Defense Dept. changes story
It's sadly ironic that a spokesperson for the family of one of the latest casualties in Iraq declared that: "Absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt they believe what he died for was the right purpose..."
This after learning that the Defense Department lied about the death of their son, Lance Corporal John Holmason.
The initial line that Holmason and 9 others were killed while on patrol isn't what you might call true. Turns out they were killed during a promotion ceremony in an old flour factory when a booby trap missed by the bomb squad was triggered. (The symbolism of a factory that once supplied the main ingredient for bread being turned into a military base just adds to the tragedy).
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, really? It's understandable that the parents of a soldier killed in combat need to believe that he died for something legitimate; the pain must be unbearable as it is. But others? The ideologues?
This willful ignorance is especially poignant in light of Harold Pinter's speech, blogged by Tai [HERE]. We're so far removed from the truth, so eager to let words insulate us from grief and responsibility, we defiantly erect barriers and hunker down inside. La-la-la-la-la-la, I can't hear you, I can't hear you...
