There is No Justification

Why do we justify the indefensible? In less than a week, we’ve been exposed to worsening violence in the “new” democratic Iraq, we’ve seen Israeli troops enter Lebanon after heavy artillery and bombing of civilian areas and we’ve heard the American President tell scientists and healthcare workers he couldn’t possibly allow “innocent” lives to perish in the use of fetal stem cell research; that it would be immoral.
His new press hack, Tony Snow, likened the use of fetal stem cell research to “murder”.
If it weren’t so damn pathetic and tragic it would be laughable to hear George W. Bush talk about morality.
While George and Tony worry about fetal stem cell death, they seem to think there’s some morality in the continued slaughter in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Gaza. While the unborn seem to gain all their moral respect the already born seem to lack any respect.
While its doubtful fetal stem cells feel pain, certainly the innocent kids hit by white phosphorous, napalm and depleted uranium weapons do feel a great deal of pain. These are all weapons of terror; especially in the eyes of 18 month old Reem Shahour of Tyre, Lebanon.
Little Reem was on the front page of the local Rocky Mountain News opposite a larger photo of Israeli soldiers carrying a wounded comrade on a stretcher. Somehow the News feels the photo of adults with weapons balances the much smaller photo of an eighteen month old child whose major worry should be playing, dinner and bedtime. It’s more of the same pathetic thinking that says fetal stem cells are the moral equivalent of live people.
A few days ago we learned Israeli jets have bombed U.N. peacekeeping observers near the Lebanon border by accident…unless of course they didn’t want to be observed in their campaign of terror.
Maybe the secret to keep hidden is what doctors in Lebanon are trying to understand in the types of wounds seen in the dead and wounded civilians. Wounds never seen have been widely reported. It’s incredibly strange doctors in Lebanon would find wounds they’ve not seen.
The wounds are consistent with possible experimental weapons such as laser or microwave energy that would bore holes through the body or cause internal heating until death occurs. (Israel accused of "using chemical weapons" )
The Pentagon has admitted these weapon systems are in the beginning stages. Reporters have seen examples of lasers in Afghanistan used to destroy mines and IED’s.( Lasers and microwave weapons) Recent psychological operations by the Israelis dropped leaflets with the chilling statement, “This is just the beginning”. A few days later the U.N. observers were killed. Many in the U.N. leadership believe it was a deliberate action.
Again we see the contrast of life and death in scientific studies. Science that could very well save thousands is said to be murder while science of mass destruction is said to bring freedom and democracy and make a safer world.
The same rationale of the penultimate weapon making for a safer world led us to the atomic bomb. Even before the first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan, many scientists knew the horrible truth of the nuclear age. Life had just become much more dangerous.
Scientists creating newer and better ways to kill have struck a pact with the devil. They either endorse the brutality of war or they delude themselves more and better weapons will help keep the world safe. Or…..there’s great money to be made in the arms industry.
I believe the men and women who “create” these weapons should be required to view their handy work live and in person with the victims. But like the soldier in an artillery battery or a pilot on a bomber it’s become so easy to kill when only the pulling of the proverbial “trigger” is witnessed.
The scientists attempt to maintain a purity of facts would have life being lived in a Petri dish or test tube. They too often forget little side effects of science like what happens when the science results in the babies getting in the way.
Fetal stem cells have become life as we know it but Reem Shahour has become a throw-away like some damn fast food wrapper. As long as we keep those fetal cells alive we can replace her. And we’ll need thousands more to replace all the other little ones that have perished.
It sickens me to see the photos of babies, young men and women, old men and women and unarmed men and women with the death smile or missing parts of their skulls or lying in a pool of blood. But I look at them. I do so to not forget. I don’t want to forget.
I want the Americans who support the war to see the daily blood of babies. I want them to see the families screaming in agony when they lose a child to the war’s anonymous weapon systems.
I want the young boy of Palestine or Lebanon to be as important as the young of the U.S. or Israel. We cannot grieve for the American soldier without grief for the innocent victims of that soldier’s actions in war. While some would like to ignore the dead woman shot at a checkpoint by a Marine or a family killed fleeing the violence by shoot to kill sentries we shouldn’t allow this to happen.
There’s been great debate about which came first; terrorism or retaliation. It matters little to parents receiving a knock on the door and hearing the words “we regret to inform you….”
The continued glorification and acceptance of violence as an answer to differences between living beings only spawns more of the same. It only deepens the scars and the hate and healing fails to ever take place.
I’ve ranted angrily against the American government and the American people because more should be expected of a people so wonderfully blessed. A people saying it believes in freedom but supporting tyrants and building more weapons than all other nations combined is failing in its duty to the rest of the world.
A nation refusing to accept responsibility for misdeeds and injustices perpetrated against a weaker nation has failed in its duty.
A nation refusing to understand the anger of others injured because of unjust and deceitful agents of our government is failing in the duty as a world leader.
We, the people, should expect more. We should demand more. We, the people, should never forget a young girl’s blood stained face or her cries of grief for parents killed by the guards of a checkpoint.
We should keep grotesque shapes of humans killed in war seared in our minds. We need to see the dead of war and think of the laughter and joy missed. If we’re to tell our young the honor and glory of becoming a soldier we should also tell them of the horror and misery of being a soldier in war.
I’ve survived the insanity of war and known the joy of loving a woman for 34 years of marriage. I’ve been lucky to know the glory of seeing my children born. I’ve known the solidarity of friends and comrades joined together for the cause of peace.
I would fail the memory of those who died on the fields of my war if I didn’t keep the images of that war alive in my mind. I need to tell others there is no honor or glory in killing another person in a war. Just as the Jews of the Holocaust say never again, so too must veterans of war say the same.
I can’t justify that which is indefensible when I look at the photos of the little ones killed by adults in war.

Wm. Terry Leichner, RN
USMC combat vet
Denver VVAW member