Take a look at the big picture
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Editor,
It is so apparent with all the cheering, dancing in the streets and glee over Osama Bin Laden's shot to the head that Americans, in general, are easily emotionally swayed by matters of little consequence. Bin Laden's death, it is said, brings closure, satisfies our great hunger for revenge, heals the wounds and makes everything better.
Oh, really? How about the next day when we wake up to $4 gas, the death of more young Americans put into wars with no victory possible, and our nation's concerns about unemployment, deficits, infrastructure collapse, and health care out of control?
Here's an interesting fact we face right now as we get all upset about domestically paying $4 a gallon for gas: Today, right now, it is costing Americans $400 to get every gallon of gas into a U.S. Army or Marine vehicle inside Afghanistan. We have to go through Pakistan and over the Khyber Pass and into Afghanistan. Then, of course, there are attacks on convoys, delays, and the stealing of supplies involved.
And we dance around here in America, celebrating the death of a frightened, hunkered-down, deified figurehead of Al Qaeda, thinking we have done something that in some magical way will turn the tide and make everything better. Reminds me of when I was a little guy, would cut my finger, and my mother would put a small bandage on it, give me a hug and say, "Now, Bobby, everything's all better now." And I would believe her and run off happily, make a mad dash across the road to play with my buddy in the farm over there, totally ignoring that big car coming that's going to knock me into '"kingdom come."
What's the point of all this 'chatter'? Well, I guess my point is that we so often get caught up in the 'small stuff' of life that we don't see the forest for the trees. We miss the big picture. We listen to 'sound bites' of information and draw far-reaching conclusions, most of which have nothing to do with the reality of the situation, and are simply planted there to sway public opinion while taking the place of a deeper and more rational investigation of the true facts.
Sad, but true.
Bob McClellan
Polson
