About those dead Afghan boys

Found on CounterPunch today in an article by Patrick Cockburn:

One of my neighbors here in Petrolia is Dr Dick Scheinman, who emailed his address list Thursday thus:

“I recently read a horrifying article in the NY Times about Afghanistan and could not help writing my representatives. Maybe you can too. Tax time is coming up and tax resistance is an option.

‘May I call your attention to an article from March 2 in the NY Times entitled ‘Nine Afghan boys collecting firewood killed by NATO Helicopters’.

‘I live with my grandson, 12, and as part of our making a living we collect and sell firewood. Nathan gets paid 25 dollars for loading and unloading a cord of wood from our truck. When I read this story I could not get out of my mind the pure chance that made Nathan a healthy American boy who could collect firewood and earn money, rather than a poor Afghan boy whose life was destroyed by  NATO (American?) men (women?) in a helicopter thousands of miles from their homes. With rue my heart is laden.

‘David Petreus has “apologized.” Perhaps he has children and grandchildren. Perhaps he should send his children over to Afghanistan to collect firewood for these boys’ sisters for the rest of their lives to atone for this outrageous cold blooded murder.(‘they shot the boys one after the other”.) Maybe the men in the helicopter should do the same. Perhaps Barack Obama’s two daughters could help.

Perhaps they should put on  rags and kiss their feet and beg forgiveness.

But the least, the very least that YOU can do is to never, ever vote to spend any more money to continue this war.’”