A ragged urchin, aimless and alone,
Loitered about that vacancy, a bird
Flew up to safety from his well-aimed stone'
That girls are raped, that
two boys knife a third,
Were axioms to him who'd never heard
Of any world where promises were kept
Or one could weep because another wept.
W. H. Auden
Save the Children reported this month that Iraq’s child-survival rate is falling faster than any other nation’s. One Iraqi in eight is killed by illness or violence by the age of 5. Yet for all the words President Bush has lavished on Darfur and AIDS in Africa, there has been a deadly silence from him about what’s happening in the country he gave “God’s gift of freedom.”
10 comments:
Those are some remarkable photos. Thank you for taking time to pull this post together for us to read and view. This Memorial Day weekend is a good time for all of us to honor warriors and think hard on the impact of this ill-fated war in Iraq.
peace, Villager
Brutal, yet important to be seen. War is hell.
...breathtaking.
I will be hugging my kids extra tight tonight.
remember it is not US killing those children. and if terrorism is not fought it will be OUR children next. do i like it? NO! but i still think we are right to fight the terrorists. and this weekend, memorial day, our troops need our support. please.
Empress Bee,
Our family will be flying flags, visiting the local Army base and participating in several Memorial Day activities.
These Iraqi children are being slaughtered and maimed because we are there instead of staying in Afghanistan where we belonged, all while over 3,000 of our military have been killed, 100,000+ Iraqis are dead, our borders remain unguarded against terrorism, our military is overextended and its members will be paying the price maimed in body and mind for a generation. The terrorists have more strength world wide than every before.
You can fight a war against a country with guns. You fight a war against ideas with ideas.
So much for the Culture of Life, huh? Our tax dollars at work.
I think anybody who defends the death of children in any society on any level has deep problems...deep.
Thanks for the thoughtful post.
"I think anybody who defends the death of children in any society on any level has deep problems...deep. "
jamie, this is why i cannot come here any more.
you are a lovely person. but every time i come here i get so upset.
i have no idea how i defended killing children.
i am truly sorry. truly sorry. i won't tell you what i think of this person like i did the last time.
good luck to you honey.
smiles, bee
ps: sarge went to korea too.
Powerful photos.
I tend to shy away from anything political on the net. Especially since I'm not American, and have no say in the situation you are in over there.
I respect Bee's opinions, and I respect yours. I happen to agree with you, but do understand how Bee must feel. My husband is with the RCMP, and I happen to believe in that institution very strongly and I know I would defend it.
I for one am very glad our Canadian troops are not over there.
Powerful imagery indeed.
Save the Children do an admirable job, in extremely difficult circumstances.
Its a crying shame that we still have to see pictures like this from anywhere in the world.
I am not going to let this go unanswered.
"i have no idea how i defended killing children." You are correct, you didnt, nor did i say you defending the killing of children.
What I said was defending "the death of children." Your post simply shrugs off the deaths of these kids, though you dont like it. I do believe you. I think you are sincere that you dont like it....but....People from all over the world read these blogs, and writing something like this helps play right into the wrong people's hand. They look for things like this the same way FOXnews looks for Rosie o'Donel to say something stupid and then they build her into a straw man.
Thats why i am not going to just let this stand without saying something back. Its a shame you were offended, but thats your choice.
I stand by every letter I wrote.
And finally
"i won't tell you what i think of this person like i did the last time."
You dont know me. I dont care what you think of me.
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