don't ask, don't tell
The U.S. military's infamous ''Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy line has taken on a whole new meaning during the raging war in Iraq. Nothing quite so '90's as applying to gays in the ranks, this new bend stole the playsheet on quiet delusion where it is now being used for U.S. military public relations itself. Out come the "we don't know anything's" whenever asked about Iraqi civilian war casualties, or about anything that may compromise the image of the U.S. military and the Department of Defense.
Take for example a response to reports of a U.S. military bombing mission that resulted in numerous civilian deaths in the Al Anbar region of Iraq last weekend, as reported on latimes.com, October 18, 2005:
''Army Lt. Col. Steven Boylan, a U.S. military spokesman, said American authorities had "no confirmation or information that there were any civilians involved. We were going after insurgents using precision-guided munitions. We take great care at all times to ensure that we target only valid, legitimate targets."
However, the local Iraqi doctor on the site, the local hospital, and eyewitnesses all begged to differ with the American account.
Both the United States and British governments do not keep official tabs on the number of Iraqi civilians killed or injured. In fact, the U.S. policy on civilian war casualties is that of non-accountability---meaning, if they don't count them, then they really don't count. Sort of like, ''If a tree falls in the forest, but there's nobody there to hear it...'' except here, somebody did hear it fall. In fact, quite a lot of people have been hearing and seeing the constant fall of Iraqi civilians, gunned down, bombed or even shot from convoy driveby's by coalition troops. Luckily, a number of independent non-military groups are keeping track of the innocent victims. One such group is the Iraqi Body Count, whose figure today for total civilian loss is a startling 30,018.
The U.S. government now has compensation policies in place for families of killed Iraqi civilians. The U.S. doles out about $2,500 to grieving Iraqi families to make up for loved ones accidentally killed by American troops. But, the families have to seek compensation from the very regime that caused their loss---an obviously daunting task, as anyone would imagine. And, if the lost father, son, wife, or daughter was not confirmed as present by the Americans, or worse, considered a "terrorist" for being at the wrong place at the wrong time, then they fell without being heard.
Check out this compelling article from the San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/10/14/MNGJ2F8D8L1.DTL
Take for example a response to reports of a U.S. military bombing mission that resulted in numerous civilian deaths in the Al Anbar region of Iraq last weekend, as reported on latimes.com, October 18, 2005:
''Army Lt. Col. Steven Boylan, a U.S. military spokesman, said American authorities had "no confirmation or information that there were any civilians involved. We were going after insurgents using precision-guided munitions. We take great care at all times to ensure that we target only valid, legitimate targets."
However, the local Iraqi doctor on the site, the local hospital, and eyewitnesses all begged to differ with the American account.
Both the United States and British governments do not keep official tabs on the number of Iraqi civilians killed or injured. In fact, the U.S. policy on civilian war casualties is that of non-accountability---meaning, if they don't count them, then they really don't count. Sort of like, ''If a tree falls in the forest, but there's nobody there to hear it...'' except here, somebody did hear it fall. In fact, quite a lot of people have been hearing and seeing the constant fall of Iraqi civilians, gunned down, bombed or even shot from convoy driveby's by coalition troops. Luckily, a number of independent non-military groups are keeping track of the innocent victims. One such group is the Iraqi Body Count, whose figure today for total civilian loss is a startling 30,018.
The U.S. government now has compensation policies in place for families of killed Iraqi civilians. The U.S. doles out about $2,500 to grieving Iraqi families to make up for loved ones accidentally killed by American troops. But, the families have to seek compensation from the very regime that caused their loss---an obviously daunting task, as anyone would imagine. And, if the lost father, son, wife, or daughter was not confirmed as present by the Americans, or worse, considered a "terrorist" for being at the wrong place at the wrong time, then they fell without being heard.
Check out this compelling article from the San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/10/14/MNGJ2F8D8L1.DTL
posted by tastes like chicken @ 11:56 AM
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