I may have written about this subject before, but it bothers me. The subject is war and conflict.

Born in 1943, I remember nothing of WWII. Yet, I'm all too aware of the horrors of that war--the battles, the atomic bombs, the Holocaust. If ever there was a black mark on human civilization, that war was the blackest.

I vaguely remember the Korean War. Then, of course, there was Vietnam. Many good American lives were lost in both wars. Since then, the United States has been directly involved in Iraq and Afghanistan , plus a few small skirmishes (i.e.,Grenada). I'll leave the opinions of whether they were (are) good or bad wars up to historians and others.

I've been both lucky and grateful I never had to participate (if that's the word) in a war or conflict in my lifetime. I'm either a pacifist or a chicken. Probably both. I abhor war, genocide, torture, guns, bombs--anything that has to do with violence and suffering. It sickens me.

I hope the new president (and administration) will do everything in his power to remove our troops from any and all conflicts, will stop torture, will ban nuclear weapons, and will bring peace throughout the world. Wouldn't that be wonderful?