkness. Most Europeans view America as the number one threat to worldwide peace and cooperation. Our country, once a leader, is now but a prisoner.