An apology offered at the expense of one's own life

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What is the cost of a life taken by someone else?

This is a question that I am sure no one could answer because a person’s life is worth more than money.

But to the U.S., after Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales snuck off his base on March 11 and attacked Afghan people, money sounded like a good apology.

As Bales was accused of sneaking off base to two nearby villages, opening fire on families who slept, the White House took precautions.

President Barack Obama sent $50,000 to the Afghan families for their misfortune and $11,000 to those who were injured in the blood shed.

Now, I believe in Obama and all he is doing to help this country inch its way out of the recession, but for a country that is so far in debt all ready, sending out $50,000 seems a little much for an apology.

As tensions are high I am sure the U.S. thought Afghans were going to retaliate or become violent.
But the Afghan people did not riot nor did they violently protest.
All the Afghan people want is justice.

So I am not quite sure that the apology of $50,000 was entirely appropriate, especially because we have helped them so much with rebuilding their government and keeping people alive.
Now, U.S. soldiers are sacrificing their lives every single day in Afghanistan, dealing with harsh conditions and living amongst people who have tensions against us, and vice versa.

This is a hard enough atmosphere to be living in, but the jail punishment of a fellow Army soldier for killing Afghan people is terrible too.

Bales is facing 17 counts of premeditated murder and could face the death penalty.
Is this worth the death of a U.S. solider?

Though his actions killed many people and six of them were fellow American soldiers, the conditions and anxiety going on in Afghanistan is enough to make anyone act on any negative instinct in which they may have.

Trained as an Army official, you are prepared to deal with anything.
But knowing your duty time and your country’s money and time is being put to the Afghan people, who are always going to live the same way that they do now, is overwhelming and exhausting.
Whether Bales had motives for killing those people or not, war, tensions and gun power can do funny things to the mind.

Do I think he should be punished for what he has done? Yes.
But possibly choosing the death penalty for his fate? I do not think so.

This country’s problems have become a lot deeper than we all thought they would, over time.
I believe that helping other countries find their way is fine, but those are our troops over there spending their time risking their lives away from their families.

That is our money being spent to save someone else’s lives and government, when we do not have enough money to save everyone in our own country.

People here are dying too, people here are without homes and jobs, but as the great U. S., we want to help everyone else.

But everyone in this country did not choose this path; we all need some help too.
They made it as a country for how many years without us, why start helping everyone out now?

Why start now when we have less money than at almost any other time in our country’s history?
It is time to make a change and get our priorities straight as a country, before it is too late.