This picture broke my heart. It is two pictures of the al-Askari mosque in Samarra, Iraq. On the left is before two separate bombings a year apart. It is agonizing to know that everything beautiful is being destroyed in Iraq. Although I know that is part of war - so much beauty in the world has been lost due to past wars - I think this affects me so much because I feel that we are partly responsible for this. Although I know it is the nihilists who actually bombed the dome one year ago, and the minarets recently, we are still at fault for allowing it to happen. We (not just Bush - all of us) started a war without thinking about how to finish it. We went in unprepared to deal with insurgents. We ignored mounting evidence that more troops were needed.
What makes this even worse is knowing that the bombing of the mosque's dome started the civil war that Iraq has been in the middle of now for over a year. And every new bombing like this makes it more clear that things are not improving and may not improve. I don't mean to give the impression that I really thought the troop surge would create security, but I did hope for it. And each story like this makes me lose more hope, after thinking I have no more to lose.
1 comment:
Ahhh... that is very sad. I don't know if I'm idealistic or what, but sometimes I just don't understand how anyone thinks war is worth it or ever "the right thing to do". So much is destroyed, with so little gained. Maybe my problem is that I'm an incredibly cynical idealist. I believe that we have the capability to make things right, that there are ways things SHOULD be. And yet I know the reality of it is, we will never reach that potential, and wars will keep happening.
And yes. A war shouldn't be started recklessly. This isn't a game, folks. If you're going to do it, think about the effing strategy carefully, at least.
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