September 14th,2020
The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin, published the following letter today.
“Much of the current campaign for president revolves around the issue of mayhem and destruction in our cities. Both Trump and Biden tell us that they deplore violence. Do they?
Our country has been at war for nineteen years. We have wreaked havoc in various nations across the globe, in particular Iraq and Afghanistan. I don’t hear either of the two major candidates speaking about the suffering and death in those countries.
My oldest son fought in Iraq. He killed people there. He destroyed their property. Our government rewarded my son with medals for his efforts. We, as a nation, have honored what our soldiers have done overseas. We have applauded people like my son.
When we see videos on the news that show burning cars or street shootings, and we find out that these events occurred in Baghdad or Kabul or Aleppo, we collectively shrug, and say, “These things happen in war.” However, if we find out these actions happened in Portland or Kenosha or DC, then we react with shock and horror.
Why is that? It is because we don’t care what happens in a neighborhood ten thousand miles away. We only care what happens in our neighborhood.
How did we ever think that we could export violence around the world for two decades and not have any of it come back home to haunt us?”
Frank is Emptiness 