March 17, 2003
War
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I've been reflecting recently on the perceived value of human life.
No one can be sure, but it appears inevitable now that the U.S. military, in my name, is going to kill thousands of Iraqi civilians: men, women, and children. Somehow, though, it's OK, because this is "war", and these things happen in war. But there's no escaping it: we're going to kill these men, women, and children not because of something they have done, but because of something their government might do in the future. Because of the mere possibility that innocent Americans might one day die at the hands of terrorists armed by Saddam Hussein, we have the certainty that innocent Iraqis will die at the hands of American soldiers today.
Many around the world will value these lost lives as much as we valued the lives of those lost in the attacks of September 11.
The other day I watched a young girl running around with her mother. Kids are adorable -- you can't help but smile. Then I imagined her and her mother torn to shreds by shrapnel. We rarely see the enemy in human terms.
A teenager's smiling face greets me from the cover of the latest Newsweek: "The Elizabeth Smart Rescue". Thousands celebrated in Salt Lake City with music and fireworks because one human being is not dead. Yet at the same time we can dismiss the lives of thousands with an almost subconscious rationalization.
Oh, they're asking for it: just look how they're dressed! :( No seriously, war is horrible and I feel like a ghoul or some other monster when I posit that it is the lesser evil. Coalition forces do not wish to harm the noble people of Iraq. To ensure your safety, avoid areas occupied by military personnel.
Posted by: Andrew at March 18, 2003 01:39 PMwow, they took that down pretty quick! Anyway I saved eight of them if you're interested.
Posted by: Andrew at March 18, 2003 01:50 PMThe juxtaposition of the Smart family and the Iraqi mother and baby is particulary striking.
On a recent flight, I was sitting next to a guy who was scheduled to begin boot camp the following day. We started talking about the war, and not surprisingly, he was strongly in favor of it. I informed him that thousands of innocent Iraqis could die. His response: "But they're Iraqis."
Perhaps his sentiment was extreme, but it made me realize that many people in this country are not taught to unconditionally respect human life. Many of us seem to think American lives are more important.
After September 11, many of our fellow global citizens mourned alongside us. Would we have done the same for them?
Posted by: Dan Eisner at March 18, 2003 05:07 PMThe leaflet pics there now.
Posted by: David at March 18, 2003 11:32 PMI saw something interesting on the news tonight: an American congressman (hint: he's from Virginia) made a statement which was someting to the effect of "I would never hinder an American's right to protest, but this is the wrong time to do it." So protesting is bad because it "harms the troops" or does he object because it makes American look like it lacks unity? Little does this dimwitted politician know that the protests in American are probably the only thing that keeps the rest of the world from completely losing all faith in any ounce of intelligence in this country. They may be the one chance we have, five or six years from now, when we are desparately trying to salvage our image.
Poor dumbass politicians.