Marching Disasters

On March 2, 2012 damaging tornadoes came to Kentucky. (See here and here.) Twenty-three people have died. More than 300 have been injured. More than 2,200 homes have sustained damages. Of those, more than 650 were destroyed.

The photo is of the small eastern Kentucky town of West Liberty. When Governor Steve Beshear visited the town, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported that he said  it looked like a bomb had been dropped in the middle of town. "It was a war zone," he said.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/03/04/2095081/officials-confirm-21st-death-from.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

A year before--on March 3, 2011--an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster took place in northeastern Japan. At least, 15,854 people died. At least 26,992 were injured. The photo is from Iwaki, Fukushima. The recovery has been very slow. 

In the current war in Afghanistan, 1,913 U.S. military fatalities have occurred and 15,322 have been wounded. There have been 35 military fatalities from Kentucky. In the war in Iraq that began in "Shock and Awe" on March 19, 2003, there have been 4,486 U.S. military fatalities and 32,223 wounded. There have been 70 military fatalities from Kentucky. (The numbers are from icasualties.org.) Many, many Afghans, Iraqis, and others, militant and civilian, have died, been wounded, and/or displaced. Much damage has been done.

Natural disasters do occur. Climate change and human actions seem to be increasing and magnifying some of them. We need to accept that they happen and tend to them. Wars are disasters, too, but they do not happen naturally and probably are not inevitable. (See the article/interview: Why War Isn't Inevitable.)

I do not want to see a war with Iran--by either Israel or the United States. I do not believe that war is the answer. Iran has historical grievances with the U.S. and it knows that Israel  is nuclear. We need relationship building. We need to think of the Iranian people--human beings all. Let's take stock. Breathe. Think.

March 20 was the Persian feast of Norwuz, the celebration of Spring and the Persian New Year. You can read about it here. May Peace Prevail in Iran! 

I Declare World Peace.