Today's Blogsticker: No one wins

You can no more win a war
than you can win an earthquake

So how many weapons does that translate to?

Although I'm happy that the two Italian hostages were released unharmed after being kidnapped in Iraq, I find it disturbing that many in Italy don't apparently see anything wrong with paying a million dollar ransom, which essentially rewards the kidnappers and somehow I don't think it's going for humanitarian causes. How many others will die because of weapons or aid bought with that money?

I applaud the work of soldiers, aid workers, and those who are aiding the rebuilding of Iraq (although of course they wouldn't have to be rebuilding if the US hadn't gone and smashed it in the first place under questionable circumstances)...but, at the same time, they all made a choice to be there. (Well, maybe some of the soldiers from other countries serve under a draft, but ours don't, and even if ours did not choose to go to Iraq, they made the choice to serve in the military, and thus knew the risks.) For those in private business (truck drivers, construction workers, etc.) it is a lucrative move, risky but well-paid. I don't think anyone of them deserves to be kidnapped or beheaded. But I could see where the cycle of kidnap-ransom-return could prove fairly lucrative to the various militias and groups doing this. And I question whether Iraq is really being rebuilt or if it's become a staging ground for a lot of causes or oeconomic opportunities, where the people of Iraq pretty much lose.

It's admirable that the two women would like to return to the work they were doing in Iraq. But I don't see the climate changing anytime soon. I don't know where I'm going with this, but it just seems like a messed up situation on all sides, where the only winners are those with the highest might, and that's unfortunate.