War Sucks.

by Michelle . · 2009-06-17 15:00:00 UTC
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I can't remember where I was, or who I was with, but I recently had a conversation with a friend about how the casualty rates of Iraqi civilians hardly ever, if ever, make it into mainstream media in the US. No one has any idea of the figure.

And then, oddly, a report from AlertNet appeared in my Google Reader, despite the fact that it was posted nearly 2 years ago:

Iraq Death Toll Rivals Rwanda Genocide, Cambodian Killing Fields

That would be: 1.2 million Iraqis...and that was in 2007.

I've written in the past that I think it is important to define and identity genocide accurately, for a number of reasons. We need to know the nature of the problem we're facing, in order to address it. I've also said, though, that for the civilians on the ground, killed in genocide or war, the effect is felt the same. A life in Darfur is the same as one in Iraq, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Rwanda, anywhere.

So to expand my rather narrow topic briefly: A moment of remembrance for all of the innocent lives lost in conflicts waged by the selfish, the foolish, and the cruel.

[For information/conversation on a variety of conflicts not covered here, head over to Michael's Humanitarian Relief blog.]

Michelle . has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns.
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