Oh, that war. I thought it was long over months ago.
At least 18 people have been killed in two rush-hour bomb attacks in Baghdad.
Security officials say at least 13 people died when a roadside bomb blew up a minibus carrying government employees in eastern Baghdad.
In a separate incident, a female suicide bomber blew herself up outside the city’s heavily guarded Green Zone, killing five people, police said.
There has been one consistent factor in all the deaths the Iraqis have endured over the years: US involvement in their affairs. From our support of Saddam Hussein during the Reagan era, to the Gulf War in 1991 brought on by failed diplomacy and mixed signals sent to our “ally,” to Dubya’s invasion and occupation of Iraq to halt all those mysteriously nonexistent WMD programs, the United States, in one form or another has been a contributing factor to the death of millions of Iraqis. But not to worry. We’re still the good guys who brought peace, freedom and democracy to the Middle East. At least that’s what Fox News tells me, and when have they ever been wrong?
Everything else is merely collateral damage.
What’s April Glaspie up to these days?
Don’t forget the US-led sanctions of the ’90s, which probably killed a million Iraqis, mostly children. a holocaust so utterly invisible to most Americans that they could fool themselves into thinking, just a couple years later, that we could invade their country without provokation and be greeted with rose petals.
But the sanctions were OK, since probable Obama appointee Madeleine Albright thought the price of all those corpses was “worth it.”
Just a reminder that come Jan. 21 we’ll still have plenty of war criminals involved in this country’s foreign policy. Obama isn’t one. Yet.
Make that “many” Americans. Not most. Just most of the Village.
Having been very active in the anti-sanctions movement, and having been in contact and worked with people like Dennis Halliday (one of the finest people I have ever met), Scott Ritter, Hans von Sponek, the incredible, amazing young woman/energizer bunny, Rania Masri, and numerous very dedicated local people, I feel quite safe in saying that the majority of Americans either were completely unaware of the sanctions, did not have any idea of their extent, their severity, or their impact on every aspect of life there, or else thought they were quite a fine thing to do ’cause Saddam Hussein is evil personified, doncha know,and if we have to starve to death a million or so Eyeracki babies, that’s a million or so who won’t grow up to be Saddams.
Thanks for this Steven, especially for pointing out that the United States’ involvement (may I say interference?) in Iraq’s business has been the one consistent thread through all the years of misery and suffering. I would like to expand on that a bit.
I have pointed out many times that history shows clearly how harmful U.S. involvement has been for Iraq. The best times in Iraq’s history have been the times when the U.S. was least involved, and the more the U.S. is involved, the worse it is. The very best time in Iraq’s history was during the late ’60’s, the ’70’s, and the early ’80’s after the Iraqi government cut diplomatic relations in 1967, and before the U.S. involved itself in the ’80’s. That was, for most Iraqis, a golden time during which Iraq stood on the brink of first world status according to all economic and social indicators, including literacy rates, and status of women. It all started going down hill after the U.S. pushed its way back into Iraqis’ lives.
“At least 18 people have been killed in two rush-hour bomb attacks in Baghdad.
“Security officials say at least 13 people died when a roadside bomb blew up a minibus carrying government employees in eastern Baghdad.
“In a separate incident, a female suicide bomber blew herself up outside the city’s heavily guarded Green Zone, killing five people, police said.
”
Notice how they always provide information about people who are killed by so-called terrorists (who are more often than not targeting what they consider elements of the occupation), but only rarely do you hear about all the people who are being killed by American bombs and bullets and other forms of American brutality every day.