It is a sad thing, the birthday of a war. As humans we are capable of so much better. I hope the internet, at least, can continue to bring us all closer to an understanding of one another. There is a blindness in the West, just as Khalid Jarrar said,

“America is a nation of selfish people, too busy with their lives and joys to care about how their own country is screwing the world, instead they really concentrate on getting fatter, rockin’ and rollin’, watching the Oscar night and reality shows…”

I hate to say it, but alot of that is true. As an American living elsewhere, it’s unbelievable how isolated the U.S. is. Sure, others in the West, like Britain, follow similar guidelines on war, but the U.S. is particularly isolated. Forget the melting pot phenomenon. Perhaps it’s the geographic isolation that creates the expected assimilation of all who move there. A deviation from popular culture tends to make people uncomfortable.

As for me, I don’t have anything good to say about the last 4 years, and I haven’t experienced it the same way. But regardless of whether there’s something good to say, the words you compiled are necessary, powerful, and full of a truth that is lacking in this battle.