Now Hear This

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2007/07/19/gates.notes.cnn

"There have been 3,922 coalition deaths -- 3,630 Americans, ... -- in the war in Iraq as of July 20, 2007, according to a CNN count. At least 26,806 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon." And Countless Iraqi civilian deaths.

What's not reported here is the change that several hundred thousand of our troops have undergone as a result of their service. This change comes in the form of injuries that include back injuries, brain injuries, missing limbs, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), etc that has ramifications going beyond that experience on the ground. These are things that they have to live with. But the recent fiasco with troop care at Walter Reed underscores another side to their suffering that is not known.

Many believe that the war was about the lesser mentioned oil resource market. Namely freeing up that resource that was under restrictions. And as a result, they are fed up with not just the conduct of operations but also with our dependence on fossil fuels.

LETS NOT GET CAUGHT UP IN THE POLITICS OF WAR AND MOVE BEYOND THIS TO COME TOGETHER AND VALIDATE THE SACRIFICES OF OUR TROOPS. BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM HAVE AGREED THAT OUR DEPENDENCY ON FOREIGN OIL GIVES RISE TO TERRORISM.

ARE YOU READY TO DECLARE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE?