It's far too early to call this war, or the future voting of the journalists, but photographer John Moore has to be an early candidate for a Pulitzer. What's all-the-more poignant about this photograph, for me, is the fact that I spent the morning replying to yet another jackass who sent me an "Ooh-Rah!" e-mail with a patriotic slur against protesters and Arabs.
People: this shit isn't even funny during peace. It's too bad -- or, perhaps, lucky -- that I sent it before spending the afternoon on the radio with an Iraqi conscript from the first Gulf War. If it's shocking to the soldiers in battle to see a few patchouli wearing hippies carrying a peace symbol or a "BUCK FUSH" sign around campus, it'll just plain fuck 'em up forever to imply that they should do anything but cry after going through this hell of industrialized slaughter.
So let's be honest about the horror of war, admit that young Marines are going to kill people they really, dreadfully, wish they hadn't, and get this thing over as soon as possible. As for those who continue to talk shit like, "Iraq is the boy's war; Iran is the man's war," why don't you ask the three young Marines in this photo -- I'm sure they've got some very interesting questions for you.
Editor's Note: Joel Turnipseed, known here as minnesotaj, is a Gulf War 1.0 veteran and author of Baghdad Express.
posted by minnesotajTell it like it is.
Why the fuck are they not there? bring the marines back and stick all those 'patriotic' flag waving armchair soldiers in the firing line.
Posted by: Stef on April 2, 2003 09:47 AMAmerica is a racist country, this is a racist war. Without racism you could never have had the popular momentum behind it.
When was the last time there was anything not about terrorism or suicide bombing featuring arabs on network television? when was the last time a movie had a positive arab character? It just doesn't happen.
Posted by: Fred on April 2, 2003 11:48 AMFred, it's not quite that simple. Certainly racism is a factor - if fair-haired Aryans had blown up the WTC, for example, events over the last 18 months would have played out entirely differently - but more important is the government's cultivation of fear and gullibility in the population. That's what they've been doing since 9/11/01, and that's how they've managed to lead so many sheep along their wrongheaded path. Yeah, racism plays a part, but to pin the whole thing on the notion that "America is a racist country" is extremely lazy, or just plain ignorant.
Posted by: Joe Jack Talcum on April 2, 2003 12:03 PMFred, you are so right. It's all about race. The media just focuses on events such as 9/11 and the Palestinian Homicide bombers because the participants were Arab. The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy has taken complete control of the mainstream media and people need to wake up and realize that they are suppressing all news stories that are related to non-Arab terrorists. (My guess is that Geraldo knows this and that is why they are booting him out of Iraq.)
I just found the following deep within a Google search. You won't see something like this in the U.S. Gov't directed media.
BREAKING NEWS
Norwegian Terrorists: In an apparent terrorist act, Norwegian terrorists Sven and Ole Bin-laden-strom have hijacked a Goodyear Blimp. So far, they have bounced off 5 buildings.
In a just world, the Coalition forces would light up Norway next. Kill Whitey!!!
Posted by: Rule#1 on April 2, 2003 12:26 PMRacist? Hardly. I think America is prejudiced against nutjobs. We put McVeigh to death and went after Waco and Ruby Ridge. I can understand disagreeing with the administration on the process of going to war at this time but to say it is about race is ignorant. (We hate France and they are white) :)
Posted by: Humberto on April 2, 2003 01:23 PMYup, there are plenty of racists in America. But there's a lot more to it than that -- and my post wasn't about racism, but armchair fanaticism. (So, thank you, Humberto.)
What I really think we need to spend a minute on here (a reflective minute) is the tragedy of this, remembering that tragedies don't have solutions: they are wounds in the human soul, regardless of our color. Hence: the poignancy of that photo, which says so much without words.
Posted by: minnesotaj on April 2, 2003 02:11 PMminnesotaj, I have followed this whole debacle on many fronts and have to agree with you that the single number one tragedy of all of this will the psychological damage not only to Iraqi citizens but to the US/UK soldiers upon their return.
I just finished "Jarhead" by Swofford and your book is next on the list. I have to say that although being of an ardent anti-war mindset I have come to appreciate where my anger should rest and it is definitely NOT with troops or even the military.
Thanks for a rational voice...
Posted by: Johnny Hazard on April 2, 2003 03:07 PMThe Cold War against the lily-white USSR was pretty savage, but of course the actual killing part was fought almost entirely through proxies in dusky places like Southeast Asia and Central America. So the racism case isn't totally unjustified, although I do agree that it's a lazy oversimplification.
I sympathize with the call to "get this thing over as soon as possible" -- what sane person wants the rampant killing and dying to be prolonged? But there's more than one way to get it over with. We could withdraw tomorrow or we could step it up a few notches and take over Iraq as brutally and "decisively" as possible, installing a puppet who answers to Cheney's whistle. Or we could do something in between. The fact is, we've got a tiger by the tail and we don't really know where it's going to take us. When we're finally done with this tiger the master plan is for us to grab the next one in line -- Iraq, Syria, North Korea, fill in the blank.
So it's not clear to me that something approaching a quick and decisive victory in this particular conflict would equate with a long-term de-escalation in violence in the Middle East or elsewhere. From here it just looks like a big shit sandwich -- I really can't imagine what it must look like over there.
Posted by: robbo on April 2, 2003 08:35 PMJust wanted to post a quick comment about common racism and fear here in MN. The local radio morning show that has nationwide attention for the drive-time numbers it gets had this to say the other morning. The "funny" and "witty" jocks saw fit to call Arabs "sand monkeys" a few times and went on to call the Iraqis "too stupid to know when to give up" Shortly after, they proceeded with a discussion where they tried to determine "why do they all hate America?"
France decides not to join us in blowing people up in the name of a just cause while calling it Iraqi Freedom and America promptly renames food items to show our distaste for them... Yet our popular media throws racial slurs and personal insults to an entire section of the world and we can't figure out why they might not think we've got their best interests at heart?
Note about the local radio show: It's noteworthy because of the HUGE market share that this station commands. While only being little ol' MN, we've got the 13th largest radio market in the country and the "KQ Morning Crew" is the king of the heap in the mornings. In the summer when people drive with the windows down, you're likely to hear KQ echoing out of most of the other cars around you while waiting at a stoplight. This kind of racial hatred has become so commonplace on that station that it rarely even gets an outcry from the public anymore. When things like this (http://www.kqrs.com/listingsEntry.asp?ID=75764&PT=Bits+%26+Audio) pass is common entertainment, it's sad to think what the future holds when we're involved in full-time occupation and "freedom-ifying" of the Iraqi people.
(that audio clip was the only one available on the website and isn't even a representative example of how bad the personal and religious attacks on Islam and the Arabic people)
Posted by: bob on April 3, 2003 08:41 AMOh right, America is not a racist country. Hmm how long ago did blacks get full rights? When were Jews allowed to join social groups and country clubs? What is the reason for the discrepancy in sentencing between rock and powder cocaine? Police brutality? Rodney King? Diallo? Never happened I guess.
Have you gone outside lately? Talked to your friends about their feelings about various racial groups? Anyone who says America (or France, or England, or Iraq) is not a racist country is fooling themselves. It seems that now the target is Arabs, in part because of actual events, in part because of long-held fears, and lack of understanding of the Middle East, and in part because of blatant propaganda designed to favor Israel.
Not a racist country... right. Every single day my co-worker and his wife get hassled for being Arab/Muslim. Every single day, someone says something, drives by and yells something, makes a 'funny' comment. And this is in one of the most 'liberal' cities in this country, imagine how it is in the hinterland! Not racist. Ha!
I am not saying that racism is the only reason the war is waged, but I am saying that without it, it couldn't happen. If Iraqis were a different race, would 45% of the country see them as responsible for 911? Of course not. Would 60% of the country be raring to go kill them? Of course not. Not a racist country. If you think America is not racist, there is a 99.9% chance you are white. Hmm, why is that?
Posted by: Fred on April 3, 2003 11:51 AM