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August 09, 2006

Anti-War Must Not Become Anti-Women

I don't quite know how to read all the press coverage of the trial of U.S. soldiers accused of raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and murdering her and her family. I mean, I hope in our anti-war zeal we're not ready to forgive this heinous crime just because we understand that the soldiers were overly-stressed and doped up.

I'm not dismissing the importance of taking note of the very severe problem we MUST address with regards to over-taxing the capacity of our human soldiers to handle the stress of daily fear for their lives; so much so that some are resorting to a cocktail of drugs and alcohol that sends them into a tailspin. But at the same time, we're talking about unthinkable brutality to an innocent little girl and the murder of her whole family, including her 5-year old little sister. My God.

It is criminal that our soldiers are being left to sink into a pit of despair, that their needs for warm food and sufficient water and sleep and security are not being met. These murders fall squarely on the heads of all who have failed to give our boys what they need to do the job we are asking them to do. HOWEVER. We cannot look the other way at what happened or we are no better than those who would stone their own daughter for being raped.

Posted by Becky at August 9, 2006 02:00 PM