Personal Stakes
In a letter to the Enquirer (sixth) a mother of a solider writes:

Goths are out of step with Iraq war effort

Dan Klepal's article on April 14 "Crowd largely tunes out Iraq," caused me to feel angry and saddened. Evidently, the war has not come home to some of the people swaying on the dance floor, sporting black leather, and expressing disinterest in the conflict in Iraq.

One such person said that watching the war on TV made it seem less real. As the mother of a U.S. Marine serving in Iraq, it is all too real to me - not a movie, not a video game, but a real war complete with casualties on both sides, mixtures of heroism, cowardice, elation and soul-rending sadness.

While the Goth followers are free to express their view of life, the Iraqi people are only recently able to do that thanks to the efforts and sacrifice of U.S. and British troops. Perhaps grieving families accompanying flag-draped coffins could explain reality to those who don't get it.

Karen Daniels, Melbourne, Ky.

I have to ask Mrs. Daniels how much she cares about the plight of the people of Columbia, Venezuela, or Zimbabwe? How informed is she about the current tax plan debate? Does she know the difference between the various tax plans and their claimed impact on the economy? Does she know who won the World's Cup last year? If she does not know or care about any of these topics it is because she has no personal interest in them. The Iraqi war matter's to her because she has a son over there. She thinks that everyone should care about our Soldiers, as much as she does. The problem is that everyone does not have a personal interest in the war with Iraq. Parenthood is a strong element to person’s life, but it often is clouded with emotion and personal bias. It is no shock that kids are not interested in knowing about current events. I wonder if Ms. Daniels can tell me what happen in Bali last fall, or what the "Road Map" is in reference to the Israelis and Palestinians. I bet Mrs. Daniels knows who Lacy Peterson is, and what her child was to be named if it had been born. Why do grown men know the value and term of the Bengal's #1 draft pick’s contract, but they don't know the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims?

The bottom line is that bashing a bunch of kids who have no personal stake in a war is hunting fish in a bucket. If you want to attack ignorance, first admit and try to eliminate your own. Instead attack the culture of lowest common denominator that now dominates every institution in society. Money, fame, and power are valued at the cost of knowledge, honor, and dignity. A “Goth” that admits there true feelings on the war is more honorable than one who attacks another for not saying what the knee-jerk jingoists deem as proper.