Friday, November 24, 2006

The Tragedy that is Iraq

It is hard to imagine how a people can tolerate the carnage that has occurred in Iraq. While this has been particularly intense in the last several days, it certainly has bee escalating for many, many months. Before the illegal invasion by the U.S. and Britain, there had been the long history of depredations to the populace both during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980's, and after the Gulf War of 1991 when sanctions were enforced on the country. Through all of this, the Iraqi people have suffered from the iron fist of successive U.S. administrations. Our guilt is profound.

At this point, it is not a question of a good solution, or even a neutral solution. It is just a question of what is the least bad of any solution that is proposed. I think getting the American and British armies out of Iraq is imperative. That this will be difficult is without question. That there will be open sectarian strife as a result, well, there is full blown civil war as we speak.

Is there any possibility that the U.N. could serve as keepers of the peace, what little there is? We have so castrated the U.N. that it is probably impossible for it to do so. Which country would send their troops into the jaws of hell?

The innocents among the Iraqi people, and there are many, half the population is below 25, continue to suffer a catastrophe of our making.

In the meantime, Walmart is offering sales. The American public lives on another planet.

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