May 20, 2015
The Iraq war was many things, but it was not was a mistake, as the current cluster of presidential hopefuls are claiming . Taking a wrong exit off the interstate is a mistake. Taking a wrong premise and turning it into the biggest foreign policy bloodbath in modern American history is political psychopathology. Missing a credit card payment is a mistake. Putting the human cost of war on the backs of less than one percent of the population and kicking the obscenely bloated financial football of billions of dollars in war bills down the road for future generations to pay is moral bankruptcy.
Politicians who perpetuate the myth that the war--a war that has burdened the families of the fallen with a lifetime of purposeless, unnecessary loss--was a mistake are committing a sort of socially sanctioned sadism. Sentencing the hundreds of thousands of warriors wounded for a falsehood to live the rest of their lives missing parts of their bodies, minds, and souls is justice only in the courtroom of hell. Consigning the caregivers (mostly wives and mothers) and children of those injured veterans to sadder, sicker, shorter lives due the proven mental and physical health consequences of providing that care, and the profoundly detrimental impact of the transgenerational transmission of combat trauma, is abject evidence that their lives do not, in fact, matter.
Having nearly lost my own life as the collateral damage of living with and caring for a two-time Iraq war veteran with severe PTSD, a mild TBI, and physical injuries that have worsened, not improved, over time to the point where he is now in constant pain and has difficulty walking, I know whereof I speak. But then, I knew what I was talking about when I began protesting the war in Iraq in 2003 as a charter Board member of Military Families Speak Out . This country's political leaders played a deadly game of Russian roulette with the truth, and it was our loved ones, our families, and ultimately, our lives that took the bullet for a war based on lies. The war in Iraq has destroyed every single thing I loved in this world. Every single thing.
So when I hear the people who are setting their sights on being the next POTUS calling that war a mistake, I question whether they are qualified to become candidates. Because the war in Iraq was not a mistake. It was a betrayal of the public trust. It was a breach of the contract America has with the men and women in uniform and the families who support them. It was an abdication of this country's democratic responsibility to conduct due diligence prior to declaring war. It was a moral failure of the highest order, and a violation of who we have claimed ourselves to be as a Christian nation. The war in Iraq was a war crime. It was not a mistake. To call it a mistake is to deflect responsibility and further fortify the foundation of lies that built the faulty case for war. To call it a mistake means that my very recently ex-husband, my marriage, my health, my home, my future, and my security were decimated because someone couldn't read a road map, and forgot to pay the bills. We've had that person in The White House before; let's not make the mistake of giving them the keys to the Oval Office, or the war car, again.
No one is coming to save us. Join with us.
The world is a pretty dark place right now. Economic inequality off the charts. The climate emergency. Supreme Court corruption in the U.S. and corporate capture worldwide. Democracy in many nations coming apart at the seams. Fascism threatens. It’s enough to make you wish for some powerful being to come along and save us. But the truth is this: no heroes are coming to save us. The only path to real and progressive change is when well-informed, well-intentioned people—fed up with being kicked around by the rich, the powerful, and the wicked—get organized and fight for the better world we all deserve. That’s why we created Common Dreams. We cover the issues that corporate media never will and lift up voices others would rather keep silent. But this people-powered media model can only survive with the support of readers like you. Can you join with us and donate right now to Common Dreams’ Mid-Year Campaign? |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Stacy Bannerman
Stacy Bannerman is the author of Homefront 911: How Families of Veterans Are Wounded by Our Wars (2015), and When the War Came Home (2006). She was a charter board member of Military Families Speak Out, has testified before Congress three times, and spearheaded the passage of two bills. Her website is www.stacybannerman.com
The Iraq war was many things, but it was not was a mistake, as the current cluster of presidential hopefuls are claiming . Taking a wrong exit off the interstate is a mistake. Taking a wrong premise and turning it into the biggest foreign policy bloodbath in modern American history is political psychopathology. Missing a credit card payment is a mistake. Putting the human cost of war on the backs of less than one percent of the population and kicking the obscenely bloated financial football of billions of dollars in war bills down the road for future generations to pay is moral bankruptcy.
Politicians who perpetuate the myth that the war--a war that has burdened the families of the fallen with a lifetime of purposeless, unnecessary loss--was a mistake are committing a sort of socially sanctioned sadism. Sentencing the hundreds of thousands of warriors wounded for a falsehood to live the rest of their lives missing parts of their bodies, minds, and souls is justice only in the courtroom of hell. Consigning the caregivers (mostly wives and mothers) and children of those injured veterans to sadder, sicker, shorter lives due the proven mental and physical health consequences of providing that care, and the profoundly detrimental impact of the transgenerational transmission of combat trauma, is abject evidence that their lives do not, in fact, matter.
Having nearly lost my own life as the collateral damage of living with and caring for a two-time Iraq war veteran with severe PTSD, a mild TBI, and physical injuries that have worsened, not improved, over time to the point where he is now in constant pain and has difficulty walking, I know whereof I speak. But then, I knew what I was talking about when I began protesting the war in Iraq in 2003 as a charter Board member of Military Families Speak Out . This country's political leaders played a deadly game of Russian roulette with the truth, and it was our loved ones, our families, and ultimately, our lives that took the bullet for a war based on lies. The war in Iraq has destroyed every single thing I loved in this world. Every single thing.
So when I hear the people who are setting their sights on being the next POTUS calling that war a mistake, I question whether they are qualified to become candidates. Because the war in Iraq was not a mistake. It was a betrayal of the public trust. It was a breach of the contract America has with the men and women in uniform and the families who support them. It was an abdication of this country's democratic responsibility to conduct due diligence prior to declaring war. It was a moral failure of the highest order, and a violation of who we have claimed ourselves to be as a Christian nation. The war in Iraq was a war crime. It was not a mistake. To call it a mistake is to deflect responsibility and further fortify the foundation of lies that built the faulty case for war. To call it a mistake means that my very recently ex-husband, my marriage, my health, my home, my future, and my security were decimated because someone couldn't read a road map, and forgot to pay the bills. We've had that person in The White House before; let's not make the mistake of giving them the keys to the Oval Office, or the war car, again.
Stacy Bannerman
Stacy Bannerman is the author of Homefront 911: How Families of Veterans Are Wounded by Our Wars (2015), and When the War Came Home (2006). She was a charter board member of Military Families Speak Out, has testified before Congress three times, and spearheaded the passage of two bills. Her website is www.stacybannerman.com
The Iraq war was many things, but it was not was a mistake, as the current cluster of presidential hopefuls are claiming . Taking a wrong exit off the interstate is a mistake. Taking a wrong premise and turning it into the biggest foreign policy bloodbath in modern American history is political psychopathology. Missing a credit card payment is a mistake. Putting the human cost of war on the backs of less than one percent of the population and kicking the obscenely bloated financial football of billions of dollars in war bills down the road for future generations to pay is moral bankruptcy.
Politicians who perpetuate the myth that the war--a war that has burdened the families of the fallen with a lifetime of purposeless, unnecessary loss--was a mistake are committing a sort of socially sanctioned sadism. Sentencing the hundreds of thousands of warriors wounded for a falsehood to live the rest of their lives missing parts of their bodies, minds, and souls is justice only in the courtroom of hell. Consigning the caregivers (mostly wives and mothers) and children of those injured veterans to sadder, sicker, shorter lives due the proven mental and physical health consequences of providing that care, and the profoundly detrimental impact of the transgenerational transmission of combat trauma, is abject evidence that their lives do not, in fact, matter.
Having nearly lost my own life as the collateral damage of living with and caring for a two-time Iraq war veteran with severe PTSD, a mild TBI, and physical injuries that have worsened, not improved, over time to the point where he is now in constant pain and has difficulty walking, I know whereof I speak. But then, I knew what I was talking about when I began protesting the war in Iraq in 2003 as a charter Board member of Military Families Speak Out . This country's political leaders played a deadly game of Russian roulette with the truth, and it was our loved ones, our families, and ultimately, our lives that took the bullet for a war based on lies. The war in Iraq has destroyed every single thing I loved in this world. Every single thing.
So when I hear the people who are setting their sights on being the next POTUS calling that war a mistake, I question whether they are qualified to become candidates. Because the war in Iraq was not a mistake. It was a betrayal of the public trust. It was a breach of the contract America has with the men and women in uniform and the families who support them. It was an abdication of this country's democratic responsibility to conduct due diligence prior to declaring war. It was a moral failure of the highest order, and a violation of who we have claimed ourselves to be as a Christian nation. The war in Iraq was a war crime. It was not a mistake. To call it a mistake is to deflect responsibility and further fortify the foundation of lies that built the faulty case for war. To call it a mistake means that my very recently ex-husband, my marriage, my health, my home, my future, and my security were decimated because someone couldn't read a road map, and forgot to pay the bills. We've had that person in The White House before; let's not make the mistake of giving them the keys to the Oval Office, or the war car, again.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.