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Leaving for Iraq on Friday. I made an indirect plea for support by posting my
acceptance speech to Project Censored-- not much response from the list, so
I'll try a more direct approach.
This will be probably be my final message to CASI for a while-- no
response from CASI even to the Rizer article, which I feel more chilling than
"Iraq Wat. Tr. Vul." because while we knew the info. from, e.g., the Harvard
Study Team, it is the first admission I've found in a major military journal.
Further, my reading is that the article defends its estimated 100,000 Iraqi
civilian deaths from bombing induced water borne epidemics as ethical, legal
and even doctrine. To me it defends bombing as a way to reduce "civilian
morale", but how is that differnt from classical terrorism, except that the
former operates on a larger scale. Against this backdrop, my worry about the
trip increase, for the Iraqi kids and not the least for my own hide.
It seems every reason for my not going to Iraq is actually a compelling reason
to go. Would I hesitate if Jewish or Christian kids were at risk?
Actually, they are,in a very meaningful sense, at risk because killing even
more Iraqi kids (indirectly by imperfections of smart munitions) or directly
by bombing the electrical system again which leads to inevitable "rendering
useless" water systems (Rizer, 2001) will kill, I suspect, far more kids than
Desert Slaughter I when the 3,000 civilian "directly" and 100,000 civilian
"indirectly" --these are figures used in the DOD's E Journal, Air and Space
Power Chronicle" in which the Rizer (2001) article resides.
Surely killing even more of "their kids" endangers "our kids". And surely
compassion for ALL kids rather than slow death for some kids is the best
safeguard.
To any detached academics on the list whom my views may offend or be a bit
too maudlin for their taste, I ask, "What would you tell your kids if the
world's strongest (and one of the most ruthless) powers spoke casually of
escallating its war against the country in which you and your kids reside? And
if your kids starting showing signs of waterborne disease despite your best
efforts, what then would you say? How is it possible this question is so
rarely asked in the US and UK?
I would appreciate comments from people who are not annonymous "high
government officials". Statements of support would really help my morale. I
feel like a very lonely academic on this trip. Where are the other professors?
I salute all those who have gone, even on multiple occassions. I criticize
myself for delaying so long.
Can I count on support from CASI colleagues if I run afoul of the US/UK
humanitarian wars or the actions of the mercenaries of this pair? Or if things
should go badly , am I just getting what's comming to me for leaving my ivery
tower at the "center of it all"
Sincerely with fear and hope,
Tom Nagy, Ph.D.
Assoc. Prof
GWU Sch. of Bus. & Pub. Mgt
Washington, D.C.
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