Heartbreaking story: Daniel Cotnoir, named "Marine of the Year" for his service as a USMC mortician in Iraq, fired a shotgun from the window of his Boston apartment, wounding two nightclub patrons below.
He pled not guilty, presumably by reason of insanity, and we take him at his lawyer's word. This sounds like classic PTSD . And here's the thing, America: there will be a lot more of this before we are finished in Iraq. Modern warfare -- certainly since WWI -- has proven to be psychologically destructive, for the winners at least as much as the losers.
So add this to the cost of Bush's adventure in Iraq: Not only is the budget surplus gone, not only will our grandchildren be paying off the new debt, not only is the Bill of Rights in constant danger -- but we can also expect to see a generation of combat veterans who are crippled emotionally as well as physically. Expect drug problems, domestic violence and -- yes -- the occasional war hero who goes on a shooting spree.
I don't want to make light of this, I truly don't. But come on, people -- did we learn nothing from First Blood?
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