at what cost?

[sway2sway]

I read this story this morning and I literally felt sick. Isn't there a point where the US government will wonder how the situation could be any worse if they left Iraq? Do they go to sleep at night and at least have a niggling doubt, that perhaps what they are doing is not in the best interest of millions of innocent civilians?

The last line strikes me as ironic, "the brutality and ruthless nature of this enemy hasn't changed."
Like mama always said, it takes two....


Iraqi car-bombers use kids
Allowed through checkpoint before explosion
The Associated Press
Published: Thursday, March 22, 2007
BAGHDAD -- Police said yesterday that children were used in a weekend car bombing in which the driver gained permission to park in a busy shopping area after he pointed out that he was leaving his children in the back seat.

The account appeared to confirm one given yesterday by a U.S. general. He said children were used in a Sunday bombing in northern Baghdad and labelled it a brutal new tactic put to use by insurgents to battle a five-week-old security crackdown in the capital.

Maj.-Gen. Michael Barbero said the vehicle used in the attack was waved through a U.S. military checkpoint because two children were visible in the back seat. He said it was the first reported use of children in a car bombing in Baghdad.

Children in the back seat lowered suspicion, [so] we let it move through, they parked the vehicle, the adults run out and detonate it with the children in the back," Barbero said in Washington. "The brutality and ruthless nature of this enemy hasn't changed."

[angischy]

Isn't there a point where the US government will wonder how the situation could be any worse if they left Iraq?
...
Children in the back seat lowered suspicion, [so] we let it move through, they parked the vehicle, the adults run out and detonate it with the children in the back," Barbero said in Washington. "The brutality and ruthless nature of this enemy hasn't changed."

That's SUPER FUCKED UP! :mad: Like oh my God, I shudder to think how it could get Any Worse.

[the duke]

It's disgusting...the US, and all the other so called 'allies' of the US need to get out. I'm sure they can either sort it out, or kill each other off permanently. Look at what's going on in other places?? Pakistan and India? No US there right? Lebanon and Israel? No US there either...

AND (the article I read was hard copy) our national paper had Iraqi's saying that the regime under the US was far worse than Saddam...that's GOT to be saying something...

Wasn't a US soldier just jailed for murdering Iraqis??? It's getting WAY out of hand, they kill one US soldier in combat, the US kill 20 in cold blood...

UGH!!! If everyone just left them to their own devices, maybe something better would be achieved. Bush is a fuck...that's all I really have to say.

[Miss Shark]

I agree with you duke, regarding your opinion of Bush. We never should have been there in the first place. Unfortunately we are, and we have a history of waltzing in, getting what we want, and leaving people to fend for themselves after. That hasn't worked out too well in the past. Do I know the best solution now? Nope. Have no fear, I will not be asking anyone to vote for me in the near furture.

[Miss Shark]

That, my friends, is what I call my margarita politics:p

[tinkerlion]

that's truly horrifying.

[angischy]

Contemplating this today, I kept thinking...whose kids were they?

I came up with two obvious solutions, equally abhorred...
- the idea that these people may have kidnapped someone else's children to use them as a sort of cover/sign of innocence
- the idea that they may have used their own children and then blown them to bits.

I'm not sure which idea is worse. They are both completely unfathomable to me, to actually DO such a thing.

What ARE we doing over there? And what are THEY trying to accomplish with all these suicide bombings, really? If they're just going to kill everyone slowly, would we be doing the world a favor to just blow the whole place up?
I can't believe I'm even saying that or half-proposing it as a possible solution, but what really is the point?
If our troops were to leave, would the Sunnis and Shiites still be so intent on killing one another? Should we just leave them to it? How can you bring peace (or anything, for that matter) to people who don't want or even value it on their own?

If only it were so easy as just rounding up the people who truly want peace and taking them away, and leaving the ones who want to fight and kill each other to just do that. Then perhaps it would resolve itself?
Oh, the horror.

I end this with a sigh and a shoulder shrug, and like Miss Shark, have no desire or intent to run for office, but aren't there alot of people working on this on our behalf?

Do they have any plan, really, because it sure seems that they don't.

"Stay the course" is not a plan. I can get in my car and just drive, but if I don't have a destination in mind I'll never really get anywhere but further down the road.
"Send more troops" is not a plan, it's just a sacrifice.
What are more people going to do but increase everyone's casualties?

So many questions...so very few answers.:(

[sway2sway]

I read something the other day about the 'typical car bomb' It said that usually the car was stolen the day before and the owner was killed so they wouldn't report it stolen.

I don't think it's about them wanting to kill everyone. I think it's about an ideology, an all-consuming obsession that most of our culture could never fully understand, it's about spreading a message, and it's about instilling fear.

[the duke]

or, in short...it's just fucking madness!