That's the headline all across the country tonight as the nation reacts to this unexplained violence. It made me realize how calloused and insulated we have become about the violene in Iraq. Consider this, a massacre on the scale of the one today in VA Tech occurs at least weekly in Iraq yet it barely makes a ripple in the "drive by" news media which informs most of us. Last week when we were debating the racial overtones of "Nappy Headed Hoe's" hundreds of Iraqis and dozens of Americans were killed in Iraq. A recent post of mine linked to a story about a bombing in Tal Afar which proved to be the single deadliest attack since the war begain. Nearly 100 innocent citizens where killed, the Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army exchanged gunfire yet it was in and out of the news in less than 24 hours. Not one reader of this blog (if there are any) posted anything about it. This may be understandable if we weren't involved in this bloodshed, but our occupation and subsequent mismanagement of the war is direcly responsible for it. No one in this country is responsible for what happened today, but dozens of elected and appointed officials are at least indirectly responsible for the chaos in Iraq.
This isn't intended to minimize what happened today, but it does shed some light on how we view the news and how we receive and process information.
Later this week I'll try to post on what I perceive as the lack of participation by other cabinet level agencies in D.C. Imagine the progress that a bit of assisstance from the Ag, Commerce, Transporation, Energy or Health and Human Services departments could stimulate. What is it that the DOD is saddled with this responsibility we are the least trained for it. Driving a HMMWV or wearing Body Armor isn't that hard. And the DOD didn't ask for this war, we were simply ordered to execute it.
Here's some links to some interesting stories from the weekend and a video of a HMMWV being towed back through the creek after it got flooded out.
5 comments:
I haven't watched any TV today so don't have full handle on Va. Tech event. I read a little bit on the Internet.
Just this morning I heard about a suicide bomber in Iraq and thought, "Those people who were killed were someone's Mom, Dad, bother. I've lost each of those and my life STOPPED for quite a period of time." Those reports happen daily and I continue to listen with 1/2 an ear and look thru my overflowing closet to find something to wear before I sift thru an adequately supplied jewelry box to get ready for school. I hate that I'm getting hardened to it.
And, I've wondered about the other cabinets getting involved. Maybe it was a link from this blog that took me to a speech made at West Point that was about why we're failing in Iraq that brought up the agriculture, economics, education depts. I'm assuming it's the commander in chief who would bring them into the mix? I can't imagine that he'll want to do that. Why should he when he doesn't acknowledge many things need to change.
Thanks, Tim, for making me THINK about things.
This week on PBS there is a program called America at a Crossroads. Tonight's episode was "Gangs of Iraq" It really explains the the reasoning for the MTT teams. General Petraeus was a central part of the discussion. I found it enlightening and gave images and faces to so many things Tim writes about.
As per the VA tech killings. I got 3 different emails from UT officials today. I found it odd and interesting that we should possibly brace ourselves for its effects. How might 33 people being killed on a college campus have such an impact at UT?
Calloused and hardened we have become it's true.
I saw a bumber sticker the other day that said, "I love the United States but I think we should start seeing other people." I don't think at any point in this war we have adequately acknowledged Iraqi's as people or our contribution to their suffering before the war and currently. Just as we ignore the suffering we bring about all over Africa (poor distribution of food and marketing American agricultural products in rural communities), Haiti (sanctions leads to destruction of forests which leads to mudslides and deaths when Hurricane's roll through) and a myriad of countries all over the US.
In addition to our failure to "see others" outside of the US. We additionally fail to see many communities here at home. Consider the amount of time it took President Bush to respond to Hurricane Katrina (has he yet responded?): This hurricane disporportianlly affected poor blacks. COnsider also the failure to acknowlege the trials and tribulations facing immigrant families, or the poor communities in places like Camden, NJ (the second poorest City in the US in the wealthiest State in the US) or East St. Louis.
Frankly, the shooting in VA is tragic. But is a shooting involving primarily middle class educated white Americans. That fact in an of itself makes it popular to politicians, media outlets, and the white middle class consumer who identifiest her/his fears in it.
You have no idea how many conversations I've had today because of your blog. Is it okay if I pass it along to friends?
You can all feel free to pass along anything you want, it is the internet afterall
Post a Comment