I wish there was a way to make you say how my thought process works. It is akin to free association bred with stream of consciousness. I never actually stop thinking about one thing and start thinking about another. The most visible example of this is on the occasions that me and both of my brothers are in the same room. We will hold conversations in that fashion. Conversing seamlessly about sports, politics, movies, books and who know what else. Each of us able to follow the others segues without any trouble. I’ve been told that is very frustrated for any one else who happens to be in the room, because they can’t understand how one minute we were talking about football, and then Star Wars and now Social Security.

I describe this to you so you can when I tell you that this made think of that, you will not think that I am trying to show any link, moral or allegory. OK. Good.

This morning, I was thinking about a certain issue that has been hogging the headlines and webspace of many blogs including the one you are reading now. I was wondering what if she was conscious in there? What would she think of us. Would she be grateful for the outpouring of support? Would she be appalled at the behavior of her loved ones. Would she be thinking “let me die!” Of course, we’ll never know what is going on in there.

That train thought reminded me of a book, I once read, Johnny Got His Gun. It’s the story of a soldier who has return from World War I so damaged that he is unable to communicate at all. Eventually he finds enough strength to communicate with the outside world by moving head and using Morse Code. The message he sent ….”Kill Me.” This book was published in 1938, but gained a lot its popularity during the Vietnam Conflict. A movie was made in 1971. Johnny Got His Gun, received it’s most exposure in 1988 when Metallica used clips from the movie in the music video for the song One.

The point of the book is not a question of euthanasia. It is an anti-war book. Written before there was such a thing as a anti-war movement. It is simple, stark, in it’s description of the horror of war. What could be more horrible than a young man who’s life is over even though his heart still beats. I think we need a reminder that war is horrible. We seem to have forgot… again. If you get a chance, it’s a good read.

Schiavo, Johnny Got His Gun, Metallica, Iraq. You see what I mean.