Genocide in the Garden
I must have been dozing in the early 1990's when Saddam Hussein drained the 8,000 square miles of Iraqi wetlands considered by many to be the cradle of Western civilization. Thought by Biblical scholars to be the site of the Garden of Eden, the legendary marshland was twice the size of the Everglades and teeming with thousands of bird, fish and plant species.
Not anymore. The butcher of Bagdad spent 8 years building dams and rerouting rivers to punish 500,000 Marsh Arabs for opposing him during the 1991 Gulf War. The area was turned into an "ecological and human disaster" said Curtis Richardson of Duke University who is heading up an international team helping to restore the marsh.
This tragic, sickening scenario stops me in my tracks. What do left wing heroes Ward Churchill and Michael Moore think about this? If asked, how long do you think it would take them to blame the United States government for Saddam's policy of environmental genocide? And what sort of punishment does Saddam deserve for this indescribably vulgar and premeditated crime against the history of civilization? I really want to know.
The Story from MSNBC.
posted by Anonymous @ 1:26 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Yes, you were definitely napping on this one. In addition to the the destruction of the "Garden of Eden", Iraq's many archeological sites have been utterly decimated by Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Iraq's archeological signifigance as the "cradle of civilization", the looting of museums, destruction of of important of archeological sites was heavily discussed in the various Arts journals. Several US soldiers were busted for bringing home historically important "souvenirs"... literally torn off the walls of thousand year old temples.
There was very little mention in the mainstream media. Here are several articles on the eradication of Iraq's cultural heritage:
Iraq: US base has caused “shocking” damage to Babylon Feb. 2005
http://tinyurl.com/4nfpxDay of the VultureWhy the looting of Iraq's ancient sites shouldn't have surprised anyone -- least of all the Pentagon - Fall 2003
http://tinyurl.com/4g6y8A lesson in protecting art and antiquitieshttp://tinyurl.com/5cbu9Protecting Ancient History in IraqArchaeologists Worry Antiquities, Artifacts Will be Lost in War - Feb. 2003
http://tinyurl.com/5lfqw
Inside Iraq’s National MuseumA reporter on the scene in Baghdad describes how and why the looting happened
By Roger Atwood - Summer 2003
http://tinyurl.com/4zx76UC Berkeley professors deliver eulogy for lost treasures of Iraq - April, 2003
http://tinyurl.com/4724z/yllona
Thank you, Yllona, for the links to articles depicting damage to portions of Iraq's archeological and historic treasures. I read the articles and was saddened by the reports. I make no excuses for the damage. The looted items may never be recovered, and only time will tell how much damage was sustained at the sites in Babylon. Our soldiers could have been ordered to prioritize the protection of museums, libraries, and archaelogical sites, over their own safety. And that leads to some very profound decisions. How do you prioritize the protection of any physical object or artifact over even one human life? Who makes that decision? That's a dilemma I can't quite come to grips with. Can you?
You might argue that we shouldn't be there in the first place. And that's really another debate. But look at the consequences of us not being there during the 1990's. 500,000 Marsh Arabs are displaced from their ancestral homeland. 8,000 square miles of the planet's most fertile and diverse land is turned into dust in less than a decade. Thousands of Kurdish men, women and children are indiscriminately gassed and chemically burned to death. Enemies are tortured beyond comprehension. Women are regularly raped to serve the sick fetishes of Sadaam's disgusting offspring. All opposition is bludgeoned without mercy. Where is the redeeming outcome in Sadaam's unfathomable viciousness? Can anyone find it for me?
I hate the war in Iraq--I HATE IT. But at least there will be one redeeming outcome: individual freedom for millions of Iraqis. That IS something worth fighting for. It's the only thing worth dying for. And, unfortunately, there's just no other way to get it.
I hear you, Green Man. I really have very little argument with you, except maybe this one. With regard to the atrocities of Sadaam Hussein, what IS the right thing to do? You asked yourself the big question, but you didn't answer it.
At 10:33 PM, Patrick Anderson said...
With regard to the atrocities of Sadaam Hussein, what IS the right thing to do?
The UN is inching towards a position of "Responsibility to Protect" - of legally taking military action against governments that commit severe human rights violations. Before it does that, though, it needs a means of measuring and non-violently inhibiting human rights violations by governments. There is a proposition on this here: http://www.greenhealth.org.uk/Index%20of%20Governance.htm
Green Man, I am grateful for your helpful critique.
Let us start at the beginning: The Index of Governance is a simple and straightforward official measurement of human rights abuses (torture etc) of every state on the planet; Just as Amnesty International used to do in the 90s, only this time it's official - up on the UN noticeboard.
No law, no sanctions, nothing but a name-and-shame exercise. If states disagree with their placement, they can appeal. It is likely that they will chuck a load of prisoners out of jail before the UN inspectors come, so that will be nice for the prisoners already.
Amnesty letter writing campaigns have shown that states do care about world opinion. Phase 1 of the Index of Governance is just a systemic application of Amnesty's work.
So that is Phase 1. Are you OK with that?
Now for Phase 2 - sanctions. I see where you are coming from vis a vis International Law. However, like it or not, the UN is actually moving towards a position of being ready to make war on states who do genocide, on the basis of "Responsibility to Protect". They recipients of these "Humanitarian" wars are going to be the states in, say, the loswet decile of the Index of Governance. Therefore, before the UN goes to war, it should pay intensive attention to those states, along the lines laid out in the link. http://www.greenhealth.org.uk/Index%20of%20Governance.htm/
The details are negotiable as far as I am concerned, but it seems to me that if the community of nations is going to go to war, it should have a pretty good non-violent set of instruments in place to put maximum pressure on the so-called "rogue" states before it does so.
Finally, the effect of all this will be to set a level playing field, as opposed to the arbitrary and capricious way in which states find themselves as a trading partner one month, and the "Hitler de nos jours" next month.
I appreciate your concerns, and will look more closely at integrating the IoG with the legal framework that you advocate. Thanks.
On a side note...
Something must be done about the unacceptable state of the abhorrent lack of patriotism for the country that gives us more than any other in the world possibly could. Those who refuse to salute the American flag and pledge their allegiance to our great country, in this time of uncertainty in regard to terrorism, can never be trusted not to have pro-terrorist sympathies and should not be allowed to remain in America. Millions refuse, however. Something must be done.
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