text: why is america fighting a war for iraqi freedom, but no war was ever fought for the freedom of the native? indigenous or black america? please, don't mention the civil war, as it was not a war about freeing slaves for the sake of freedom. why are wars fought?  it is a philosophical question not a political question.  think about it for a moment.  why would anyone kill or risk being killed in massive numbers.  history is littered with dead soldiers and dead causes.  it defies all logic to run towards gunfire or to press forward after experiencing casualties.  wars are started by politicians.  wether it is a king, president, general, dictator, etc., it is a small group making the decision and thrusting others into the fray.  this is the case with iraq.  as a native mississippian living in alabama, i am familiar with the blood that was shed for black america.  it was shed in selma, it was shed in money, it was shed in jackson, it was shed in philadelphia, it was shed in memphis, it was shed in birmingham, and a whole bunch of cities and towns no one talks about and many can't remember.  the civil rights movement was a fierce struggle.