Iraq is the said to be the home of the world’s oldest civilization. Iraq has its share of troubles in modern times, largely because a lot of oil exists below its desert soils, leading to manipulations of Iraq by nations from far across the horizon. Yet, Iraq still has many university-educated citizens, many devoutly religious people who care for one another, and now supposedly a government elected by its own people.
But Iraq is an occupied nation by military forces sent by nations, which had already decimated Iraq by over a decade of brutal trade sanctions. Iraq suffered enormously because of lack of medicines, lack of clean water, and other results of the international payback for the actions of its leaders, who had originally been installed by those very nations.
No one knows who many Iraqi soldiers were killed in the invasion and occupation. No one knows exactly how many civilians have been killed, by western medical doctors have estimated over 100,000 civilians have lost their lives and the number is growing daily, weekly, monthly.
Foreign soldiers are still killing Baathists, terrorists, insurgents, children, old people, foreigners, and everyone in between. America is at the forefront of all this killing. America has sent its young men to do the killing. America has sent its sons to do the occupying.
And America has sent some of its daughters to Iraq as well — the do-gooders. America’s sons kill and pillage and rape and rob, and then America’s daughters come and try to heal the damage, count the dead, and comfort the wounded. The number of America’s do-gooder daughters in Iraq pales into insignificance in comparison with the number of sons. But the daughters come; sometimes they are perky, cute California girls with hyperactive drive and intense desire to make a difference in a positive way.
But the question must be begged — does the world’s oldest civilization need perky California girls to come and count the dead? Can’t the Iraqi elected government be counted on to do that?
Does the world’s oldest civilization need America to rebuild it after tearing its infrastructure apart? Or would Iraq be better off if all Americans would get the hell out of Iraq and pay some reparations and allow Iraq’s people to take care of themselves?
Does Iraq need America’s girls and boys? Is the occupation of Iraq by the under 30 set of Americans going to promote Iraqi civilization or harm it? Do perky little California girls provide the role models that the Islamic faith promotes?
Oh yes, the sons of America are tough and strong, and well-armed, and the daughters are cute and self-confident and very persistent. The question is: are America’s sons and daughters good for Iraq or not? Who invited them to Iraq? Are America’s sons and daughters free to walk the streets of Iraq with pride, with American flags in hand, and without arms and bodyguards? Perhaps the truth to the question about need for occupying do-gooders and soldiers lies in the answer to that question.
