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Goodbye to Andy Olmsted

By Jill on 1.9.2008

I’m a few days late on this, but Obsidian Wings blogger and American soldier Andy Olmsted was killed in Iraq. You can read his final blog posts here. Andy asked that his death not be politicized, and I’m going to enforce that in the comments over here.

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Author: Jill has written 4632 posts for this blog.

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9 Responses

  1. 1
    Natalia 1.9.2008 at 11:58 am |

    Oh Christ, I just saw that too. *facepalm*

  2. 2
    Tobes 1.9.2008 at 12:08 pm |

    Wow– I’m crying— and I’m at work. Really odd but I don’t even care at this point.

    I wasn’t aware of this blogger, Andy, but I’m glad I know of him now.

  3. 3
    r@d@r 1.9.2008 at 12:30 pm |

    i’m still reeling from this commenter over at agonist who essentially sneered “good riddance to the imperialist murderer” and said that soldiers in the military are morally culpable for being involved in an occupation like ours in iraq. i wanted to engage that person in an argument but i just felt too depressed and disgusted. but i still can’t stop thinking about it.

    i don’t like the fact that my brother in law is in the stryker brigade. i don’t like the fact that he was in favor of this war of occupation. i don’t like the fact that he knows about a dozen different ways to kill people with his bare hands. but i am glad that he is alive and back with his family. i would be glad he’s back and alive even if he wasn’t related to me by marriage. if he’s guilty of committing murder – which i don’t think he is, knowing some of his story, but it happens even in what we call “just wars” – then i want his reckoning to come lawfully.

    death is not justice. it never is, it never can be. this is actually one reason why war is wrong. not really believing in god like most other people do, i think that the only justice there is comes from us. it’s not meted out by god, or history, or fate, or even death. and being glad when someone dies is another way to kiss goodbye a part of your humanity – just like saying torture is okay.

  4. 4
    Bitter Scribe 1.9.2008 at 1:43 pm |

    Damn this war, and damn every war that ever was or will be. Why, WHY can’t human beings think of better ways of settling their differences?

  5. 5
    louise 1.9.2008 at 2:45 pm |

    ” If there is any hope for the long term success of democracy, it will be if people agree to listen to and try to understand their political opponents rather than simply seeking to crush them.”

    I’ll try to keep this final bit of wisdom in my heart; I’m crying too. :(

  6. 6
    Shayne 1.9.2008 at 5:57 pm |

    Thank you, Jill. Whatever reasons the men and women in uniform have for going over there are their own.

    The one thing I have despised about all of this is that both sides have no problem using the dead. Thank you so very much, Jill.

  7. 7
    whatsername 1.9.2008 at 9:07 pm |

    :(

  8. 8
    The Raving Atheist 1.10.2008 at 11:34 am |

    My fondest memories of blogging were the debates I had with Andy (heresee here and here) and those like him; what a shame that he’s gone.

  9. 9
    louise 1.14.2008 at 10:14 am |

    http://bangornews.com/a/class/obituaries/obituary.cfm?id=69751

    His obit and a story about him in the Bangor Daily News- also, his death and nice interviews with some of his Maine family have been on WCSH, the NBC affiliate out of Portland. All nicely done.

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