Major Andrew Olmsted - killed in Iraq

Jan 31st, 2008 by Rudi

Andrew Olmsted

I’m dead. That sucks, at least for me and my family and friends. But all the tears in the world aren’t going to bring me back, so I would prefer that people remember the good things about me rather than mourning my loss … I think you need to lighten up a little. I’m dead, but if you’re reading this, you’re not, so take a moment to enjoy that happy fact.

Major Andrew Olmsted wurde im Irak von einem Scharfschützen aus dem Hinterhalt erschossen. Er war neben vielem anderen auch ein leidenschaftlicher Blogger. Und als solchem war ihm der Gedanke unerträglich, in seinem Blog nicht das letzte Wort zu haben. Also schrieb er ein “Final Post” und bat seine Freundin Hilzoy darum, den Artikel im Falle seines Todes zu posten. Was sie tat. Gottseidank. Die Menschheit braucht (letzte) Worte wie diese.

Höher als Lebendes
Schätzt du Totes,
Vögel vernichtest du,
Tiere und Menschen.
Eines aber ist stärker
Als du: das Wort.

Semjon Lipkin

Believe it or not, one of the things I will miss most is not being able to blog any longer. The ability to put my thoughts on (virtual) paper and put them where people can read and respond to them has been marvelous, even if most people who have read my writings haven’t agreed with them. 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. While the blogosphere has its share of partisans, there are some awfully smart people making excellent arguments out there as well, and I know I have learned quite a bit since I began blogging.