Gotta say something about the latest turn of events in this Iraqi adventure of
\nours.<\/p>\n
I wasn’t particularly surprised by the prison abuse photos; I was more surprised
\nthat people who raised no objections to invading a sovereign country and killing
\nGod knows how many innocents along with the guilty few got themselves tied in
\nknots of indignation over terrible ordeals that many hardy Iraqis managed to
\nsurvive.<\/p>\n
So far the atrocity-hardened folks in Iraq have given us a bit of a pass —
\nthey too must be privately thinking “Saddam<\/i> never would’ve let ’em come
\nhome.” Things quieted down a bit in Fallujah after both sides tired of hospitals
\noverflowing with non-combatants and somebody got the bright idea to let Iraqis
\nsolve their security issues.<\/p>\n
I suspect things were beginning to cool down in far too many quarters in Iraq.
\nSome Iraqis may have concluded there are two ways the Americans can leave: peacefully
\nand filled with kind thoughts of their nation (in which most Iraqis save their
\nskin), or blasting everything that moves in the midst of a forced retreat (in
\nwhich thousands more die needlessly).<\/p>\n
There were even reports that some of the young hotheads intent on chasing us
\nout of their country might be on the run themselves, from our guns and the wrath
\nof their own neighbors.<\/p>\n
Then word came out that a small band of lunatics had killed an American —
\nbeheaded him with the video camera running. The video’s probably still online
\nsomewhere — if you’re not angry and disgusted enough already, be sure to track
\nit down and watch it till you can take no more.<\/p>\n
Then take about a dozen deep breaths and try to get your brain working again.
\nIt worked for me. (I didn’t actually see it but I read comments of many who
\ndid; I took them at their word).<\/p>\n
The point of the video was to drive us into a blinding rage that would provoke
\nus to do something stupid. The best public response is silence. No rage, no
\npromises of revenge, nothing that would give the terrorists what they need the
\nmost: violent retribution that justifies further terrorism.<\/p>\n
Lust for revenge is the nuclear fuel of terrorists. The more we unleash ours,
\nthe more shit they blow up. Remember how we felt on the morning of 9\/11? None
\nof us remembered what provoked them to attack us; all we remembered was the
\nattack — who did it and who had to pay.<\/p>\n
I’m no counterterrorism expert but it seems fairly obvious that the best bet
\nfor defeating a secret network is to infiltrate it and paralyze it with distrust.
\nI don’t see how invading a whole country with over a hundred thousand troops
\ndoes that — unless the goal is for our Army to be a fanatic magnet that brings
\n’em out of their holes so we can shoot ’em. If so, though, I suspect the decoy
\nbusiness will be left out of the “Army of One” ads.<\/p>\n
The retribution I prefer is the Hollywood-vigilante variety, in which the evildoers
\nare hunted down and dispatched in the dark of night, not by a smartbomb but
\nby a smart person armed only with a sharp knife. For kickers we make it look
\nlike their own people did it.<\/p>\n
A lot of people noted that Osama’s network moves along the corridors of commerce
\nand that the global economy makes his work a lot easier. Less obvious to the
\nprofessional worrywarts in the American press is that our war against him can
\nbe outsourced to exploit similar cubbyholes and hiding places.<\/p>\n
Who knows how many former Seals and Delta Force dudes in the employ of private
\nsecurity firms are doing this work already?<\/p>\n
I’ve probably read too many Robert Ludlum novels, but I can’t help thinking
\nthe war in Iraq is a diversion that allows the secret warriors to go about
\ntheir business behind a smokescreen of media controversy.<\/p>\n
That sorta makes us newsies out to be useful idiots in the war on terror. Well,
\nit’s nice to be useful.
\n
(OK, no more war talk till next year — I promise).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gotta say something about the latest turn of events in this Iraqi adventure of ours. I wasn’t particularly surprised by the prison abuse photos; I was more surprised that people who raised no objections to invading a sovereign country and…<\/p>\n