“Bomb the shit out of them!” says Donald Trump.
“We’re going to carpet bomb them in oblivion!” says Ted Cruz.
“Expand airstrikes in Syria and Iraq!” says Marco Rubio.
“In order to make them look like losers, we have to destroy their caliphate!” says Ben Carson.
That’s tough talk.
You know what results from this kind of tough talk?
Dead people – and not just the “bad guys”.
The United States military, in a bombing attack against the Islamic State, killed 26 civilians in Syria yesterday. 7 of those killed were children.
That more than makes up for the 14 people killed by two fans of the Islamic State in San Bernardino, doesn’t it?
Does that mean we can stop bombing Syrians now, or is this war not about the math? Is it just about vague feelings of rage? Is it just about presidential candidates, and our sitting President, wanting to look tough?
It’s not just about furious Republicans, after all. This bombing was ordered by Democrat Barack Obama.
How many more children are we willing to kill in order to satisfy our national rage? Will we stop at 100 dead children? How about 1000?
How much blood do you need to see before you feel safe and secure again?