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April 02, 2004

Avoiding NewSpeak is Treason

A number of folks in comments and linked posts have accused me of supporting the killing of the mercenaries/security guards/soldiers/food service workers (whatever word you want). I never said anything of the kind.

I was objecting to the euphemisms of the Iraq Conflict, where we invoke "war" to declare any Iraqi casualty even children, a justified death, while labelling anyone we can on our side a "civilian", no matter their role in combat operations.

I oppose the war, and oppose the civilians and soldiers killed on our side and those we have killed-- since most of Saddam's troops wanted to die no more than our young men and women.

We illegally invaded another country. Folks may think it was the moral thing to do, but it was an illegal invasion. I have no sympathy for Saddam Hussein and am glad he is in prison. But it is crass hypocrisy to sit there applauding the US killing of Iraqis in that war of invasion, then act as if it is some kind of bizarre human rights outrage when Iraqi resist an illegal occupation.

If Russia invaded the United States and imposed an Occupation, the same people outraged at this guerrilla attack in Iraq would be applauding the exact same actions taken against Occupation soldiers on US soil.

I understand why such folks accuse me or others of saying the soldiers deserved to die. They don't like the Iraqis and think they therefore deserve to die. So they think anyone who doesn't like the US Occupation share their bloodlust. But the reality is that opponents of the US actions in Iraq wish only safety for US soldiers and its hired guns-- sooner rather than later, by ending the Occupation as soon as possible without leaving total murderous chaos behind.

Posted by Nathan at April 2, 2004 02:33 PM