When I originally read a story on human shields,
the war in Iraq had not yet begun. But the idea of "human shields" still
intrigued me. What would be their motivation to do such a thing?
The vast majority of human shields are young people (ages 18-25),
humanitarians, mostly from the United States, Canada, and Britan, who are
anti-war activists. They do not believe that the United States and its
allies have any right to attack Iraq. Human shields believe that a U.S.-led
attack could kill more civilians than it would help. So what's their goal?
Quite simply, human shields are people who are willing to stand by an Iraqi
hospital, for instance, and "bet" to see if their government would bomb them
in an attack.
But all is not as easy as it seems. Before the United States attacked
Iraq, many human shields left out of frustration and boredom. The Iraqi
government also contributed to the frustration of human shields by moving
them from children's hospitals to more strategic sites, such as
communication centers and electrical plants. Oddly enough, this act by Iraq
seems to have confused many of the human shields (and no, I am not making
this up. April Fool's is over). Disillusioned, many human shields have since
returned home or stayed in the Middle East in case there is a chance to give
humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people.
Although I think what these people were trying to do is very foolish, I
also think that being a human shield is fairly honorable, due to the fact
that they are willing to give their lives for their beliefs. But there is a
fine line between being honorable and being foolish. Saddam Hussein is a
dictator who should have been stopped a long time ago. He is an egotist who
cares nothing about his people, only about himself. The fact that he has
gassed, poisoned, and tortured his own people goes against everything these
humanists should stand for.
I believe the U.S. government is trying very hard to prevent any
unncessary harm to the Iraqi people. With the evolution of technology, the
U.S. military will make its very best effort to prevent any civilian
casualties. However, like everything else in life, nothing is perfect. War
is an awful thing that can result in the loss of military and civilian life.
Let us hope for the best for our military and its troops.
Hopefully, you know that I love feedback, and that's where I'm leading
you. Do you think the idea of human shields is brave, stupid, honorable,
pointless, whatever? Do you trust that our military won't make a lot of
strategic "mistakes" and unnecessarily hurt Iraqi civilians? Do you want me
to stop asking questions? Thanks everyone! 'Till next time....
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Mike Flick seriously needs to get a better staff picture.
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