American Logic

[davidthegnome]

42. Depends on when you start the counting.

Also on whether or not you include people that died as a result of the severe sanctions we imposed for a number of years. Several years ago, before the Iraq war began, my Father and I went to watch a presentation about our sanctions... the damage already done, already being done - and so on, at a local University. The exact number is questionable, but... reports suggest over 500,000 (very conservatively) children died as a result of the sanctions. Sanctions that the US, in particular, remained steadfast in imposing despite most (if not all) of the rest of the world deciding that enough was enough. One particular article suggests that nearly 600,000 children had died as a result of our sanctions... by the year 1995. Source below:

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/01/world/iraq-sanctions-kill-children-un-reports.html

Now that's children alone, without including the undoubtedly high number of adults, both men and women. That is only beginning to scratch the surface in terms of total damage. The war before that - and the war after, bombing raids since, drone strikes and so on... I suspect that the number, from Iraq alone, comes to two million or more. So, yes. Millions would be accurate.

It is not hatred of America, or herbal teabaggery (whatever that is...?) to point out that... yes, we have done some damned awful things. I don't think that, for the most part, it is in dispute that our invasion of Iraq was a bad thing, for quite a number of reasons. I don't think that there is still much serious argument among educated people about whether Al Qaeda, or Bin Laden were linked to Iraq prior to our invasion. I don't think any but the most die-hard war supporters still think that Saddam was hiding WMDs.

This goes beyond "making a mistake", or "committing an error with the best of intentions", or any other way we might minimize it. It was... and is, an extreme tragedy, a terrible crime on our part - and something that we will be paying for for generations to come. Not just financially, not just in our own losses, but in the creation of generations of future terrorists, attacks against our allies, against the west in general. It didn't have to happen this way. Much of our current strife, our current suffering, economic, military, diplomatic and other issues... are a direct result of the Iraq war.

No. It is not about hating America. I love my Country and it's people, but that doesn't stop me from admitting to the truth, even when it is harsh and ugly.