God damn the Naughts. It was a perverse decade, in which that thing so many responsible people had agreed was the right thing to do, the removal of a dangerous, mass-murdering dictator, was strangely rendered not just unnecessary but an evil act by an unexpected twist of fate. The accusations of lies were themselves lies, all of it built on a tyrant’s framework of lies, that became an unquenchable fire that just burned hotter. It was as revolting as the stench of death.RTWT. It's very good.
That war dragged on and became a wretchedly divisive thing. Not only in the way it divided our nation. It cost people friendships. I saw some, friendships decades old, walk away. I walked away from others. It was an embittering experience. The thing that it became deepened political cynicism beyond what many of us might have imagined, as accusations of scheming met with accusations of political betrayal, cowardice, and opportunism., even as both sides claimed to represent the best interests of our nation, our soldiers and the world. It caused people to reconsider their allegiances.
This will probably be my last post of the year, seeing as how we're all tied up in football on this dreary gray winter afternoon. Well... football, beer, and cigars (Thanks, Jim!)... of course. But that said, I'll give you my usual New Year's Eve admonishment: Have fun, celebrate in your chosen way, but PLEASE be careful if you go out tonight. I wanna see all your smiling (virtual) faces throughout the coming year.