261 Neanderthal Leaders Beget Neanderthal Followers

 When a leader like General Curtis Lemay says things like “Bomb them back into the Stone Age” they set the stage for Neanderthal actions. That is, the one with the largest club pummels and beats the other to death. Sort of like saying, “Wait until they see Shock and Awe!”

It’s no wonder that, under this leadership, there are so many pictures and descriptions of atrocities perpetrated upon innocent civilians and acts of cruelty that were illegal under the rules of the Geneva Conventions.

 When I saw this picture among all the others it brought home the feeling that the violence of war only begets more violence and feelings that the life of, or remains of an enemy are something less than human.

Surely one can’t do some thing like this then hold up the remains without having first dehumanized the enemy.

Also, I felt sorry for both of these young men. One whose life ended violently at an such early age and the other who has lived with this image for the rest of his life. Can he be one of the 46,000 homeless veterans that live on the streets, haunted by memories of moments like this? The average age of US casualties in Vietnam was 19 years, 3 months. No wonder I cried.