The illusion of freedom

A longtime friend, a career soldier, returned home from Iraq recently and said that, sadly, he is thinking of retiring. After a record of service that extends from Vietnam to Panama to Desert Storm and, finally, to the invasion of Iraq, he says the will to serve his country is gone. "This country used to stand for things that meant something," he said. "Not now. Honor, justice, loyalty, pride: None of these words have any meaning now."