Bayonets are not the solution in Iraq
By
Lorenzo Gonzalo Read Spanish Version
A reader
friend (more of a friend than a regular reader) who is inclined to
precision when it comes to serious matters sent me the latest figures
on casualties in Iraq.
The
reported number of casualties as of Sept. 10, 2007, is as follows:
3,780 dead in Iraq, 440 in Afghanistan; 36,943 wounded in Iraq, 6,710
in Afghanistan. Another article told of about 4,000 dead and more
than 15,000 wounded in Iraq. No doubt, the numbers are conservative.
An
unforgivable effect of the President’s repeated claims of improvement
in the situation is that they will derail the curiosity of
journalists, even of those journalists who are Bush’s most serious
and decided critics. That’s terrible, because I think how deeply
those repeated assertions can sink into the minds of the ordinary
citizen who has no time to verify them. It seems that repeated lies
occasionally take our mind away from the liar.
The
official figures, as of Sept. 10, are 4,220 dead and 43,653 wounded
in Iraq. And then people say that technology and science help us to
think and contribute to progress.
No
American citizen knows why Iraq was attacked. The explanations range
from allegations of possession of weapons of mass destruction to the
desire to "bring freedom" to the Iraqis, and even
converting them to Christianity.
The
Iraqis’ answer to the latter explanation should be the same given to
the Spaniards by Siboney Indian chief Hatuey, who rebelled against
the Spanish occupation of the island and was sentenced to be burned
at the stake. Moments before his Spanish captors lit the pyre, they
urged Hatuey to convert to Catholicism so he "could go to the
Kingdom of God." The Indian chief replied that if the Spaniards
went to that kingdom, he’d rather not convert — he didn’t want to
meet them again.
What’s
curious is that President Bush now talks about beginning to withdraw
troops. So far in 2007, the number of troops rose from 140,000 to
170,000, an official figure.
Let us
remember that Bush pressured Congress to send 30,000 additional
soldiers early this year. Now, he talks about beginning a withdrawal,
joining the voices of most citizens and members of Congress.
This
President cheats even in the business of the nation. He asks for 30,
gives back a few, and on top of that wants to give the impression
that he is pleasing those who allegedly gave him a mandate.
The
truth is that the figures are more eloquent. On Oct. 25, 2005, the
number of dead was 2,000; the number of wounded was 15,000. Today,
two years later, the toll is 3,780 dead and 36,943 wounded. In other
words, violence has increased, because although the number of dead
rose at a stable pace, the number of wounded skyrocketed by 46
percent.
The
administration’s word game, which gives the impression the U.S. is
winning the war and is justified in withdrawing some troops, may be
an indication that the panic virus is finally spreading to the
planners of this tragedy.
Unfortunately,
no action will bring the Iraqi dead back to life or reinstate the
relative security that existed in Iraq just before the unjust
invasion. Ethnic, cultural, regional or ideological solutions have
never been imposed at the point of bayonets. Iraq is no exception.
Lorenzo
Gonzalo is deputy director of Radio Miami.
