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American guilt and the Youssif craze
By yaman | September 20, 2007
Four and a half years and 75,000 Iraqi and 3,800 American deaths later, the best thing America has to show for the invasion and occupation of Iraq is this single story, which is turning out to be more about easing a guilty American conscience than it is about helping those whose lives have been irreversibly destroyed by a trigger-happy American president.
How many of those now driven to “support” Youssif will mobilize to stop the war? Withdrawal comes first, then reparations.
Topics: Current Events |
September 21st, 2007 at 4:38 am
To quote Neil Young, the Americans “have a kinder, gentler machine gun hand”. They kill with one and heal with another but their damage is greater than their good.
September 21st, 2007 at 5:49 am
Isnt the guilty president Sad.Dam?
Who are the killlers in Iraq?
September 22nd, 2007 at 4:17 am
According to the study in the Lancet, it’s more like 650,000 Iraqi deaths, no?
September 24th, 2007 at 12:47 am
Given the popularity of the war lately, don’t you think the odds are that more than a few of the people you’re talking about don’t support it?
September 24th, 2007 at 12:51 am
I am sure that that is the case, Nadia. And yet I am still fascinated that in this imagination, somehow America is still the savior of Iraq. My point is this: there is not much redemptive value for this operation if you look at it in light of the number of Iraqis that have died just in the period of his time in the United States.
Leyo, one of the most disgusting things about this war is that nobody really knows how many have died. I did not quote the Lancet study because it does not seem to have acquired legitimacy in the public yet, and this may be a mistake on my part, but I haven’t read the study or its methodology to judge. The US government is not counting, either. In either case the point stands.
September 24th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Actually now that you’ve brought it up I think a much more interesting question would be how many of the people opposed to the war wouldn’t balk at the idea of reparations(as in not charity.) Somebody should ask Nancy that.
September 30th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
What I don’t understand is why everyone keeps blaming this on America. I’m not saying that we belong in Iraq - I’m not even going to address the tragedies suffered on that issue - because it is not directly related to Youssif.
Youssif was NOT the victim of American’s. Youssif was attacked by masked men of his own nation - or at least - that is the current supposition since they have never been identified or caught.
How can that possibly be blamed on America? What connection has been established between this family and the American presence?
While it may well turn out later that there is information we don’t possess currently that directly relates the father (or families) involvement with or connection with the occupying forces - right now there is absolutely nothing to support these contentions.
And even if it turns out that it is somehow connected - that Youssif’s father/family has been targeted by rebel forces - does anyone think for a moment that the insanity of the brutality visited upon this child can have any possible explanation or justification based on politics?
Get real people - this child was attacked by monsters in barely human form. And as an American, I’m doing what I can to help Youssif regardless of his national origin. I don’t care what country he’s from. NO child, ANYWHERE should ever have to go through something like this - and ALL people EVERYWHERE should do whatever they can to help Youssif and other children like him who are the victims not of misdirected bombs or even “collateral damage.
Stop and think about what you are saying. Where is the logic in your argument that Youssif suffered what he did because of America? Where is the evidence it had anything to do with that?Where is the rational or reasoning in the claim that people are helping him because they feel guilty for the terrible things the Iraqi people are suffering?
Those are all suppositions and hypothesis that have no basis in fact. Because I’m one of the people helping him - and that’s not why I’m doing it.
Perhaps you should consider that there are just some people left in the world who spend their time and hard earned money using it to help others who need it. And stop trying to make the aide given to one of many children who need it a political platform.
As a mother and grandmother I saw his story, felt I could help by supporting those who could help him and so I did so. There is nothing political about my decision to do so - I just happen to give a damn.
October 1st, 2007 at 12:54 pm
While Bush should be impeached for starting this war and ruining and destroying the lives of thousands of people to satisfy his moral agenda, the monsters who did this to Youssif were monsters before this war even began and hopefully will burn in hell someday. Their motive - even if it had something to do with this war - was pure evil. I guess our only hope for justice now is that these scum buckets happen to be in a crowd targeted by a suicide bomber and are disfigured for the rest of their lives!!!
October 1st, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Do you think this is something that would have happened anyways if this war had not started? Blaming the victim has become extremely popular, I’d like to see Americans, either for or against this war, acknowledge even 10% of what their government’s actions have wrought in Iraq. That is not necessarily about feeling guilty.