Moral Fog?
Our beloved North County Times here in
San Diego, hardly the bastion of great journalism, published an article entitled
"The Moral Fog of War". This article was yet another attempt to resurrect the
ghost of Vietnam's past by describing the struggle that soldiers are facing with
the death's of civilians, and essentially trying to draw the reader to some
ill-conceived view that there was an underlying moral dilemma with this
war.
...The only Moral
Fog is the one that those who think that Saddam and his band of pond scum have
some right to remain in power a day longer.
Our beloved North County Times here in San Diego,
hardly the bastion of great journalism, published an article entitled "The Moral
Fog of War". This article was yet another attempt to resurrect the ghost of
Vietnam's past by describing the struggle that soldiers are facing with the
death's of civilians, and essentially trying to draw the reader to some
ill-conceived view that there was an underlying moral dilemma with this
war.
Then, I was privileged to hear
some "reality TV" tonight - with Dr. Bob Arnot, embedded with the 1st MEF
approaching Baghdad. The group he was with was in an intense firefight with
Republican Guard units. I have a friend in the 1st MEF. His wife is bravely
managing the homefront with two young girls here at home like so many other
wives and mothers. In the midst of this battle, an Iraqi family escaped from the
building where they had been held hostage by the Republican Guard. It would have
been bad enough had it simply been a husband and wife. No, the Republican Guard
had them, their 9 year old son, and their 3 year old daughter. Contrast the
Republican Guard behavior with the Marines. The family was put in a fox hole,
then the Colonel himself came over to check on them. He had them moved behind a
berm, where it would be safer, got them some rations to eat, and assigned a
Marine to guard them and ensure their safety. Words fail me when attempting to
describe what the Republican Guard did to that family. Words don't fail me with
regard to the response of the Marines. I think the best word is
Saintly.
The only Moral Fog is the one
that those who think that Saddam and his band of pond scum have some right to
remain in power a day longer.
Posted: Tue - April 1, 2003 at 11:19 AM