disturbing is an understatement

We have learned a lot in the past few years about the brutality of the Liberian civil war, but several disturbing articles have been brought to our attention in the past week that really struck me again. Former president and warlord Charles Taylor is currently on trial for the atrocities he is alleged to have supported in Sierra Leone, the same kinds of atrocities he committed in Liberia. At the same time, Liberia's "truth and reconciliation commission" is hearing horrific testimony regarding acts of war during the recent conflict. I don't recommend reading these articles while eating. It's terrifying to imagine the life our kids would have lived if they had been born just a few years earlier. It's a wonder there is any peace at all in West Africa after what those people have experienced.