Greetings, my friends, There is much debate about the situation in Iraq and elsewhere, and whether or not the West (much focus is on the US) should be involved there or not, or whether, in fact, the US and others should even have gone in. You tell me! Visit The Massgraves - Victims of Saddam's Regime (grab some kleenex - it's a heartbreaker) Also visit Horrors of Iraq's Mass Graves, a Shia News article (not a Western news service!) Also visit Baghdad Burning, a blog by a citizen of Iraq and resident of Baghdad. And Never Forget Halabja '88 Bloody Friday, Halabja The Forgotten People Whatever we may think about the motivations in the present war in Iraq, we must all ask ourselves how we can sleep at night if we let these atrocities continue just because they're not going on in our back yard. God bless, Dave

Hello Dave, All I can say is the world is getting smaller all the time. And it is your back yard no matter where you are. I looked at the pictures and news articles you present here. It was hard, but we all have to open our eyes. Rose

Hi Rose, Very well said! It is indeed our back yard. There really is no place on Earth anymore that can't be reached with minimal resources. Thank you for being brave enough to look. It IS hard, but it's also reality. God bless, Dave

Dear Dave thank you for the above links. It is so easy to detach ourselves from horrors not going on in our own back yard. It is easy to turn off the TV when horror images appear. It is easy to focus on the positive things in life and avoid the horror...but sadly....it still goes on and you are right to say how can we sleep? What the eyes don't see the mind does't worry about. I don't know what the answer is (I wish I did) it seems there will always be wars going on somewhere in the world. Hopefully the new generation will have a different mind set? Maybe the baby boomers can change the world? All we can do is hope and pray for more love peace and harmony in this wonderful world of ours. Thank you for the invite.

Hi, Dave: Make no mistake about it... "War is Hell". As a former military person (like many AdlandPro users) I can say that the underlying issues (the truth) that move governments into whatever actions they take are rarely disclosed to the civilian population and almost NEVER in true detail. However, we must also ask ourselves (as Americans) what are we really willing to sacrifice? Are we ready to drive our cars only 2 days per week to help reserve oil supplies... ready to limit our offspring count to 2 kids per household to curb population overload on the planet, are we ALL going to begin to seriously recycle plastics & papers? Agree or disagree with the Iraq situation, but there's no denying that we dont enjoy our lifestyle "just because"... Freedom is NOT free, and neither are the luxuries that accompany it. It all comes at a cost that is usually paid by other (less fortunate and militarily weaker) nations. As for atrocities during war time, it IS a war going on and they're not over there handing out daisies to one another. Does this excuse certain actions that have taken place? Of course not, but every battle has seen it. I will not voice support of, nor denial of our government here... but I will state with great love and pride that my heart, prayers, and support go with the men and women who defend this nation (so that we can sleep at night), and with their families who struggle every day with this reality. God bless you all. Miracles & Blessings, Robin