"This was a rough week for these wars," said Robert Urena, a 31 year old peace activist who joined the vigil last night. "A lot of people died."
He's right. In Baghdad Sunday two car bombs hit two Iraqi government buildings just a few hundred yards from the heavily secured U.S. Green Zone. The Green Zone houses the U.S. officials and the Iraqi Prime Minister and its Parliament.
In a deafening explosion the first bomb left one building in ruins and threw rubble like so many stones in every direction. Cars were thrust into the air and left as twisted smouldering shells, leaving some occupants burned to a crisp.
In a heart beat the flaming Hell caused by this bomb left men, women and children incinerated or blown to bloody bits.
As survivors cried for help, this tragedy was compounded by the explosion of a second bomb nearby, ripping apart another building, killing or maiming many more people.
Quickly sirens blared as brave rescue workers, not knowing if there was a third bomb, arrived to rush survivors to hospitals. Broken concrete, burned out shells of cars and shards of glass littered the streets, which were strewn with body parts. Puddles of blood dripped into the gutters.
As the sickening stench of burning flesh permeated the air, the wind also carried the diesel exhaust of bulldozers, which pushed the burned out vehicles out of the way and the human remains were stacked and put into body bags.
Only after the area was secured did high ranking government officials arrive to inspect the damage. Each of these officials was protected by hundreds of soldiers. Ironically, the U.S. government and the Iraqi Prime Minister had just been promoting how much safer Iraq has become and encouraging foreign investment there.
Now Iraq is in mourning yet again as at least 166 Iraqis were killed and over 700 were severely injured.
While in Afghanistan yesterday, five United Nations officials were among eight people killed in an attack in Kabul. They were targeted by the Taliban for their participation in a runoff Presidential election scheduled for November 7th. This election is being held because of widespread claims of voting fraud when President Hamid Karzai was re-elected on October 20th.
Also yesterday, in Pakistan, in the port city of Peshawar, from where supplies are trucked to the U.S. military in Afghanistan, a car bomb exploded in a crowded market that caters to women and children. At least 106 people were killed and over 200 were severely injured.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had just arrived in Pakistan for a three day visit to encourage the Pakistani military, which is heavily supported by the U.S., to attack the Taliban and Al-Qaeda harder. She is also there to try to counter the growing strong anti-American feeling among the Pakistani people, who are caught in the middle of the U.S. war on terror.
At a heavily secured news conference in Pakistan's capitol, Islamabad, far from Peshawar, she called the attack "cowardly." She added, "We feel strongly that the extremists and terrorists who deploy such violence have to be defeated wherever they are. This is a fight that cannot be avoided."
The Peshawar attack is believed to be a response from the Taliban to a Pakistani government military offensive backed by the U.S. The Pakistani offensive has 30,000 soldiers supported with air attacks from jet fighters and helicopter gun ships.
"The resolve and determination will not be shaken," said Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, standing along side Ms. Clinton. "People who carry out such heinous crimes want to shake our resolve. I want to address them: We will not buckle. We will fight you. We will fight you because we want peace and stability in Pakistan."
In other words, more killing will end the killing and bring peace. This is the premise of each of these wars and there is no end in sight to any of them as the killing and suffering is endless.
History tells us violence begets violence but that is ignored by government officials who continue to send young people off to die in these senseless wars. Perhaps these officials would re-think their position if they had to fight them.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, at last night's vigil Robert spoke to why so many Americans don't get involved to stop these wars. "A lot of people don't relate to them because they haven't been personally affected.
"But the soldiers, men and women, whatever their beliefs about the wars, had made a commitment to serve. Each of them honors that commitment."
As for the value of the vigils, "When my father died two years ago, it was very hard for my mother and me. I have a friend who said, 'whatever you need, I'm there.' And he was. It was very comforting just knowing someone else cared.
"When we do the vigils, it tells others, 'We feel your pain. We care.' It's an important thing to do." Robert is right. Whether it's the vigil he and Korean War veteran John Fortier conduct on Friday evenings, this one, or another, it tells the wars' victims, you're not alone and your feelings matter. We care and we encourage others to care as well.
At some point, it will become acceptable to President Obama and the heads of state in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to negotiate a peace settlement with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. For they are of the people of those nations and there will be no peace until they become a part of the political process.
Dick
Note: To read more about the families from the Baghdad bombings, please see: "Iraq: Buriel in Najaf for Baghdad bomb victims," Los Angeles Times, 10/29/09
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2009/10/iraq-burial-in-najaf-for-baghdad-bomb-victims.html
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