U.S. Iraq Quagmire Continues

But make no mistake about it, this vote will only perpetuate the cycle of death and destruction. America is not equipped to win the war on terror, because, she has shown herself to be morally bankrupt by her silence on Abu Gharib, Guantanamo Bay, and now Haditha and Hamdania.

So, the U.S. Congress has voted to continue the war in Iraq. It figures. The Republican majority in Congress along with the White House is hell-bent on subduing the will of the “insurgents� in Iraq, under the guise of defeating terrorism. And, although, common sense pleads that they can’t succeed they continue parroting their grand delusions of victory. But make no mistake about it, this vote will only perpetuate the cycle of death and destruction. America is not equipped to win the war on terror, because, she has shown herself to be morally bankrupt by her silence on Abu Gharib, Guantanamo Bay, and now Haditha and Hamdania.

At present, seven Marines and a sailor face the death penalty in the murder of Hashim Ibrahaim Awad in Hamdania. The accused are: Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III; Cpl. Trent D. Thomas; Hospitalman 3 rd Class Melson J. Bacos; Lance Cpl. Tyler. A. Jackson; Pfc. John J. Jodka; Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr.; Lance Cpl.

Robert B. Pennington and Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda. The soldiers are charged with dragging Awad out of his home during the early morning hours of April 26, binding him, executing him, and then planting an AK-47 and a shovel by his body to make him look like a terrorist.

The apparent murder of Mr. Awad comes on the heels of the discovery of the killings of 24 civilians last November in the Iraqi city of Haditha. That massacre is now under investigation, as is another case in which military officials have charged a soldier with killing three Iraqi detainees last month.  Is this how we teach democracy? Since this illegal war began in March 2003, more than thirty American military personnel have been charged with killing Iraqis. Nine have been convicted in military courts and one soldier received a 25 year prison sentence. The White House and the military claim that these soldiers are rogues whose actions don’t reflect U.S. policy. But every day this lie is exposed anew.

For the fact remains that this White House with its bloodthirsty insistence on war has planted the seeds to these outrages that are now bearing their bloody fruits. The mass murders in Fallujah, the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay scandals, as well as the administration’s use of torture are directly correlated to the blood of the innocent that are being spilled daily by U.S. soldiers. And worse of all is that this Congress just voted to continue these atrocities.

This editorial is not the opinion of the entire BSN staff.

To subscribe to or advertise in New York’s leading Pan African weekly investigative newspaper, please call (212) 481-7745 or send a note to

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *