The Errant Iraqi Missile

vanity ^ | March 26, 2003 | Douglas J. Hagmann

[Huggy]

America At War: They’ve Killed Innocent Civilians!

It’s the opening days of the first war of the new millennium and the images appear on nearly every television screen. Innocent civilians have been viciously killed, attacked by a faceless enemy. The camera pans to a building with its windows blown out by the force of the explosion and a burning car sits nearby. A woman with a weathered face is seen in the foreground crying at the loss of innocent life as the reality of the situation begins to grasp her senses.

Innocent people were going about their daily lives when their world was shattered by an enemy who invaded their nation and assaulted their national sovereignty. Images of bloodied people being carried away from the area of the explosion appear again on the television screen. I change the channel, but the same images appear on almost every network.

It’s a pornographic display of man’s inhumanity to man, and I’m certain that the court of world opinion will not be kind. I find myself asking how such a terrible thing could have happened - innocent people being killed in an act of undeclared war.

The woman’s shock begins to turn to anger at the invading enemy. Regardless of their intentions, this is no way to change the mind of a nation. "We will never forget what they’ve done to us," cries the woman as I watch in horror.

These are not the images of the alleged errant missile that struck an Iraqi marketplace killing 14 and wounding 30. These images are of the World Trace Center, where the attacks on our country claimed nearly 3000 of innocents. These were the opening shots of the first war of the new millennium that began on September 11th, 2001.

The myopic court of world opinion is apparently in recess.

Douglas J. Hagmann (c) 2003 Douglas J. Hagmann. Reprints permissible with credit to the author.

[Huggy]

We must never forget.

This is indeed a vanity post that I hope will be tolerated. My first attempt at posting my own commentary myself, so forgive me in advance if I messed anything up.

[Enemy Of The State]

huggy, HTML only works in the body of the thread :) nice try though..hehe

[thoughtomator]

As someone who survived both attacks on the WTC, let me say I appreciate your thoughts. If you'll accept a little criticism, I would put forward that this war started not on 9/11/01 but on 11/4/79.

[MEG33]

I liked it but the world judges us and we must not be deterred.War always causes innocents to die.We try hard to keep them down.I haven't forgotten that we were struck without negotiation,warning or reason.

[vigilante2]

good job!

[Huggy]

Thanks... I bloodied my head trying to find my <////B's, then they showed up on the post. HTML is NOT my friend.

[ChadGore]

*Applause*

[Huggy]

I agree completely. However, try explaining that to the masses in a few short paragraphs.

[MEG33]

Blush. You've gotten around of applause!

[thoughtomator]

A few paragraphs isn't enough... luckily the explanation is out there, so I just give a link: http://denbeste.nu/cd_log_entries/2002/09/Whoisourenemy.shtml

[MEG33]

a round of applause

[MHGinTN]

Refarding the 'errant missile' that struck the 'foreigner's market place' in Baghdad, two reporters, so far, have noted the shrapnel evidence. Peter Arnett went so far as to opine it was a cluster bomb (the shrapnel is a telling point with them). Two possibilities now rise: 1) the munition was an errant anti-aircraft missile that explodes to create a 'cloud of shrapnel' through which a plane cannot fly without damage; 2) the munition was an Iraqi missile of the type disclosed prior to the opening of hostilities from which cluster bomblets are ejected, as anti-personnel bombs. Frankly, I favor the second since the 'hit' came exactly where Arabs from other countries gather, thus saddam would hope to inflame Arab irrationality and thus work to end the conflict without the Ba'athist demons removed. One or two al Samouds fired from around 90 miles away, with cluster bomblets, would have been accurate enough to do the trick. [The Iraqis still haven't put anything in the air with a pilot in it.]

[MHGinTN]

BTW, Huggy, a great peice of writing! ... And thoughtomator is correct about the start of this current war we're waging actively now.

[Huggy]

I am very humbled... and HTML challanged. So please accept my blush and thanks in plain text format.

To thoughtomator, I cannot begin to imagine what you went through. The aftermath is something I will never forget. God Bless.

[Enemy Of The State]

try this.

If you dont have microsoft frontpage and you do have outlook express, begin like you are going to compose a new email, then click on "view" in the new email window. Then click on "source edit". after that, past the article you want to submit into the new email window. then at the bottom of the window, click on the HTML tab. Right click inside the window and "select all" and copy then past into the body of the submission form :) hope that helps.

If you have Front Page, the same principle works. Just click the HTML tab and copy the HTML coding and paste it.

I fully believe in working smarter, not harder :)

Regards!

EOTS.

[Travis McGee]

Very nice commentary! Excellent!

[thoughtomator]

I was rather lucky that I was not inside the building the second time. The first time was a frightening trip down a dark stairwell that was packed tightly with thousands of other frightened and concerned people. There was a lot of interesting human dynamic going on, you could feel waves of panic flow through people. It was clear - everyone sensed it and worked together to make sure nobody panicked, or if someone did, they were made calm. A lot of the beauty of American character came out in those stairwells. Complete strangers relying on each other for strength, and getting it.

And the response from elsewhere was overwhelming. I spoke with EMTs and firemen who travelled from Boston and Maryland to get to New York to help. Ironically, an act meant to kill and scare us became a new source of confidence in fellow Americans.

Ever since that day in February 1993 I've been waiting for this war to begin. I'm very glad it has, as the only alternatives are death and slavery.

[Enemy Of The State]

A most excellent post!

[AmericanVictory]

Why don't we ask the UN to send in inspectors to determine whose missiles are doing this? They would refuse, of course, but it would be great PR.

[wardaddy]

Well Done!