400 Iraqis have died for every American killed on 9/11.

"Are you Spanish?"

"Yes"

"I recognised the accent is different from the Mexican one hears around here"

The man might have been a WWII vet - he looked a lot like my ex-girlfriend's father who I knew was a WWII Air Force veteran from Nebraska. So here I was exchanging views with a member of the Greatest Generation.

"Congratulations on Aznar's support for Bush"

He was trying to be nice, but you can guess it all went downhill from here.

"90% of the Spanish people opposed Aznar on that"

"But he's your President, he knows better"

"No he doesn't, he just wanted to cozy up to Bush"

"But you elected him"

"I didn't vote for him. In fact I voted against him"

"But as long as he's there you should do what he says"

"The war is wrong"

"3,000 Americans died on 9/11"

At that time, the body count in Iraq was reported to be 30,000.

"10 times more people have already died in Iraq. Is that not enough for you?"

"Whatever it takes to make America safe"

"how about 100 times? If that enough?"

"Whatever it takes"

"How about 1000 times? Or a million times?"

"Whatever it takes"

At this point, this proud member of America's Greatest Generation was saying the US should kill half the world population if that's what it took to "make America safe". At this point we had to agree to disagree. We had ruined each other's mornings.

My mother just watched the whole thing in astonishment - she understands some English, but not much and it got worse as the conversation heated up. Which it did, she said both our faces were becoming gradually redder as we spoke. I didn't realize. I don't think we raised our voices excessively, though.

Oye, vatos, dees English sink todos mi ships, chinga sus madres, so escuche: el fleet es ahora refloated, OK? — The War Nerd