Can't We All Just Get Along?
A buddy of mine (let's call him Todd), sent me a truly disturbing article about a US civilian in Iraq beheaded on video by some Iraqi militants as retribution for the treatment of the Iraqi prisoners by several American servicemen (and servicewoman). Understandably, Todd was outraged. Even though he opposes the "war" (I think for something to be considered a real war, both sides must be capable of winning) in Iraq, Todd is undeniably fiercely pro-America. I feel the need to make that dinstinction because there are those in this country (too many for my taste) who equate disagreeing w/ any american action abroad (especially those endorsed by a President) as being un-american, or worse, unpatriotic. I should point out that I'm in favor of the war, but I hear rednecks and warhawks using this logic far too often. But, back to Todd, I'm not as outraged, mainly because I'm not surprised. I'll follow up on this point later.

Although I'm in favor of the war in general, I'm afraid America is becoming what it despises most: a bully. A bully on a global scale. We take exactly what we want. Sometimes we work diplomatically to take what we want, but we take it just the same. Usually we try to ensure there are what would appear to be altruistic by-products associated with our taking what we want, like freeing the oppressed or feeding the starving or making the world a safer place for everyone. But, the US has never in it's history done anything solely to make life better for someone else outside of the US. We ALWAYS do what is best for us. Period. It's an ugly fact, but it's part of why we're so lucky to be American.

What makes us a bully is that we have greater resources to reach a means to an end than any other nation on the planet and we frequently use those resources or exert that influence over others to get what we want. Is it any wonder there's so much anti-American sentiment (read: envy) around the globe? The US military is in Iraq to protect American interests and I'm fine with that.

But, back to my earlier point. What I'm not fine with is the torture and humiliation of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of Americans. I'll be honest, I really thought we (I mean all Americans) were above this type of behavior. I was wrong. If you're like me (and you'll admit it), when we look aboard, especially at the Middle East, we see a people a little less than human. I wonder about the humanity of the people of a region who thrive on violence. A people who seek revenge over peace EVERY SINGLE TIME. If it's not war and strife borne out of religious differences, it's war and strife borne out of ethnic differences or class differences. Sure, we have these same problems in the US, but we don't tend to act out our soap opera on a national scale w/ weapons and rioting and fighting and burning and raping. I think part of why we see them as less than human is because our frame of reference delivered by the nightly news usually depicts these people acting in animalistic ways that ARE less than human. It helps that they hate us because we have no trouble hating them back.

My point is, I thought we were better than them, better than this. Where Todd feels outrage, I feel abject sorrow. I thought we would take the high road. I thought we would go over there and feel good about overthrowing a murderous warlord, freeing an entire people, restoring order and government to a nation, and then come home and celebrate with some beers the way Americans like to do. I didn't think the efforts of many and the ultimate sacrifice of a few would be tarnisehd by the actions of a small group of idiots brazen enough to videotape themselves humiliating and torturing defenseless Iraqi inmates. I guess I didn't think that even one American, let alone a whole group, would do anything to even begin to be the justification for beheading an innocent man on video. And it certainly doesn't justify it. Nothing could. But, Todd and I disagree on one key point -- that were it not for fear of a higher power (the press, army brass, the federal goverment, etc), that the Americans would've stopped short of killing those prisoners. I think they would've without a second thought. And that is a sickening thought because it makes us just like them...less than human. And you know that bugs me.