07/31/07: We Must Demand End To Suffering For Iraqi People - Joy First

We Must Demand End To Suffering For Iraqi People

The Capital Times :: EDITORIAL :: A9

Monday, July 30, 2007
Joy First, Monona

Dear Editor: In response to Dave Zweifel's July 25 column, it is heartwarming to hear that local churches are working to raise money to help Iraqi people who have been injured in the war. I hope they raise a lot of money. Indeed, the Iraqi people deserve way more than we will ever be able to repay them after more than four years of an illegal and immoral U.S.

occupation.

Every Wednesday, The Capital Times reports the number of Iraqi deaths in the war. TCT gets the number from iraqbodycount.net. The number of verifiable deaths last Wednesday was 71,140. However, most of the deaths of the Iraqi people are not verified. The Lancet, a medical journal respected worldwide, has published a study putting the number of Iraqi deaths at closer to 700,000. Dave Zweifel says, "whether it's 70,000 or 700,000, the number is nothing but grotesque." I agree, but I also think that this statement completely minimizes the incredible degree of suffering of the Iraqi people. How would people in this country feel if another country reported that 300 people died on 9/11 rather than 3,000?

Though The Capital Times speaks out against the war, it is not doing enough. It, along with most other major media outlets in this country, continues to minimize the suffering of the Iraqi people that results from our government's policies. Besides publishing a number of deaths that is unrealistically low, it does not publish pictures or stories about the suffering of the Iraqi people.

It is time for the people of this country to demand an end to the suffering. Here in the Madison area, we are organizing with thousands of others around the country to end the war. We will be involved in the Occupation Project (vcnv.org) and the Declaration of Peace (declarationofpeace.org) over the next several months. Please join us in demanding an end to the war. Call me at 222-7581 and find out how you can become involved.