Worse Than the War

author : David Krieger

by David Krieger

Worse than the war, the endless, senseless war

Worse than the lies leading to the war

Worse than the countless deaths and injuries

Worse than hiding the coffins

and not attending funerals

Worse than the flouting of international law

Worse than the torture at Abu Ghraib prison

Worse than the corruption of young soldiers

Worse than undermining our

collective sense of decency

Worse than the arrogance,

smugness, and swagger

Worse than our loss of credibility in the world

Worse than the loss of our liberties

Worse than learning nothing from the past

Worse than destroying the future

Worse than the incredible stupidity of it all

Worse than all of these,

As if they were not enough for one war

or country or lifetime,

Is the silence, the resounding silence,

of good Americans.