Senator Kerry botched what would have been an unfunny joke. That's one thing that happened just before the election.
The other thing that happened is that he accidentally spoke an ugly truth, one that no one wishes to confront, and that's part of why the story wouldn't die.
It is the poor and lower middle class who are fighting in Iraq.
A friend of mine lives in Deerfield, IL. "The Community that Lives and Works Together." Home of Walgreens. A cheap home in Deerfield is $200,000. The most expensive one listed on Realtor.com is $9,990,000 (6 BR, 9 BA). It is historically very Republican and many of her friends are staunch supporters of the war. As the mother of two sons, she asked her neighbors how they, as parents, could be so enthusiastic, could not have second thoughts, about a venture that is turning into a meat grinder for our young. The response? "90% of the kids in this district go on to college."
How reprehensible is that? And how different is it from what Senator Kerry said (but didn't mean, about doing well in school so you don't "get stuck in Iraq?"
As a girl I was so marked by the Viet Nam conflict it's practically a tattoo on my soul, so I can't believe I'm saying this ... but maybe we need a draft. Maybe then people would look at war differently, if it was possible that their precious little Caleb or Jason or even Brittany would have to go, fight and die.
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