In response to recent articles in The Daily Collegian about the seriousness of the Iraq war and the buildup of insurgencies:

Are we at war? My grandmother and father would argue that we aren't. This "war" seems more like a video game, streaming images of far-away lands onto our TVs and newspapers, only to have our actions and thoughts be cut off by reality. The Bush administration has shown its indifference toward reality by the way it has handled this war, squandering our treasury and appeasing the nobles of our land by not asking them to sacrifice.

Speaking of which, what sacrifices have you, the reader, made since this war began an entire year ago? No more food and fuel ration cards -- instead, we get tax "cuts," four dining commons and a one-mile per gallon SUV. I believe that we, as Americans, owe it to our soldiers at war and our own treasury to take on the responsibility of sacrificing certain luxuries. After all, our own government doesn't have the guts to bite the hands that are feeding it.