he was extremely stressed
  had been smoking a psychedelic drug
  that combined with the unusual 
  circumstances of his life 
  could cause someone to drive erratically

And this is what we call willful ignorance, in an effort to avoid further pain.

Those words sound hollow, and presumptive. This is the sort of closure a person will errect around circumstances that can only be made worse by thinking about or acting in favor of a deeper investigation.

If it feels like social calculus at work, it probably is.

But children are integers.

At least I'd hope for their integrity.

I'm not very interested in demuring that war is a desirable thing.

One man can profess all his love for the addiction of going into action, and write so many valentine's day cards about the thrill of testing his metal. To me it rings as hollow as a junkie's pining for dope.

But it won't bury the aftermath, nor will it obviate the grind of the slower churn, when stalemate is intractable. The police state in between. The thought police of "patriotism," or rather jingoism. The miserable post-dictatorships and the corruption of the spoils.

Those who flee their victories and armistices, to find the rush of more action elsewhere are cowards in their own way. Nevermind the wake of ashes behind them.