Topic: Iraq
Our Troops Die While We Sigh So far this month we have lost more than 14 of our brave troops while their demise brings short comments in the news between other stories like the war of words between the candidates.by Gary Wood
(conservative libertarian)
Friday, March 14, 2008
I've been watching the news all week and listening to the casualties of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan climb. It takes a careful ear to hear the news however as the media reports them between long-winded stories about sex scandals and improper words between Clinton and Obama. We lost eight in Iraq on Monday alone yet the morning news mentioned the incidents only briefly. There are more important stories; it would seem, to report.
As of this writing a total of 3,987 U.S. soldiers have perished, leaving behind families and friends to mourn their loss. This doesn't account for the 29,320 wounded since the 19th of March 2003, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. In the midst of all the discussions surrounding the improvements in violence it has become seemingly unimportant to provide the news listeners with more than a quick mention of the latest homicide bombings or other incidents claiming lives daily.
It makes me wonder how our brave men and women feel when they read in The Stars & Stripes Public is less aware of Iraq casualties. Can you imagine the soldier mourning the loss of his fallen friend, sitting on his cot, opening the paper and reading, "Only one-quarter of the American adult public knows the approximate U.S. casualty count in Iraq, down from around 50 percent of adults who knew that figure last year, according to a survey released Wednesday." The story goes on to state, "According to those figures, the percentage of news stories devoted to the war has fallen from an average of 15 percent of the "news hole" in July 2007 to only 3 percent in February 2008." It simply is not news worthy or so it would seem based on the findings.
As the troops gain an understanding they're dying without much of a notice back home the public is responding by increasing their support of the war. As reported by CBS News, Pew Research (who also conducted the study showing awareness of deaths were down) found the support for the war has increased. "The percentage of those who believe the war in Iraq is going "very well" or "fairly well" is also up, from 30 percent in February 2007 to 48 percent today." Based on the reduction of casualty reporting this finding is not too surprising.
We hear the war is going better. We hear there are in-roads being made and we hear how we must sustain our efforts and obtain a clear victory. As reported in the London based Telegraph's article; John McCain: Early US pull-out from Iraq will cause 'genocide' Senator McCain, the likely nominee for the Republican Party, continues to warn us what can happen if we end the war. "If we do that then al-Qaeda wins, we have chaos and genocide throughout the region and they will follow us home. That's been my position - forever," said Senator McCain.
In the meantime China used the war as a barometer for countering U.S. claims of severe human rights violations. An AFP Report quoted Chinese officials as saying, "The United States has a notorious record of trampling on the sovereignty of and violating human rights in other countries. The invasion of Iraq by American troops has produced the biggest human rights tragedy and the greatest humanitarian disaster in the modern world." Additionally, there was little coverage of the Iraq visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He visited for two days last week and was greeted with fanfare, signed many agreements with the Iraq government and enjoyed the protection of our soldiers during his stay. Did you hear the details?
Support for the war has increased due to reports of casualties decreasing and fear based rhetoric gaining popularity. In this country there is a near news blackout that our troops and the rest of the world are not enduring. What have become no more than a passing sigh for our media and many viewers still destroys families, breaks the hearts of parents, and leaves behind a legacy of sacrifice.
I'm sure there will come a day someone will build a monument with the names of these brave men and women etched for all to see. Yet, today is it too much to ask for the media to lift the veil and properly pay tribute to these soldiers? Whether we support the war or not, whether we see it as a great humanitarian effort or a violation of human rights, whether we want to stay for the next 100 years or bring our troops home as soon as possible don't we owe them more than a quick news shout and a sigh?
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Posted By: Jake, the champion of the constitution
Date: 2008-03-15 20:21:19
Good article. One view about the reality of the Iranian leader's visit and the resignation of Fallon. Unable to verify but fairly convincing if you piece together the events. Unfortunately if true the soldier death count will skyrocket. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8351
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