I saw that piece in Rolling Stone, and have been meaning to post it for days now, along with this article from Forbes.com: "One after another, the men and women who have stepped forward to report corruption in the massive effort to rebuild Iraq have been vilified, fired and demoted."

I read these articles, and just get overwhelmed with a cold, hollow rage. I had a boyfriend - who still remains one of my closest friends on the planet - who served in the fist Gulf War, was at Basra, came home with Gulf War Syndrome, PTSD, and a radically realigned world view about war and the Middle East (he subsequently became a deeply committed Buddhist, served in law enforcement, and now works in intelligence for the National Guard, still being a Buddhist). So I've been personally touched by the horrific clusterfuck in Iraq, but certainly not as much as those who've experienced it firsthand. When I read about private businesses risking the lives of men and women who risk their lives in the quagmire in Iraq, stuck in a morally dubious war, while incompetent, venal, and avarice-laden jerkwads like the people in this article get rich, it just takes a slice of my soul, you know?

Makes me wonder about some of the stuff going on elsewhere, say in places where we know the fight's worth the trouble we've been dealing with...

Linked to the article this morning, with a grateful nod to you for hunting it down. Jesus Christ. Just when I think I've reached my outrage reserves, they find a way to tap into a deeper well.