Shaming the flag, or owing “the great nation” the truth?

John Murtha, the anti-war Democratic Congressman recently exposed the new U.S scandal – marines killing innocent Iraqi civilians “in cold blood,” which is something I don’t doubt is happening, no matter how hard the U.S government and defense forces try to deny it. Out of the many marines that were sent, how can anyone say that none of them are corrupt or taking advantage of their positions? Certainly it’s not all soldiers and officers that are guilty of such things, but they definitely happen. Just like violence caused by Iraqi terrorists happen. Many Americans seem to be taking this as an attack on America, because who has the right to question their services in Iraq, right? Think about it, without the military invasion, the Iraqis would still be under Saddam’s governance! Oh, the horror! I mean, so what if Iraqi women are no better off now than they were during Saddam’s rule? So what if their liberation is being achieved through bloodshed and murder? Let’s think twice about this, John Murtha, before you tarnish the great American reputation. It’s perfectly logical to wait until more hideous crimes against humanity are taking place! It’s more dangerous for America’s reputation and really, it can cost lives! Of Iraqis, though! So it doesn’t matter!

Seriously now, if marines are piling up with the same complaints, and if Murtha seems to be so convinced that the report will be further evidence of his statements, the people accused of this may not face the charges they deserve. After all, the soldiers involved in the Abu Ghraib abuse have received sentences that range from a few weeks to several months on probation. The reason why governments don’t like to charge their own soldiers and intelligence officers with “war crimes” is because it illegitimizes whatever war they’re involved in, and makes it harder to justify. When Abu Ghraib’s incident was impossible to refute with the amount of evidence and video footage being released, Bush said it’s one of the few things that made him regret going to war (awww, he’s so sweet when he feigns his emotions.) With the crimes that occurred in Abu Ghraib being dismissed as the “actions of a very small percentage” of American troops, the Bush administration was not ready for a hit as big and as serious as this one, which is why U.S investigations are trying as hard as they can to deny the fact that innocent Iraqis are being brutalized by American soldiers. It’s part of any military’s training to desensitize the “enemies” and lessen their importance. To be ready for war is to be ready to deal with the guilt and trauma by reminding yourself that you were just obeying orders and fighting the big threat.

The reason why I’m doubting their version of the story is because actual marines have come forward, and I honestly don’t think any marine would want to frame a colleague. Right now, the American government, and particularly the Secretary of Defense (who proudly announced the fact that he “stopped reading the news” after he received serious criticisms regarding his handling of the crimes that took place in Abu Ghraib, which is being used for unjustified and humiliating torture, making it no different than Saddam’s days) are in an increasingly difficult position, but not one that really worries them. While some people may be horrified and disgusted, no actions are being taken against it. Not by the Americans who disagree but feel too helpless to protest, and not by any other country that wants to remain uninvolved and asleep.

One argument that is made often is that this is being caused by the few “bad apple” soldiers that don’t reflect any of the work America is doing in Iraq. The difference here is that when a small minority of American soldiers are guilty of such errors, the crimes committed aren’t small. We are talking about fully equipped soldiers with all kinds of advanced ammunition, and the permission to use them against “suspects.” Meaning many lives are in danger, which makes sense considering Iraq’s death tolls. The 9/11 terrorist attack was made by a few “bad apples” too, that doesn’t change the fact that innocent people died for no apparent reason, and without a choice. This should no longer be referred to as a war. This is an occupation. There are no Iraqi soldiers fighting in America. There are no direct attacks on America that could be traced to the previous Iraqi government, and that includes 9/11. This is an opinion I share with Richard Clarke, who said the following on 60 Minutes:

“I think they wanted to believe that there was a connection, but the CIA was sitting there, the FBI was sitting there, I was sitting there saying we’ve looked at this issue for years. For years we’ve looked and there’s just no connection.”

He then went on to say:

“I find it outrageous that the President is running for re-election on the grounds that he’s done such great things about terrorism. He ignored it.”

He’s still ignoring it, because the terrorists he claims to be looking for aren’t the defenseless Iraqis, and the insurgents began fighting back by targeting their own people and a large portion of foreign journalists (which ironically mostly includes Arabs, not Americans) after the war, hardly posing a threat to the American public. In fact, most terrorist activities are taking place within the Middle East, making us the prime target. America, however, likes to play the victim, when it’s the country that is suffering the least from what they’re supposedly defending their public against.

Does it make sense to anybody that whenever an attack is blamed on a “suicide bomber,” the victims and casualties always include Iraqis, as if they were targeted to begin with? Many American soldiers are dying as a result of accidents. Not as a result of Iraqi insurgency. Furthermore, if the case in Iraq was that severe against the Americans currently in service there, why do many of them find the time to blog, update their MySpace profiles, and talk about menial things like how much they miss being sexually active or dining at Hooters? The fast food chains in Iraq weren’t made for Iraqis, they were built near the camps of soldiers because that is who they were intended for. Flipping burgers and making endless portions of “freedom” fries is hardly an advancement, or an achievement. So please remind me what it is they are working towards again – Democracy? Stability? Yes, many Iraqis were opening their arms to American soldiers before they turned the war into their own little playground. Just like many Fallujans were in favor of America’s invasion before a huge amount of them died in an incident most of us don’t even remember the details of, despite it being front-page material in many Middle Eastern newspapers last summer.

There are military personnel who are against this war, especially after they found out what they were being “tricked” into doing. Yeah, it’s a scary world out there for the soldiers, but they had a choice and they made it. The Iraqis didn’t have a choice, on the other hand. So while you’re talking about how much you’re missing your normal life back home, try missing the fact that you once had a country and a secure family. Try missing the fact that you once had your sanity intact. Try being a witness to a death of a relative, a loved one, or even your own child. What are the long-term benefits of this war? Are we expected to go through another 5 years until someone has to explain the damage and the number of people announced dead? Who is responsible for Iraq’s reconstruction? Furthermore, how are these military men being rewarded? The number of war veterans currently homeless or unemployed is dumbfounding. You’d think serving the “great nation” would at least leave you financially secure. This is a total rip off, and they’re being brainwashed so well to the point where nobody can see the pointlessness of it all until it’s too late. These people are left with nightmares and traumatizing memories all for the sake of whom? For what cause? What country, what administration, and what political ideology is worth ruining that many lives for?

For once, I would just like to see the efforts of tolerance from both sides. Ours and theirs. But if the world’s most powerful government is trying this hard to convince people that the increasing death toll in Iraq is for a just cause, then I have no hope for this world. When people say “I don’t understand you because you’re an Arab, and you don’t understand my stance on this because I’m American,” that is where the trouble lies. This is not about sides, or which team you’re competing with. Stop fucking turning this into high school football. It’s human nature to compete, and to ensure your survival, but you do that through culture. Not war (which ironically enhances culture through technological innovations, but then again you can argue that technology is the downfall of culture.) War is a policy tool, between two or more political units. Who is America currently at war with? Saddam’s gone, his army’s been destroyed within months, the number of terrorists compared to the overall population is low, so who are they fighting? Are the innocent civilians threatening enough as they are for them to require that much energy?

I can understand where some Americans are coming from with their rather weak argument that they have no reason to question the government, because as leaders of the country they know what’s best to put them through (and you will be laughed at if you say the same about any Arab country and its leadership.) Many years ago, there was no reason to believe that America was anything but what it claimed to be, even though there were clues against it in Vietnam and the Civil Rights struggle, but after it all ended, everything was expected to go back to normal. Now, the government is so obvious that it’s hard to swallow. How many times does it have to be ousted for its lies before people can be fully convinced that it’s not exactly brimming with the absolute truth? Can’t people take the CIA as a hint? Why aren’t people involved in this top-secret agency allowed to expose its actions and plans? Too bad Karl Rove made a joke out of Joseph Wilson and his wife before people can take them seriously, they both made it perfectly clear that none of the reasons for going to war were proven to be true. None. Even the claim that Saddam was in the process of building a nuclear plant was a lie, as well as him building more weapons of mass destruction (shock and awe) because of Iraq’s involvement with Nigeria and its yellow cake uranium. But that’s not the point. Saddam is gone and that is superb, but hey nothing could be as bad as his rule, not even America’s raping of Iraq, right? Wrong.

I wonder, how many functioning democracies start out with a war as bad as this? How many regimes are bullied into enforcing American values? War is a pretty understandable process to be involved in. The world today is the way it is because of war. It’s re-shaping geography. America wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for a war. Russia would be the size of Poland if it wasn’t for war. Israel wouldn’t exist if there was no war, and Texas would still belong to Mexico. Saddam wouldn’t have come to power if it wasn’t for an internal war, and thousands of people would have been alive had it not been for him coming to power, but then again thrice that number would still be alive had it not been for America’s military invasion of Iraq, which may I add is now completely unnecessary. The purpose of a “military” invasion was to topple Iraq’s Baathist army in search of Saddam, but now it seems as though they’re finding more excuses to just, kill.

I don’t think comparing this to Vietnam is taking it too far. John Murtha, a war vet, made this comparison too. Can we even call it a war? Wasn’t that an occupation, too? There were no Vietnamese soldiers fighting in America during the 60’s either. But hey, it happened with Korea, too. See the pattern? Will there be another one that follows that sick trail of lies and unnecessary declarations of war? If America lasts longer than another 20 years, then most likely. Just as long as America has its selfish needs taken care of, then everything else is done for a “reason,” and don’t you dare question it, crybaby! Because America knows what’s best for this world! Yes! And you don’t! In 10 years Iraq will be a hot spot for tourists and celebrities because America is working its ass off for our sake, so let’s put our hands together and pray for their over-stay! Sigh.

Why aren’t there the protests that shook America during Vietnam? People are far more pacified now than they used to be. Everyone’s content just to have 5 televisions in their house, three cars in the garage, and three extra bedrooms in a house too big. Fuck the Iraqis, right? Let’s just blog about them to trick ourselves into caring, and then go back to living proper lives, because let’s face it, America is doing a marvelous, clean job, and we should thank their courageous forces for agreeing to be involved in the first place. Toppling Saddam’s regime is the best thing to happen to the Iraqi nation in years, it doesn’t matter how many mass graves are being dug to burry the slaughtered families, it doesn’t matter that Iraq is now listed as one of the world’s most endangered cultural sites. Let’s just blame it on the insurgents. Because what’s the point of life if we weren’t looking at the bright side of things? If we ignore the little mistakes together, we can convince ourselves they never happened.

They came, they saw, they conquered. So please don’t ruin it for the rest of us, John Murtha. Right now, we’re comfortable enough thanking God it’s them, instead of us.

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