For nothing

Last November, after a Marine lance corporal was killed by a roadside bombing, his buddies went ballistic and swept through the area and shot point-blank every one they can get, including old men, women, and children, and killed over 24 innocent Iraqis in Haditha. The massacre in Haditha reminds me of the massacre at My Lai in 1968. But the federal officials explain, "This was an isolated incident. Most American military are good. The people from Haditha don't hate us for this. They hate us for our freedom and values". Yeh right.

In March, US troops attacked a safe house in Ishaqi and killed 11 Iraqi civilians, including 5 women and 4 children. But the US officials argued, "The soldiers alone are bad, but don't count the action of a few soldiers. Let's not focus on the massacre in Ishaqi. The other American troops are performing heroically." Here we go again.

What about Abu Ghraib? From 2004 to 2006, pictures after pictures after pictures kept coming from the prison. American officials, on the other hand, said, "These pictures are a few bad apples. Most US troops are honorable, and the Abu Ghraib prisoners know that. They hate us for our way of life." Please.

And you forgot to mention before the war, where the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children died from the 10 years of brutal sanctions the US and UN imposed on the Iraqi people. When asked by 60 Minutes was the sanctions are worth it, US ambassador to the UN Madeleine Albright responded, "I think that is a very hard choice, but the price, we think, the price is worth it."

So, there you have it. And what we achieved out of dying in this war? Not a damn thing.