To the Editor:

We have chosen war yet again because we have deemed someone else’s behavior to be barbaric; in this latest case, it is against ISIS. I agree: beheading civilians is barbaric. Here are some other things I find barbaric.

 It’s barbaric to refer to Afghan civilians killed by U.S. bombs as “collateral damage” rather than “civilian casualties” and consequently to ignore loss of civilian life. It’s barbaric to arbitrarily declare all military-age males killed in drone strikes as “enemy combatants” and consequently to ignore loss of civilian life.

It’s barbaric to send men and women off to war to be physically or mentally maimed and then ignore their needs when they return home. It’s barbaric that 22 veterans commit suicide every day, while mental health care continues to be largely unavailable. It’s barbaric that veterans die while waiting for medical treatment. It’s barbaric that more than one in four women who join the military will be sexually assaulted during their careers.

It’s barbaric that we always have enough money for prisons but not for schools. It’s barbaric that one woman in four will experience domestic violence. It’s barbaric that a report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds. It’s barbaric that aborted children are referred to as “pregnancy terminations.”

It’s barbaric to be so addicted to fossil fuels that we manufacture not only the weapons of war but the justifications for war. It’s barbaric to believe that violence does anything other than beget more violence.

Lisa Bacon

Sylva