For at least three years now, I have had the Iraq Coalition Casualties website bookmarked on my computer. Every morning I go to it before I go about my other computer tasks. That has been my personal way of keeping vigil during this crime of a war. It's been my way of not letting myself forget the war, the sacrifice of these young American lives, and the destruction of the hundreds of thousands of lives in Iraq. It's been my way of bearing witness -- of not letting the arrogance, incompetence, and dishonesty of the Bush administration go unforgotten.
Like so many others here at this site, I knew in 2002 and early 2003, without having any special "intelligence" or inside information, that this war was based on a pack of lies, and was pursued purposefully by hubristic ideologues and their corporate courtesans. Like so many of you, I have drained myself dry many times over these five years, trying hard to find ways to turn anger into positive action, outrage into effective response, bitterness into democratic change. I have burned out a dozen times. But looking at that number 4000 only makes me want to redouble my effort. I will honor them by going back into the fray, and fighting for our democracy, here at home, even harder and smarter.
These 4000 have died as a direct result of the crimes of the Bush administration and all their sponsors, enablers, supporters, and excusers. That long line of collaborators goes back decades, back into the murky depth of the neoconservative movement's origins; back to the Nixon years with the Cheney-Rumsfeld-Bush gang; through the atrocities and ignorant choices of the Reagan-Bush I years; through the debacle of the 2000 election and the unforgivable actions of the Supreme Court justices who re-installed the criminals; through the meltdown of the mainstream media, and their swooning over Bush II and Cheney and their trumped-up war.
And it must be said: the collaborators include our fellow citizens who did not have the guts, the smarts, the principles, the independence, the energy, the time, or the integrity to see through their own fears, to overcome their own knee-jerk response, and to resist the lies and propaganda. These 4000 have died because the American citizenry grew lazy and fearful and wanted simple answers and simple solutions. That has now changed. It is a hell of a way for a democracy to learn its lessons. With their deaths, these 4000 have paid the price -- not for "freedom," but for the drift and divisions in our American political culture over the last generation. This is the price we have paid for allowing the corporate elite to take over our democracy. We have lost 4000 of our fellow citizens. We have lost hundreds of billions of dollars. We have lost our global reputation. We have lost the soul of our democracy.
We are in an epic political battle now, to see if we can at least partially redeem these losses. We are seeing if we have the fortitude to reclaim our political souls and throw off the lies. We are being tested: Will we reward those who went along with the lies and enabled the war to be waged?
Looking again at the Iraq Coalition Casualtiies website, I am struck by one thing. There is not yet a name attached to the 4000th to die. The name will be released as soon as the next of kin are informed. But for the time being this remains an Unknown Soldier. A fitting moment then, to remember all those who have given their lives for the lie.
The military's short and unadorned press release reads:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080324-02
March 24, 2008
MND-B Soldiers attacked by IED
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
BAGHDAD – Four Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers were killed at
approximately 10 p.m. March 23 after terrorists attacked them with an
improvised-explosive device in southern Baghdad while conducting a mounted
vehicular patrol.
One additional Soldier was injured from this attack.
The Soldier’s names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin
and release by the Department of Defense.
We will know the names soon enough. For the time being, I will try to think of them all, I will maintain my personal vigil, and I will wake up Monday morning ready to work again for a healthier democracy.