Today I woke up to hear the news that more than 100,000 Iraqi CIVILIANS have died since March 2003. Civilians. People, like you and me. Not soldiers, not Saddam Hussein's followers. Not people hiding those elusive weapons of mass destruction. Civilians. I don't want to know the latest toll on American troops in Iraq...I think last time I heard, it was about 4,000 lives lost. Makes me sick to my stomach.
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Last night there was a bad wreck on I-35 here in Austin – six teenagers ages 15-18 were in an SUV and swerved to miss a rear-end collision, overcorrected, then flipped several times, landing in the path of an 18-wheeler. One of the kids died and the other five are all in serious condition. Things like this remind me of how quickly things can change, but this wreck also gave me a panicky feeling in my chest. My nephew is 14, going on 30, and already has a car waiting for him when he turns 16. It’s a 1966 red Mustang. Yep, it’s ridiculous. Waaaaaayyyyy too much car for a kid. I tried to convince him that I need to drive it for him until he gets his license, but he’s having none of it. This wreck reminded me about how my dad always told me I wasn’t allowed to go places in cars full of other teenagers. Not that it caused the wreck, but I’m sure being an inexperienced driver didn’t help in this situation. Dad used to always tell me not to play the radio while driving, don’t do anything else that could distract you from driving, he would say. He was right, of course, but at the time I probably rolled my eyes. Now I’m a more experienced driver, but I allow myself to participate in many distractions – I talk on my cell phone (eek), I eat in the car, I put on makeup at stoplights and I sometimes dry my hair with the air vents and windows. Dad would not be happy about all this! I need to be a better example for my nephew.
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