Iraq Suffers Two Virginia Tech Style Attacks Each Day
April 22nd, 2007 by Stephen
Juan Cole gives some perspective on the recent Virginia Tech tragedy.
I keep hearing from US politicians and the US mass media that the “situation is improving” in Iraq. The profound sorrow and alarm produced in the American public by the horrific shootings at Virginia Tech should give us a baseline for what the Iraqis are actually living through. They have two Virginia Tech-style attacks every single day. Virginia Tech will be gone from the headlines and the air waves by next week this time in the US, though the families of the victims will grieve for a lifetime. But next Tuesday I will come out here and report to you that 64 Iraqis have been killed in political violence. And those will mainly be the ones killed by bombs and mortars. They are only 13% of the total; most Iraqis killed violently, perhaps 500 a day throughout the country if you count criminal and tribal violence, are just shot down. Shot down, like the college students and professors at Blacksburg. We Americans can so easily, with a shudder, imagine the college student trying to barricade himself behind a door against the armed madman without. But can we put ourselves in the place of Iraqi students?
We must not downplay the very real tragedy that happened on Monday in Blacksburg. We do not excuse it, or ignore it. But how much more should we not excuse or ignore the daily tragedy of Iraq? We pray for the people of Blacksburg, and those touched by the tragedy. But let us not forget the people of Iraq, who are daily and routinely touched by tragedy.
I do pray for the people of Iraq. I pray we are successful for them. I truly do. My heart is heavy for their losses. And for ours as a result of trying to help them build a democracy. The saddest part is that there aren’t more people standing up for the people of Iraq and their right to live in a democracy of their own choosing–untainted by radical hateful influence of Iran and Syria.
some soldiers here come back and tell us good things (I’m talking everyday soldiers we know personally who give up years of their lives with their families to help over there). These are reports we get from the media…they are first hand stories of Iraqi gratitude. No, not everyone is grateful. But not everyone in America who has every conceiveable right and privilege and freedom without fear of persecution. Even here people are ungrateful to their government and God for provision and protection. It’s sad.
America wasn’t founded overnight. We have struggled to become what we are–the disdain of the world that all wants what we have and will break every law we have to come into our country illegally. Why? because they want what we have. And I for one, want others to have what we have. I wish I had answers for all the war. I wish we could solve problems differently. But the extremists do not want to reason and rationalize. We must help the Iraqi people. We must. And the only way I can is to support our military and pray for victory for Iraqi people and protection for them all. I admire those who stand up and fight for their country. They are incredibly brave. selahV
Thanks for this comment. There are several points here, and the most important one – that we should pray – I can only say Amen to.
There is another issue about why people hate America. I started to respond to that but realised that it could be an article on its own, and I also did not want to distract from our agreement here – which is that we want to see peace in Iraq. I’ll write the other part as a new post.
Thanks for your comments.
Stephen
[...] Selahv mentioned in a comment the disdain of the world for America – but there are in fact two distinct types of anti-Americanism. There is one kind which is just prejudice. There are people who disdain Americans simply because they are in a different “in group”, and it is fallen human nature to disdain out groups. Therefore every bad thing from America (fast food and sugary drinks for instance) is held against them. Every good thing (Clam chowder for instance) is ignored. [...]