Tuesday, September 21, 2004
American Civilian Deaths in Iraq:
Yet more tragedy in Iraq. There are reports out today of more beheadings in Iraq. What strikes me most about the reports is what they don't say. When we hear about these deaths they give very little information as to what exactly these individuals were doing there. They talk about their stated jobs, but not about who they are working for. Military personnel accept the risks of their jobs, civilians generally are not expected to take these same risks. Were these individuals working for the military? If so, than they must accept a certain degree of danger. On the other hand, were they working for a civilian agency whose sole purpose there is to try and make a terrible situation for everyone, especially Iraqis, a little bit better. If that is the case, than the damage done by these terrorists is mostly to themselves as many foreign aid groups refuse to go there. We read of burnings of schools, explosions at police stations, and innocents killed. These types of actions create total chaos with the biggest losers being the Iraqi people themselves. While there are many people in the world who sympathize with the Iraqi people, few would venture to go there to help, particularly when many of the people there don't want it. There very well may be many there who would welcome assistance, but their voices are silenced in fear over the prospect of punishment from these individuals who continue to create horror with every passing day. All people must be free to practice their faith , so long as they don't try to shove their beliefs down someone else's throat. It is in this regard that the greatest crimes are being committed. Freedom comes with work and responsibility. To progress, all the worlds people must be free to practice their own beliefs. Those who refuse to accept this only serve to keep us in the dark ages. My heart goes out to those families of the slain. Even more so if the reason that the individuals have ventured there was out of some desire to do good and be a real help. By killing the people who mean you no harm simply out of some desire to get the Americans to leave may very well have the exact opposite affect. The more chaotic the situation becomes, the less likely that the quality of live for these people will ever improve. Should the Americans leave now, I have no doubt whatsoever that the country will be thrown into a full civil war. The American intervention without U.N., and more importantly neighboring countries, support was a mistake. Alas, the deed has been done, it cannot be undone. The only sane course of action is to continue to try and stabilize the country enough to allow true, free elections. The Americans must comply with U.N. resolutions before they will gain the support of the rest of the globe. Once gained, this support will allow the presence of a much more uniform multi-national peacekeeping force. Even this will be useless without the vocal and active support of the majority of the Iraqi people. So long as the Iraqi people remain in fear and refuse to recognize their true enemies within, the chaos will continue. The Iraqi people must play a very active part in stopping these crimes. The world is almost ready for a new type of existence, one where true freedom reigns. For this to become reality, the developed nations must first adopt it themselves. We in the West think that we live in freedom, we really do not. True freedom is gained through honesty, particularly from our politicians. Without this honesty, none of us really knows what the hell is going on. This is not the path to Nirvana. You never know, we might just muddle our way through this era. On the other hand, if we continue as we are, the world to come may very well be one that only the worst predictions of the future can even come close to describing.
Yet more tragedy in Iraq. There are reports out today of more beheadings in Iraq. What strikes me most about the reports is what they don't say. When we hear about these deaths they give very little information as to what exactly these individuals were doing there. They talk about their stated jobs, but not about who they are working for. Military personnel accept the risks of their jobs, civilians generally are not expected to take these same risks. Were these individuals working for the military? If so, than they must accept a certain degree of danger. On the other hand, were they working for a civilian agency whose sole purpose there is to try and make a terrible situation for everyone, especially Iraqis, a little bit better. If that is the case, than the damage done by these terrorists is mostly to themselves as many foreign aid groups refuse to go there. We read of burnings of schools, explosions at police stations, and innocents killed. These types of actions create total chaos with the biggest losers being the Iraqi people themselves. While there are many people in the world who sympathize with the Iraqi people, few would venture to go there to help, particularly when many of the people there don't want it. There very well may be many there who would welcome assistance, but their voices are silenced in fear over the prospect of punishment from these individuals who continue to create horror with every passing day. All people must be free to practice their faith , so long as they don't try to shove their beliefs down someone else's throat. It is in this regard that the greatest crimes are being committed. Freedom comes with work and responsibility. To progress, all the worlds people must be free to practice their own beliefs. Those who refuse to accept this only serve to keep us in the dark ages. My heart goes out to those families of the slain. Even more so if the reason that the individuals have ventured there was out of some desire to do good and be a real help. By killing the people who mean you no harm simply out of some desire to get the Americans to leave may very well have the exact opposite affect. The more chaotic the situation becomes, the less likely that the quality of live for these people will ever improve. Should the Americans leave now, I have no doubt whatsoever that the country will be thrown into a full civil war. The American intervention without U.N., and more importantly neighboring countries, support was a mistake. Alas, the deed has been done, it cannot be undone. The only sane course of action is to continue to try and stabilize the country enough to allow true, free elections. The Americans must comply with U.N. resolutions before they will gain the support of the rest of the globe. Once gained, this support will allow the presence of a much more uniform multi-national peacekeeping force. Even this will be useless without the vocal and active support of the majority of the Iraqi people. So long as the Iraqi people remain in fear and refuse to recognize their true enemies within, the chaos will continue. The Iraqi people must play a very active part in stopping these crimes. The world is almost ready for a new type of existence, one where true freedom reigns. For this to become reality, the developed nations must first adopt it themselves. We in the West think that we live in freedom, we really do not. True freedom is gained through honesty, particularly from our politicians. Without this honesty, none of us really knows what the hell is going on. This is not the path to Nirvana. You never know, we might just muddle our way through this era. On the other hand, if we continue as we are, the world to come may very well be one that only the worst predictions of the future can even come close to describing.
# posted by Wil Smith : 6:34 p.m.
