Terrible Indictment

UNITED NATIONS - Some 18,000 children die every day because of hunger and malnutrition and 850 million people go to bed every night with empty stomachs, a "terrible indictment of the world in 2007," the head of the U.N. food agency said.

I am not going to climb up on my soapbox here but I just want people to remember that the tragedy of our efforts in Iran and soon Iraq are more than the deaths of Americans and Iraqis and more than the destruction of a way of life for millions.

The treasure and effort we are pouring into Iraq on a daily basis is being diverted from so many other important things. Things that could make life better for millions instead of making life miserable for millions.

I am not suggesting that we could feed the world but we could be using some of our wealth to lessen the tragedies of these 18,000 children. There will always be hunger in the world but it is not right to turn our backs on it and not try and do something about it.

I am against war in all it's shapes and fashions and this is one of the primary drivers. War takes resources that could have a positive effect on our world and doesn't just withhold them but squanders them in such a way as to produce more pain and suffering. Just stopping war, though not enough, would at least be a move in the right direction.