What can the common American do to stop the bloodshed of innocent Iraqi civilians?

Question

I ask of you the following:

Put aside your hardened hatred for groups of people unlike yourself, drop your defensive walls you so aggressively defend, and briefly dismiss the background and environment you've grown up in.

Just answer this. If the closest people that matter to you most - your mother, father, brother, sister, friends, relatives - were killed as a result of careless gunfire, how would you react? Picture holding your loved ones dead bodies in your arms and knowing that you will never get to see them, talk to them, and tell them that you love them. How would you react?

Regarding Bookmom's answer:
I'm going to assume that you have never been war. It's easy to talk about what should be done. Decisions are a little easier when your life isn't on the front-line.

You stated “If you are defending yourself and using a gun you are going to try really hard to carefully shoot whomever is aiming at you. If you're saying that soldiers are spraying crowds to hit one person, link me to the news articles that substantiate this.”

Apparently you are unable to do an internet search. You and people like you are the epitome of incompetence. In your world, you make an assumption… that accidents don’t happen. When you say “try really hard to carefully shoot..” yeah, I would hope a person shooting a gun would “try” to hit their target and “try” not to hit helpless bystanders. Unfortunately, accidents do happen and when they do, when you’re holding your dead family member, I would like to see you “logically” try and substantiate it as an accident.

Answer 1

That would be such a great thing if all of us on Earth put our hatred of each others away, not just the US, including the Sunnis, the shia and everyone else.

I don't hate any of them, and worked to help them out. I among many more are against the war, and many of us spoke against it, but you seem to fail to recognize it ever happened! Have you seen some of the hatred against the American! have you heard the chanting the death to the American, all of us!

Your question is so unfair! how quickly we forget 9/11 in New York, 7/7 in London, and Spain, and Egypt bombing of tourist area! etc etc.

The people of Iraq are suffering and dying. Take a better look and see who is doing the killing! who is killing whom before you jump and accuse the American of all the hate! pay attention to the news. The Sunnis did this, and the shia did that, and the American did that! how was their life before that miserable war, not so pretty as you would like to imagine it, or delusion yourself to believe.

Pictures! you mean like the people who were searching for their family members on 9/11, or watching your son having his head cut off in front of you with what it appears to look like a butter knif! or watching your family member burned in a car, draged in the street, and hung on the bridge with a bunch of kids screaming with delight! things like these!? and other more! is that what you mean!?

Sir, why don't you show us the way, and you start with stopping the hate. Your question is just full of hate. May God help us all.

Have a little heart for others, all people not those whom you just care for. I don't blame 9/11 on the Iraqis, as a matter of fact, I don't blame any group of the deed of the some. You might try to do that as well, and not misjudge us all because you don't like what some of us or you had done. The US is not alone in Iraq, you may not have known that.

How would you react if you saw you dad die in front of your eyes, and all he was doing is helping your people to get food, medicine and supplies, to give them aid, and the only reason he was killed was because he was an American? how would you react??


I am not a Bush fan, but don't bash all the American people just because of Bush. Bush will be gone when his term is over, and we will still be around, please stop the hate, it works both ways, not just one sided deal. That is the reality of us all.

We are always going to have people disagree with us, and push us around. I am speaking of all people, not just the American; but in the end the universe will unravel as it should, and everything will be as it suppose to be. Let's hope for the best, for all good honest people.
Still typing

Answer 2

You mean, right now..?, not much. But, in the future to avoid similar situation...?, a lot. How about electing a smarter government. To elect a president just because he is the type of guy you can have a beer in a bar with is not smart at all. Or may be a more reasonable and a less emotional gun hoe foreign policy will do the trick. A gun hoe red blooded American Texan macho man as a base for a foreign policy is not smart at all. At the beginning most common American were extremely gun hoe about the Iraqi invasion and not ready to listen the other side of the argument. In the most recent Israel conflict the most minute details were televised. Bringing all the details of the Iraqi night mare to the commong American leaving roon I believe will go a long way to do the trick.

Answer 3

First part of your question: what can we do to stop bloodshed?
Nothing. Most of the people doing the blood shedding are Iraqis or other non-Americans. If the US withdraws (I'm not saying we should or shouldn't) then a civil war will ensue and more innocent people will die.

As for my family being killed, I would be grief-stricken and angry----at the terrorist thugs who are perpetuating all the violence.

As for "careless gunfire"---I just don't get that expression at all. Are you implying that folks are firing guns off into the air and the bullets are raining down and killing crowds?

If you are saying that soldiers need to be more careful when discharging weapons during a gun battle, then that is pretty illogical.

If you are defending yourself and using a gun you are going to try really hard to carefully shoot whomever is aiming at you. If you're saying that soldiers are spraying crowds to hit one person, link me to the news articles that substantiate this.

Bottom line: Iraqis and other citizens of middle eastern countries have killed more Iraqis since Sadam was captured than they have killed Americans. I feel so sad when I read about Iraqi police being blown up or gunned down. It makes me sick.

As for your comment about putting aside "hardened hatred of groups, etc" I don't hate anyone. And even if you tried you would not (could not) guess the racial and ethnic background of my family and friends.

I think you are trying to help people understand the tragedy of the loss of innocent life in a far away land, but verbally slapping them in the face first is not the best way to create empathy.

Answer 4

As to your question part of your statement there is no way. I agree with your ideals and bombs etc kill and wound many innocents in any act of aggression/war. Your statement is limited to Iraqis I notice, when at war with firearms and humans, accidents and brutalities occur. Let's reverse your comment and you be a soldier and many of your buddies since boot camp were killed as you held their bodies in your arms, now how is it different?, because they get a paycheck? In most wars it's a true statement, no one wins and the innocents and soldiers and children pay for the sins of others. Hatred of people of any nation exists and continues as personal loss rises. The mid east will always produce enemies of these United states, the mixed race Mongrel's and a super cop as the world views us. Nations go to war, for various reasons and a religious war is the deadliest.

Answer 5

on condition that people found out from Vietnam to not count quantity civilian deaths - basically the deaths of our troops - no person can verify. some have confidence that the numbers ought to bypass as extreme as a million. we've killed greater Iraqi civilians than Saddam did.

Answer 6

We have only one recourse in law - legal protest on the streets, and lobbying of elected officials. We did what we could two weeks ago in the election.

The fact is, what Bush has done to Iraq cannot be simply undone. He released an avalanche of sectarian violence such as had never before been seen in that province. He went in with no understanding of the politics and culture of the region, and with no plan other than to 'get Saddam'. Saddam held the nation together with secret police, and violence against his own people. But he also constructed an ordered society that had great infrastructure - clean water supplies to every village, literacy campaigns, child care facilities in all government offices so women could go to work, an extensive telecommunications system, highway system and waste treatment plants.

Under Saddam, the country enjoyed a free health care system for all citizens, with the most modern hospitals oil revenues could buy (I was treated at a Baghdad hospital in 1984 - they had THREE MRI units - just one indication of how advanced the facilities were. In the US, most hospitals don't even have ONE such facility. And almost all the doctors were trained in the US).

He banished the extremes of Islam, allowing breweries to be built in Baghdad, nightclubs to open, women to wear western dress - and he discouraged polygamy by making it very expensive and difficult, without making it illegal.

Bush, in one petulant moment, swept away 20 years of progress in that country and plunged it into a futile civil war.

Answer 7

To Answer the question, the main point is the killing of civilians in war. The attitude of 'that's the way it is' shows a lack of humanity, just another copout. When the terrorists bomb civilians, it is a crime against humanity, but it is no less a crime when you drop a 500 pound bomb on them; just because you can't see them exploding. When you see the Israeli's bombing civilians it is encouraged by other countries because they don't speak out, and so they can keep doing it. Every time a civilian population is exposed to unnecessary deaths, we create more terrorists. The Only answer is to outlaw war, but we just go along with our 'chickenhawk' leaders, refusing to talk to countries we don't agree with, weakening the UN, and calling other countries bad names; like in grade school. A million civilians killed in Vietnam, some roasted alive by napalm, and we have learned nothing.

Answer 8

Depends on how far your willing to go. If you think the answer lies in sending more troops, stand up and announce it. Go and fight against those that caused you the pain. Write letters, start petitions to send to representatives, take out ad space stating your views, start local chapters supporting the war if thats your belief. The same if you feel that it would save lives (on both sides) by leaving Iraq. Take out ad space denouncing the current government that is keeping us there. Whatever you think will help stop any more killing of your family is worth devoting the rest of your life to.

Answer 9

Support more aggressive dealing with terrorist cells in Iraq.

Make them fear what will happen to them if they keep doing what they are doing.

You must understand that America is giving them libery, now the fighting is being done against the Iraq legal government, elected.

What would happen in the US, if a small group started doing attacks on malls, and stores and schools and churches.

That is what we need to do to them.

Answer 10

All the people of oil rich countries, be alarmed ! A greedy, powerful, wealthy bully from the far continent is busy inventing excuses to loot your oil and bring you to your knees before him ! He has weapons and accomplices and tail-waggers with him too ! American people, they are good natured like most other people in the world, but are busy and dont seem to understand the games their politicians and their hyper-rich people play ! God save you !