Five years ago...

Five years ago, I was a senior in high school. I didn't have a clear sense of politics or international relations; I just went along with whatever people told me. Which, in my small town, meant I was Republican, because that's what "all good Christians are."

Five years ago, America invaded Iraq. A boy in my class (president of the Young Republicans at my school), insisted that we stop English class to turn on the TV and watch it. I remember seeing those flashes of light on the screen, not sure what to make of it. Mr. YR jumped around the room, cheering and celebrating the "shock and awe," yelling something about justice and how they deserved it.

Five years ago, I realized that something was wrong, terribly wrong, with that picture. I didn't fully comprehend the impact of war (we've always been militarily involved in some country for as long as I can remember), or think about the innocents being harmed by the blasts. But the excessive joy over such a somber event...it still makes my stomach turn, even today.