In times like these I realize how selfish people in this country are, including myself.
Yes, I’m going to do what any typical journalism student would do in this situation take a stand on this hideous war.
I do believe that Saddam Hussein needs to be removed from power.
Saddam’s regime has used violence, torture and the threat of force to maintain order since 1979. During the eight-year war with Iran, he used chemical weapons against Iranian troops and also killed thousands of Kurds in 1988. He organized mass deportation of Faili Kurds in 1980 and authorized military strikes against Shi’ite in the south.
And does this idea of getting rid of Saddam make me selfish?
Of course it does.
Removing Saddam means the death of Iraqi families and children. I do wish there was some other way the Bush administration could settle this, but they don’t seem to have one.
Not only are Iraqi people suffering, but so are the American troops that are out there defending us. As many as 17 American troops have been killed in separate incidents and at least five Americans were seized in one day. These are the most casualties that the United States has suffered in a single day of the war.
Also, some of our troops have been held hostage as prisoners of war. As a cause of this, Bush demanded that Iraq treat these U.S. prisoners of war humanely. But why should they, when these troops they captured were there to kill their people?
In Basra, 77 Iraqis were killed, including women and children. So there is no reason why they should feel the need to sympathize with them.
But think about how selfish our administration is by invading Iraq, a third world country with a weak military and limited resources for their civilians.
And how about the anti-war protesters who claim they are protesting for peace? All they are doing is causing more violence in the streets. I strongly support freedom of speech, but there is no reason why people should be protesting against a war we are already in.
I truly admire these people who feel so strongly about not having a war, but I do feel they are selfishly putting their point across. If they are going to protest, I suggest they do it in a civilized manner. I don’t understand why protesters are against our troops that are out there defending us. U.S. troops have been forced to leave their grieving families behind to follow orders to support a war they might not even agree with. These troops are fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers who have to put their normal lives on hold for us. The least we can do is show some support for them.
When they are in the front lines they have one objective: to kill before they are killed; they have been left with no other choice. They are there to defend us, and for us who are supporting the troops, we are selfishly doing so because they are defending us at the expense of Iraqi lives.
The media is also selfishly doing their job covering the war. It is their duty to keep Americans informed, however, families are finding out that their sons or husbands are dead by seeing them brutally hurt on television.
During this war, we are all at fault of selfish thoughts or selfish actions. Whether we are against the troops or in support of the war, Iraqi and American troops are dying to defend their cause and their people.
Alejandra Molina, a sophomore journalism major, is LV Life editor of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at ale_molina01@yahoo.com.
