How many enemes have we made?
by Matt Giwer, © 2005 [March]

Remember this story?

A Newsweek photo gallery, recently posted at MSNBC.com and titled "Suddenly Orphaned," brings to life one of the tragically frequent "incidents" experienced by Iraqi civilians at the hands of occupation troops. A "speeding" car was acting "suspiciously" in the Iraqi town of Tal Afar. The driver was "ordered" to stop, yet "failed" to do so, despite clear "hand signals," and "warning shots."

The well trained soldiers "had no other choice" but to open fire, killing a mother and father of six. Soldiers quickly "assessed" the situation, dragging six little blood-spattered kids out of the car, forced them to their knees before the US troops, whose feet were also splattered with the Iraqi civilian blood.

The tragedy was anything but rare. It just happened that photographer Chris Hondros was there to witness it and to relay it to us. The Newsweek photo gallery, however, assured us that the wounded children were carried compassionately to a nearby hospital and that the "Army had immediately ordered an investigation," which became the end in itself.

If in a few years these children should decide to fly planes into the replacement WTC building who can find fault with them? If they blow up something we will have to kill them but we cannot find fault with them.

I am not saying it was deliberate or that the soldiers who did it were acting improperly. But they did it. Iraqis are not required to accept the reasons. This is not a movie with a happy ending where they come to understand and appreciate the soldiers' position.

It would not have happened if the invasion had not occurred. The invasion would not have occurred were it not for attacking their country that had not attacked the US.

Now muliply these children by all the children and all the family members of all the people who died as a result of the invasion including those in the Iraqi army.

How many righteous enemies we have made? How many are we making today? How many will we make before we leave?


Bringing democracy to Iraq

Page reads: 1118