5 Quotes by Kevin Sites

The story is about being loyal to the truth as a nation, that citizens of a democracy are collectively responsible for what their troops do in war, good or bad.

Killing is the ultimate refutation of our own humanity.

Failure to communalize grief can imprison a person in endless swinging between rage and emotional deadness as a permanent way of being in the world.

I also worry that my reporting will become this deluge of tragedy for people, who like myself, unable or uncertain of what to do, let it wash over them. Some African journalists call it poverty porn – stories or images of intense suffering designed solely for emotional impact, but often have the effect of shutting people down rather than helping them step up.

As Tick writes in War and the Soul, “Our society must accept responsibility for its warmaking. To the returning veterans, our leaders and people must say, ’you did this in our name and because you were subject to our orders, we lift the burden of your actions from you and take it onto our shoulders. We are responsible for you, for what you did and the consequences.