Iraq, Afghanista, Libya....

With all that is going on in our own lives and globally, I wonder if people have fully digested the fact that the United States has entered another war. I think that we've become desesitized to the thought of war because for many of us (younger people), the US has been in conflict for much of our lives. We lived through Desert Storm, Kosovo, and are currently living through the war on terror and this new Libya conflict. Because it's been such a mainstay in our lives (and the fact that it is not actually on our soil), it is easy to forget about it. War is like something that is going on somewhere in the world, yeah it affects our pockets somehow and maybe our families if we have a loved one serving, but for the most part its a benign issue. Earlier this week I asked my 14 if she thought that people even realize that we are in another war? The answer- probably not. I came across Julian not father time Zelizer's article " It's too easy for presidents to go to war". If thie ease of which we entered the conflict in Libya is of interest to you, I encourage you to check it out. If, however, none of this matters to you- then feel free to question your existence, sense of compassion, and willingness to accept anything that someone tells you. Also, if you have a chance. Check out RESTREPO. It is a documentary that follows an army platoon in the middle of the Afghanistan conflict. If that doesn't at least make this seem a little more real for you, you might want to check for an icebox in the spot where your heart used to be.

Clarification (since I've apparently confused some people): Secretary Gates and President Obama have said that we will not have troops on the ground with the transition to NATO. Having troops on the ground is not sole identifier of being involved in conflict. Through our supporting role, the US will still be involved. For the full transcript of Obama's statement about the issue click here.