The True Price of War

Saw an interesting article in the local paper today. Unfortunately, it was a wire piece and my google fu isn't up to the task of hunting down an electronic version, although I'm sure it's out there. But, basically, it said that although the United States is at war, the vast majority of people live their lives without feeling the impact at all. It's part of having a professional military rather than a draft, I'm sure, but it's pretty true. From personal experience, I know that to be the case. But, then, I'm from the industrialized northeast where military recruitment is way down and, honestly, I don't know anyone who's currently in the armed forces at all. Aside from one particularly rude customer around the time the war started who was worried he was about to be called up to service and used that as an excuse to act like an asshole and a high school friend who became an MP in the Air Force (We were stunned because, you know, going into the military wasn't something people did. But it worked out good for him as he got to see places like Korea and Germany and all.) I wouldn't know any at all. Beyond that, judging by our culture, we've gone on spending and shopping ad voting on American Idol and everything else even while we're constantly told we're in an existential struggle against implacable foes. There's no sacrifice, in other words. And that's pretty well established but the article went on to argue that this was making it harder for President Bush to gather support for his war. That because there was no sacrifice people didn't feel threatened and that was why support was dwindling.

Personally, I think it's the exact opposite case. There was, from the very onset, a conscious effort to shield the public from the realities of this war (Stopping coverage of flag draped coffins returning home, complaining about negative stories in the press, etc.). And that's because the administration knew that if the average American felt the pain and sacrifice of our armed forces, this war would have been over in a heartbeat. But it's because people still have their luxury cars and their gourmet coffee and all the other perks that they can ignore the reality and continue supporting the war. That such support is now eroding is a measure of just how bad things have become.