Deadly suppositions
by R. Lee Wrights
"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." -- Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Have you ever been accused of something you did not do? Or even worse, have you ever been punished for something you did not do? Did your Mom ever spank you or ground you for something one of your siblings had done? Have you ever been fired from a job because you got the blame for someone else's mistake? Do you know what it feels like to be judged guilty of some crime or misdemeanor just because someone suspected you of doing something wrong? If you can answer yes to any of these questions then you have experienced injustice first hand. You have known the pain that can only be alleviated by the promise held within our Constitution that a person cannot "... be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." Presumption of innocence is the very cornerstone of American justice; it serves as a guarantee that no person can be punished on mere supposition based on nothing more than suspicion.
Now, while all of this is fresh in your mind I want you read this lead-in to a news report entitled "U.S. levels houses of Iraqi insurgents" that I saw in the November 18th edition of CNN.com, and see if you can spot the injustice.
"The U.S. military has begun leveling houses and buildings used by suspected Iraqi guerrilla fighters in a new tactic which is part of a more aggressive strategy aimed at crushing the anti-American insurgency, Pentagon officials said Tuesday."
That's right. American troops are now being used to destroy private property of "suspected Iraqi guerrilla fighters." What happened to requiring proof before depriving someone of "life, liberty, or property" as stated in our own Constitution? Evidently that does not apply to people we attack so that we can bring them our way of life. Apparently if you live in Iraq, under American rule, all that is required for you to lose everything you own is to be "suspected" of wrongdoing. And the Pentagon is not being shy about this deadly departure from the very ideals we are supposed to be instilling in the Iraqi citizens. A Pentagon spokesman told CNN in the same article:
"Coalition forces are continuing to target any building that may be used by anti-coalition forces to plan attacks, produce weapons or harbor insurgents."
Did he really say "any" building that "may" be used by anti-coalition forces? That seems to conveniently include any building in the whole damn country! I mean any building "may" be used for one thing or the other, right? It can apply to literally any structure in the country regardless of who owns the property. This is the "American way" Iraqi citizens are learning about up close and personal. Don't care for your neighbor? Just tell the Americans that you suspect he is using his home for anti-American shenanigans and -- BOOM -- no more neighbor. The guy around the corner giving you a hard time? All you have to do is tell the Americans that he may be using his property for anti-coalition activities and -- BOOM -- the guy around the corner is history. Isn't freedom great? No wonder a growing number of Iraqi citizens say it is hard to tell the difference between life under Saddam Hussein's thumb and life under the thumb of George Bush.
To make matters worse, the Pentagon tries to put a good face on the whole affair by pointing out how careful they have been about the operations. CNN reports that:
"Pentagon officials stressed that in all cases, the U.S. has gone to 'extraordinary means' to notify civilians that they need to evacuate the area before any attacks were carried out. And before any building was destroyed, nearby roads were closed to minimize the chance of unintended civilian casualties. The United States has used a number of methods to destroy buildings, everything from tanks to air strikes."
So we will go out of our way to make sure that citizens are out of harm's way while we destroy their homes; but, we can't be bothered with actually going to the trouble of producing evidence against someone before we blow up everything they have probably worked their whole lives to obtain. All the justification we need to run a tank through someone's living room is a suspicion that they are the enemy or an enemy sympathizer. But, at least we will clear out the neighborhood before we send in an air strike, all because some form of intelligence was gathered that brought deadly suppositions against another property owner. My, my, my. What a fine example we are setting for a people that have lived under the tent of tyranny for so many years.
What is all this teaching them about freedom and a better way of life than they have known before? How is an American bomb used against them because they might be an insurgent any different than a bomb used by Saddam Hussein because they might not be a loyal supporter? It does not take a genius to realize you will never teach people it is wrong to deprive others of their property and life by destroying everything they own without due process of law. You do not teach a man it is wrong to do murder by killing him based on the deadly supposition that he may kill someone some time in the future.
We are not teaching the good people of Iraq about freedom when we deny them the same rights we declare as our birthright and claim are shared by all of mankind. When we can destroy peopleâs homes and wreck their lives based on nothing more than suspicion, we only perpetuate the tyranny that these unfortunate people have already known all of their lives. They lived in fear of a demonic dictator and now they live in fear of a foreign invader. Neither have respected their rights and neither have treated them fairly.
The Iraqi people are no closer to being free with Saddam banished from power and in hiding than they were when he roamed freely among them. And yet, the White House continues to declare that the Iraqi people have been liberated; and, American is bringing her precious siblings Liberty and Freedom to the small third-world country. Well, as my mother always told me when I was young, "Actions speak louder than words." The Iraqi people are hearing our actions loud and clear as reported by CNN:
"In Saddam's home town of Tikrit Monday, an Iraqi woman sat among the rubble of a house destroyed by U.S. strikes. 'They destroyed our houses and expelled us. We now have no salaries and no house. Our children are sick. What shall we do?' she complained."
Well, at least she's "free," huh?
Stop the lies and madness. Bring the troops home. Enough is enough.
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