The recent atrocities committed by Saddam Hussein’s armies against the Iraqi people, by using them as combat pawns and shields, are tragic. But equally lamentable is the Bush Administration’s waging of war against a heinous ruler that we could be certain would act viciously and criminally toward its own citizens should the U.S. invade.

Some Americans do altogether oppose the U.S. involving itself in the politics of other nations, a stance with many good arguments. I do believe, however, that when the leaders of a nation commit such monstrous crimes against humanity as has Hussein, and when the people of such a nation are unable to free themselves, for whatever reasons, that we ought to step in, providing we have the capability and the resources.

But this does not mean that I favor war, this one, in particular!

Going to war with a nation such as Iraq (under Hussein’s leadership) can only lead to disaster for those most in need of being rescued from the oppressive force. Intense fear, aching starvation, gruesome tortures, brutal deaths, and substantial loss of innocent life is inevitable in war, but even more so under these particular conditions.

It’s difficult to view such inhumanity as liberation, although I’m certain most of our military has honorable intentions.

What I find particularly unsettling is the perception—or perhaps misperception—that we’re viewing the war from our own living rooms.

Certainly most Americans have by now seen at least a glimpse of the reality of war, as disturbing photos have made their way into print media and especially online. But what we’re watching on television is mostly distant fire or brief glimpses at the real impact. We’re not seeing the graphic reality, what it’s like for the petrified families caught in the crossfire, right in their own homes, or worse, those who’ve lost their homes with nowhere to hide.

cars We don’t hear the horrifying screams and disquieting cries of those hit or their loved ones.

We don’t see the droves of children with fear-ridden faces, unable to comprehend the bedlam that has ensued; or parents’ expressions of grief and turmoil, desperately wondering how to protect their babies, children, and the elderly from the dreadful fate that awaits them.

We don’t see the torture and bloody slaughter of our own POWs, soldiers, and other military personnel, many of whom volunteered for the armed forces as an escape from poverty or to obtain an education, never thinking they would actually participate in a war.

This is not to say that I desire the brutality of war to be shown in our living rooms where children would be exposed and ultimately desensitized to war and violence. Yet, as a result of viewing the war watered down, I believe many Americans are naïve to the reality of what Iraqis are really facing. And perhaps some just block out the evident so as to have a clear conscience while rooting for the invasion.

Needless to say, no matter how much we see on television, we still cannot begin to fathom the terror and horrors that Iraqi civilians and our own soldiers are facing in this war. And in listening to some supporters of the war, I wonder how many have even tried.

Can any of us imagine if the situation were reversed? What if war was taking place in our backyards and on our city streets? Would we really be willing to call those attacking our turf, ultimately placing our families in harms way, liberators? Or would we view them with the same suspicion and contempt that the Iraqi people are viewing America.

Kimberly Blaker is editor and coauthor of The Fundamentals of Extremism: the Christian Right in America. Visit http://www.NewBostonBooks.com for details. Send your comments to Kimberly Blaker C/O [enter your newspaper here], or to: kblaker@TheWall-OnChurchAndState.com © 2003, Kimberly Blaker

Kimberly Blaker’s The Wall™ appears weekly. She is editor and coauthor of the The Fundamentals of Extremism: the Christian Right in America. Send your comments to Kimberly Blaker: TheWall@TheWall-OnChurchAndState.com   © 2002, Kimberly Blaker

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