Too bad there isn't a secular alternative to the prayerbook.
I'll think of them, and their families. Best a non theist can do, given the absence of an alternative on the site.
to those who risk their lives for a good cause.
I salute the soldiers for fighting valiantly, and for dying for their country. However, questions still are unanswered about the purpose of the war - it was not to liberate Iraq, but to rid it of WMDs. If none are found, the war must be said to have been an illegitimate one.
While I find Hristo's posts a bit too strong in expression, the message is still one worth noticing; we celebrate and honour the dead coalition soldiers, but it is also worth noticing the huge impact this war has had on Iraqis - civilians and those forced to fight. Coalition losses are small compared to that of the Iraqi military and civilian population. I suspect at least a minority of Iraqi soldiers had the choice between fighting the Americans or getting a bullet in the back of their heads. So let us NOT forget the Iraqi people, even though it is really easy to do so.
In the end though, even if 'war for oil' or other seedy details is true, the fact remains that Saddam is gone and Iraq has a chance for democracy. Despite hidden agendas, despite loss of civilian life, there may very well be a democracy in Iraq in a few years. Terrible as the price has been for the Iraqi people themselves, in the long run it is worth it I think. And Saddam would within a year have killed more of his own than were killed during the war.
