Valuing Bombs and Bullets Instead of Human Life

Perhaps the war in Iraq has hurt America more than it cares to notice

September 6, 2005

Innocent civilians, including people who are considered vital to building democracy, are increasingly being killed by US troops in Iraq. It is estimated that approximately 200,000 innocent civilians have been killed since the war began, and nearly 2,000 American soldiers have died. The deaths of so many human beings, Iraqis and Americans, show the problems with a society that values bombs more than human life.

The deaths of innocent Iraqi civilians is fueling a growing dislike of the United States and undermining efforts to convince the public that American soldiers are in Iraq to help. The victims have included doctors, journalists, professors—the kind of people the US is counting on to help build an open and democratic society. American forces have frequently been the victims of suicide attacks. These suicide attacks have eroded the troops' trust in the public.

Not since the Vietnam War have Americans been in a situation where innocent civilians have been killed on such a frequent basis. The war has desensitized Americans to the value of human life. Innocent Iraqis are seen as objects instead of human beings; unfortunately, the media has a tendency to make the deaths of American soldiers appear more tragic than the deaths of innocent Iraqi men, women, and children.

The media has also failed the American public by refusing to show scenes of the violence in Iraq. If the Americans want a war, they should be prepared to watch and deal with its bloody consequences. It can be argued that the media is making the war appear glamorous instead of horrifying, and it is doing a disservice to both the American people and to the Iraqis who are losing their lives on a daily basis.

The war is also devastating the American economy. The war in Iraq is currently costing America some $13,000 per second in military spending. Arguably, this money would be better used to improve public schools and to strengthen national security at home.

The US will not become more secure by launching preemptive wars overseas. Wars create bad will in the world, and bad will leads to the creation of more terrorists. The absence of empathy amongst Americans for the innocent Iraqis who have been killed is shocking. The US is not liberating the Iraqi people; it is killing them.

America has an obligation to withdraw its troops from Iraq. As the number of innocent Iraqi civilians continues to grow, the antagonism within the Arab world against the United States will only continue to increase. Shooting innocent Iraqis is no way to defend America from future terrorist attacks; it is a waste of human life and resources.