war-casualties.jpg       (If you can not see the image)

There is no topic that raises my blood pressure more than the one pictured above.

It is the War in Afghanistan and the question is: “Why in this election year is no one talking about the war and our mounting casualties?” Nothing, I repeat, nothing makes me angrier.  So if this piece suddenly stops in mid-sentence kindly call 911 because it means I finally blew a gasket and here is why.

On Sunday morning we recorded ABC This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Near the end of the show, George typically posts on screen a list of our best and bravest military service members who have given their all during the past week in Afghanistan.

Yesterday’s segment included about 12 names of the deceased. Now predictably, every week it is at that point in the show when I spring off the couch, flee the room and yell: “I can not watch this, I can not look at their ages. Why are they dying? What are they dying for? Why are we still there? Why is no one talking about this?” 

Will someone in Washington PLEASE try to answer these questions?

How about you folks in the mainstream media taking a short break from asking Mitt Romney to release this old tax returns and focus instead on asking our leaders about this drip drip drip of needless deaths? (For example, there were 36 in May, 42 in June, 29 in July and so far in August there have been at least 6.)

Now, as predicted, I am about to blow a gasket and must stop writing, but quickly before I do, here is a link to the official list of casualties.

Look at their names, look at their ages.  Why is no one talking about trying to end this endless, useless war where these brave, young volunteer patriots are dying in vain?

No one seems to know why we are still there. Perhaps that is why Obama and Romney, as well as officials in both parties running for reelection, are neglecting to mention the war in their campaign ads and speeches.

But every month it is drip drip drip, with more deaths and countless broken bodies and even more with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which is a ticking time bomb from within.

Truthfully, if our nation had a draft, there would be protest marches in the streets (instead of Occupy Wall Street) and our elected leaders would be held more accountable for the monthly casualties.

Furthermore, with a draft in place, Americans would force their leaders to take action by either offering up realistic explanations as to why our mission in Afghanistan is vital to our national security interests or voters would demand their leaders take the necessary steps to end this war now.

Could it be the war drags on because these brave solders are volunteers and generally tend to be from the nation’s lower socio-economic strata? It is my bet that if the monthly casualties were more representative of the sons and daughters of the upper classes who rule this nation, then the War in Afghanistan would be more of a hot button issue this election cycle.

Instead, the war is ignored by our leaders, the media — and especially by our Commander in Chief — who is too busy commanding his reelection campaign and his Organizing for America troops to answer the questions I ask every Sunday when I flee the room in anger.

Now more than ever, since Afghanistan is being completely ignored this election cycle, my heart goes out to the families of the fallen who are left asking those questions for the rest of their lives.

This piece is dedicated to them.

Re-posted from PJMedia