Kentho Birne (qaz) wrote, @ 2004-04-01 12:49:00

Current mood:

shocked

Freedom Isn't Free
For those who haven't been following the news, a brutal attack took place yesterday in Fallujah, a city in the Sunni Triangle of Iraq. Unlike previous attacks, this one targeted civilians...four Americans, to be precise. Read about the attack here *WARNING: Disturbing pictures on site* or here for the "Printer-friendly" version that has no pictures. Yes, I know the NY Times website makes you register; the form takes one minute, you get one e-mail, then you're in...no spam :D Please read the article, as this post deals with the attack. (Side note: if you're too lazy to register, IM me or e-mail me and I'll send you the article's text) :-Þ

*WARNING #2: The contents of this post contain some of my political thoughts for clarity. This is an editorial I just wrote, giving my personal response to the attack*

I ask that you look past the few lines of political thought I had to put into this post, and instead see the message I was trying to convey, both by the title of this post, and the three words you'll see at the end. I encourage comments and welcome them as always, but please don't turn this into a flame war, since I dislike confrontations with my friends. With that in mind, if you're still reading, thank you :) I hope you enjoy.

Freedom Isn't Free

I read Wednesday about the attack on the civilian convoy in Iraq. Although details were sparse and sketchy–at the time, even who the victims worked for was unknown–I realized this would open a new avenue in the Iraq debate. After reading today’s article in The New York Times, I finally grasped the gravity of the situation.

Four Americans dead, their cars sprayed by gunfire, smashed by bricks, and set aflame. Like Somalia, corpses dragged through the streets, dismembered, mutilated, and hung from a bridge. Iraqis, likely including the attack’s perpetrators, celebrating in the streets, calling Fallujah the “Graveyard of the Americans.”

Throughout the ordeal, no response came. Not one police unit, firefighting brigade, ambulance, or soldier arrived to break up the grotesque demonstration. This isn’t Somalia–we have a large military presence and trained police forces throughout the nation–but at the moment it appears nearly identical.

I am too young to remember that ordeal. In a month, I will turn eighteen, registering to vote and for selective service. Despite the letters arriving from colleges, telling me where I can and cannot go, I am still a high school student, but I find my views sometimes strikingly different from my peers.

I supported the removal of Saddam from the outset; I still believe it was the right thing to do. I remember, when the WMD debate just began to reach the mainstream, an editorial Thomas Friedman wrote. In it, he referred to a picture appearing on the front page of the Times: a skull from a mass grave, with a group of Iraqis in the background who had relatives buried in it. In his words, “As far as I’m concerned, we do not need to find any weapons of mass destruction to justify this war. That skull, and the thousands more that will be unearthed, are enough for me.” I could not possibly agree more wholeheartedly. I also believe we need to help the Iraqis create a functioning state, but to do that, we must have security.

The attack itself angers me; its aftermath disgusts me, and yet it does not change my opinion. We still need to help the Iraqis transform their nation. When President Bush said there would be losses, I recognized that, as every other American should have. I also realized that, unfortunately, some of these losses would be non-military. Not in my wildest dreams, however, could I picture American civilians, at work helping to restore Iraq’s infrastructure, attacked without a response. I realize Fallujah is in the Sunni Triangle. I further realize that its political loyalties could make it the most dangerous city in the country now. I do not, however, believe the city is so lawless as to prevent Coalition soldiers or Iraqi policemen from breaking up the mob and securing the area around the demolished vehicles. Because no response was made, because those who oppose our presence in Iraq were allowed to brutally murder four civilians, then cavort through the streets with their corpses, we show the Iraqis weakness. Regardless of our actual strength, they perceive weakness.

Action needs to be taken. In the one day since the bombing, I have heard every suggestion from bombing the city into rubble to fleeing the nation altogether. I see neither as an option, but Fallujah, and the rest of Iraq, need to recognize the rule of law. Such demonstrations and acts as the one that took place April 31 cannot go unpunished. This is first-degree murder, punishable by life imprisonment for one count in courts worldwide, by the death penalty where still allowed. If citizens of Fallujah want to protest our presence in Iraq, they have every right to do so–as long as they do so peaceably.

This attack will give new ammunition to many wishing our forces removed from Iraq. I write this imploring them to reconsider. After all I have heard about Iraq, the killings and reconstruction, even the blatant murder of innocents, why do I still support this? Life is supposed to be precious; indeed, what could possibly be more sacred? Why, you may ask, does a teenager support the continued struggle to bring Democracy to the Middle East? My answer is simple, and only three words long:

Freedom. Isn’t. Free.

Live your lives to the fullest; this nation provides you that outstanding opportunity. I believe others should have it as well.

(Anonymous) 2004-04-01 13:28 (link)

Like I said to you earlier, if you wrote stuff like that when it came to English... you'd be set. That's pretty damn good. I do agree that Saddamn needed to go, but I never was in full agreement with the way it was all dealt with. I guess war isn't my favorite thing in the world, not that its anyone else's. (Bush isn't either, but whatever -cheese-). But reading that did make me think. Freedom isn't free, and its so true. Lord knows all the crap we had to go through to get our freedom (GOD I hate history x_x). Maybe I'll eventually get my thoughts about the whole Iraq thing straightened out. Who knows when, or if, that'll happen. Until then, I've got you here to confuse me =) <3 Lindz (Reply to this) (Thread)

	well.. (Anonymous) 2004-04-01 14:48 (link)
	see, the trouble is, im all for bombing the bastards. but there are people in the city who probably dont feel the same way these "people" (if we can call them that) do. what we should do is just gather all of these morons into the same place, split the atom and be done with it -_- if only it was tht easy... Chaos (Reply to this) (Thread)

Great article (Anonymous) 2004-04-02 16:43 (link)

You probably know already that your artice is all over the blogosphere, and justly so. I see more wisdom in your words than I do in many "adult" Americans that are abundant here in NYC. I am a Russian immigrant, and people like you make me respect your contry much more than arrogant whinies who call Bush a moron (oh, they are so sure they are smarter than him), and spit on their country and it's tradition. Sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll are great, but guess what? you won't have that unless your country defends it. When you go to college, I'm sure you'll meet a lot of peope who thinks it's cool to be cynical about your government, and that bitching about it makes them "progressive". It will take some guts as well as brains to stand up to them, voice your opinion, and not let your country slide into chaos of pussiness and ignorance. It looks like you've got both, and I wish you best. Cheers, Ivan Lenin ivanlenin.blogspot.com (Reply to this) (Thread)

Re: Great article qaz 2004-04-02 18:10 (link)

Thanks for the kind words, Ivan. I've been checking the progress of comments on the Command Post and my dad's blog throughout the day, and I must say I'm amazed at the reaction it's received. As for those who feel like being cynical about our government, that's their choice. I intend to introduce them to the other side, however, in the hope that I can prove not everything has to be shameless politicking. Again, thanks for the vote of confidence =) -Matt (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

hmm (Anonymous) 2004-04-02 18:19 (link)

first of all: damn good writing. i mean really. next of all: you know i don't agree that we should have gone into Iraq. as for the thomas friedman quote, its true that that is a terrible, horrific thing to do and sadaam was by no means in the right, but that did not give the USA the right to attack his country. there are other countries in the world that live under dictators and facist rulers, so if we're trying to rid the world of "evil" leaders, why did Bush stop at Iraq? but this isn't about the war-that already happened. you say that there were attacks on Americans without response-what should we do? should we bomb them back, turning it into an Israel-Palestine type of conflict where they aren't attacks, they're vengances? i'm pretty sure thats not what you meant but what then? how should we respond? if you mean there should have been some police intervention, that's true. but think about it. if they're American police or American military people, don't you think the riot would have simply turned its attention on them? one more thing...if those demonstrations were first-degree murder, what were our bombs? i'm sure there's a difference, but i'm not grasping it. this response is very random and confused, but i tried! oh and brian-Iraqis are people just like you and i. if we're fighting for democracy in Iraq, we'd better start by allowing them the freedom to think what they want. it's attitudes like yours that got us in Iraq in the first place, and if we weren't there, none of this would have happened. <3 harriet (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: hmm (Anonymous) 2004-04-03 08:09 (link)
	I gotta agree on the writing comments. You're good, but I ready told you that. And you probably also know that I agree with Harriet on everything she said. <33Harriet<33 But it's still really good. :) (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

you make good points......... (Anonymous) 2004-04-19 00:25 (link)

The occupation of Iraq is, yes, a good contrast to the slack foreign policies of recent years. Our government, based on the ideals of equality and self-determinism, should give the same to other countries, forcefully, if necessary. By all means we should never allow intolerant dictatorships to maintain such political systems; we should cleanse their immoral ways while imposing our democratic, tolerant system that is irrefutably superior. Even if it means violating the international laws set in place to protect us from another world war, we must violate the sovereignty of any nation that exists with a system we believe to be threatening international stability and our hegemony over world affairs. The negligent foreign policy that allows for other peoples to exist under repression is contrary to our philosophy of self-determinism, for we should allow these countries, such as Iraq and the rest of the Axis of Evil, to choose political systems we approve. n00b (Reply to this) (Thread)

Re: you make good points......... qaz 2004-04-19 00:47 (link)

How does a government gain sovereignty? If simply ruling with an iron fist counts, as Sadaam did, winning rigged elections whenever pressured into them by foreign powers and "cleansing" the political environment of his dictatorship by taking political dissidents from their homes into the streets, shooting them, then billing the horrified family for the bullet used in the killing, then hell, let's go take over some random nation. There's forcing one's ideas on the world, and then there's allowing the world a choice, a chance for self-determination. That's something the Iraqi people never had under Sadaam, and it's something many Arabs in the Middle East still do not have to this day. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)