"How many lives per gallon?" I saw this bumper sticker in an Austin

[efhmc]

parking lot. It really stuck with me. Not just the lives that have been lost in this war but the previous Gulf war and the on-going struggles in the Middle East. Aren't they really all about oil? Except for the religious right's "holy war" mentality, would anyone really care about what happens in the Middle East except for the oil deposits? No new thoughts here, just wondering if the US is ever going to do anything positive to change this energy dependency or even if we want to?

[kiahzero]

1. Some would

Some of us care about the Middle East for the same reasons we care about the rest of the world - a fundamental belief that human rights should be protected.

[efhmc]

2. Perhaps "care" is not a good word. I was thinking about the loss of

life and the callousness of most toward the loss of civilians, as an adjunct to unjust wars. For those who, like you, think of the human side and the need for freedom and basic rights what is the solution in the region? Even, the false calls for war for "freedom" say that the war can be paid for with oil.

[WiltedFlowerChild]

3. Ah, the irony

of seeing this bumper sticker on a car.