Today's Lesson in Humility

Five years ago today Baghdad fell to the "Coalition Forces", which equated to 98% American forces and 2% the rest of the world (literally, it's true!). I kept this quote from a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece that bothered me from the very minute I laid eyes on it. Mr. Neo-con, right-wing zealot William Shawcross wrote this on the following day (April 10, 2003).

"Liberation Day! What a wonderful, magnificent, emotional occasion — one that will live in legend like the fall of the Bastille, V-E Day or the fall of the Berlin Wall. Watching the tearing down of Saddam Hussein's towering statue in Baghdad was a true Ozymandias moment. It slowly tumbled and, with perfect symbolism, just two rusty pipes were left sticking up from the boots. In the BBC's London studio an Iraqi dissident said though tears, 'April 9 is not just spring, it is for Iraqis eternal spring.' "

A couple of thoughts...

• During the 70's and 80's the U.S. backed the Saddam regime while he was torturing and killing his own people because he was a useful pawn in the Middle East.
• During the Gulf war, when Hussein went out of control, the U.S. bombed Iraq's infrastructure back into pre-industrial age causing immense sufferings (i.e. death) to the people of Iraq. At the time the concern for human life was a lower priority than "the greater evil". How sad.
• During the 90's, the U.N. sanctions imposed (with the assistance of the U.S.) caused the death of an estimated 500,000 Iraqi children.
• Iraqbodycount.org's current estimates of documented civilian deaths are at 90,000 since our occupation began.
• I heard on NPR yesterday an estimate that the war is costing Americans approximately $14K per household.

The more I think of writing about this, the more frustrated I get. Perhaps it's best to let it stand on its own? Less typing for me too.