Oh, the humanity!

Today, I learned via Don, over at Country Contemplative that Mr. Bush has made a heart-rending sacrifice in solidarity with the families of the fallen: his golf game. My heart positively oozes sympathy and remorse - how could I possibly have expected more from someone whose lies put my loved one in harm's way? Oh, right. That part.

Just a little reminder, for those keeping track: those of us with loved ones in the military wind up making far greater sacrifices than merely expensive hobbies. And that's not even counting those families that have to live for the rest of their lives with the loss of a brother, sister, son, daughter, father, mother, spouse, cousin, or friend. We give up birthdays spent together, the ability to keep those we love nearby, long talks about nothing in particular. We try to hang on to as much of it as we can, singing duets at 5 seconds and half a world apart. We give up peace of mind, sitting awake at night, wondering how our loved ones are doing. We give up the ability to call up our friends and relatives, and instead clutch our cell phones, praying for the right kind of call.

During my dad's first deployment, I came down with a life-threatening illness, and the only way my dad could talk to me was snatched phone calls. When my dad came back from that deployment, he threw himself to the floor at the sound of the furnace starting up in the fall. And you claim to be in solidarity with people who have lost even more? Oh, right, I forgot: you gave up your golf game. Yeah, I can see where that's right up there with real sacrifice. Not.