To all the innocent lives lost in this senseless war

Joe Johnson is just an average Joe.

Joe is a husband, a father, and also, at age 48, an Army corporal.

In 2003, Joe joined the National Guard wanting to go to Iraq to fight the terrorists. How many average Americans had that kind of thought went through their minds after 9/11 and after the Bush Administration had attempted over and over to link the tragic, terrorist acts to Iraq and Saddam Hussein? How many still have this very same thought today?

On Easter morning of 2004, the bad news was delivered to the Johnsons, one of Joe’s sons, Justin, a 1st Cavalry Division machine gunner who was in Iraq at the time he joined the National Guard was killed by a roadside bomb.

Joe stayed in the US to help his wife cope with grief. But after a year of his son’s death, Joe decided that he was ready to join the troops in Iraq. Joe was assigned an escort duty for fuel convoys. Asked why he made the decision to be in Iraq and Joe responded "It's a lot of things combined," he said. "One, a sense of duty. I was pissed off at the terrorists for 9/11 and other atrocities. Second, I'd only trained. I wanted combat." And then, he said, "there's some revenge involved. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't. "

But there’s something else, something deeper than what we’ve seen on the surface. We sense that when Joe said the following – "I don't really have love for Muslim people," Johnson said. "I'm sure there are good Muslims. I try not to be racist." Although he hasn't read the Quran, or spoken with Muslims, he has "heard" the Islamic holy book "teaches to kill Jews and infidels. And it's hard to love people who hate you."

Again, how many average Joes have heard the "kill the infidels" phase being associated with Islam and shared Joe’s feeling toward Muslims?

But today, just like many average Americans, Joe has changed his mind. He no longer seeks revenge for his son’s death. He no longer wants to kill anyone, let alone the terrorists and he hope that the Iraqi children "grow up to know right and wrong".

"I really don't want to kill innocent people," he now says. "I don't want to live with that the rest of my life."

"If I go home and didn't kill a terrorist, it's not going to ruin my life," he said. "Maybe I'd just as soon not. I don't know what it would do to my head."

Those statements above say so much. No normal, average person wants to kill people, let alone the innocent ones. Only after Joe, just as many average Americans, was lied to, misled, and betrayed by the Bush Administration that he decided to re-enlist.

Joe’s wife, Jan, hoping that her other soldier son, Josh, won’t be going to Iraq. I can’t say that I blame her for thinking like an average mom who cares deeply for her children.

Can you blame her?

Source: Father Loses Taste for Revenge in Iraq

Related links:

Cost of Iraq war could surpass $1 trillion - The Pentagon is spending about $6 billion a month on the war in Iraq, or about $200 million a day

March for Peace travels through Whittier - "I want to make sure my son didn't die in vain."

Military dad celebrates 200th protest of Iraq war - "Iraqi oil isn't worth my sons' blood."

Iraq Body Count - "We don’t do body counts" General Tommy Franks, US Central Command

Cost of War - A running total of the U.S. taxpayer cost of the Iraq War

Is "The English Patient" a better film than "Fargo"?

In 1997, the following movies besides the two in the title were nominated for the Best Picture award for Oscar: Jerry Maguire, Secrets & Lies, and Shine. The English Patient won 9 out of 12 awards including Best Picture. Fargo on the other hand, only won two out of seven awards (Best Actress and Best Screenplay).

Looking back, the only thing I remember about The English Patient is in a Seinfeld episode when Elaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who was absolutely disgusted by the movie, screamed out – “Quit telling your stupid story, about the stupid desert, and just die already!”

Fargo, on the other hand, has become a classic. Anything from Frances McDormand’s performance (in one of the most memorable roles ever created in cinema) to William H. Macy’s breakthrough role as a sleazy car salesman (oxymoron) to an excellent cinematography showcasing the harsh Minnesota landscape in winter to brilliant screen writing, editing, and directing by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen.

Sure, I’m biased by leaving out the good aspects of The English Patient but whenever a film like Fargo, Traffic (I've been known to occasionally trash Gladiator since I thought it was the worst out of the five films nominated for Best Picture in 2001), or L.A. Confidential (Titanic isn't a better film) lost the big awards to some films that are inferior then it’s my duty to represent the better films and voice my displeasure.