On Tuesday, nine American troops in Afghanistan were killed in a helicopter crash, bringing the total deaths of American troops in and around Afghanistan to 1,221 since the beginning of the war in 2001. The crash makes 2010, only three-quarters done, the deadliest year of war in Afghanistan yet.
The high death toll is perhaps no surprise since the number of American troops in Afghanistan has steadily risen to its highest yet, nearly 100,000. The numbers, which added to Iraq casualties come to nearly 6,000, should start to make us think.
Whether you agree with the war in Afghanistan or not, the bottom line is that the government we the people elected under two different parties continues the fight for freedom and democracy there. We, which means me and you and every American, are at war.
Amidst the information saturation of American culture and entertainment, it’s easy to forget about the real world—and I’m not talking about the “Real World” on MTV. But just because the world is multifaceted doesn’t make the questions asked of us by our countrymen and by history any less big and important. It just means that the questions seem less big and important when viewed through digital devices and through the sometimes amoral perspective of pop culture.
The high death toll is perhaps no surprise since the number of American troops in Afghanistan has steadily risen to its highest yet, nearly 100,000. The numbers, which added to Iraq casualties come to nearly 6,000, should start to make us think.
Whether you agree with the war in Afghanistan or not, the bottom line is that the government we the people elected under two different parties continues the fight for freedom and democracy there. We, which means me and you and every American, are at war.
Amidst the information saturation of American culture and entertainment, it’s easy to forget about the real world—and I’m not talking about the “Real World” on MTV. But just because the world is multifaceted doesn’t make the questions asked of us by our countrymen and by history any less big and important. It just means that the questions seem less big and important when viewed through digital devices and through the sometimes amoral perspective of pop culture.
