Do Iraqis equate President Bush to Cho Seung-Hui?

Do Iraqis equate President Bush to Cho Seung-Hui?
By Mary MacElveen
April 18, 2007

As President Bush spoke to those gathered at Blacksburgh, Virginia after the loss of 33 lives including the life of Cho Seung-Hui’s, he made these striking remarks, “Yesterday began like any other day. Students woke up, and they grabbed their backpacks and they headed for class. And soon the day took a dark turn, with students and faculty barricading themselves in classrooms and dormitories — confused, terrified, and deeply worried. By the end of the morning, it was the worst day of violence on a college campus in American history — and for many of you here today, it was the worst day of your lives.”

If I could have the president’s ear just for one second, I would say that is the world you created for the Iraqi people. They too have been terrified and yet no one sees them as being victims of terror.

Their terror has gone on long enough. It is not just one day of suffering, hiding behind anything they can to distance themselves from bullets or any number of armaments used in this war; this has been their daily life for over four years now.
Time will go on for those at Virginia Tech in which they will be surrounded by loved ones in order to help them cope with this tragedy of human loss; but who will be there for the innocent Iraqis caught up in a war they did not deserve? Who will comfort them? Who will help them try and make sense of the violence? Are there counselors in place to help them?

As a war of terror hit that college by one man, in Iraq, terror has hit these innocent people by many. No one is discussing any warning signs in which they should look out for.
The AP has now reported, “Four large bombs exploded across Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 127 people and wounding scores” As Americans are shell-shocked with a death toll of 33, one must ask; how come no such emotions are coming from any of us as we read that 127 people lost their lives in Iraq?

With the carnage that took place on the Virginia Tech campus a renewed debate on guns will take place, but other implements of mass destruction can take out many more as we have all witnessed as we hear and read the news coming from Iraq. 127 were killed instantaneously and not within the course of two or more hours. In the blink of an eye, they are gone and they too had family and friends.

It was ordered that flags across America were to be lowered to half-staff, and with the blood and treasure of our armed forces who continue to die in this heinous war as well as those innocent Iraqis, our flags should be kept lowered until this war is ended.
Let us also grieve for several Iraqi construction workers who were killed while re-building a Shiite market place after an attack that took the lives of 137 in February. If you add the blast that took the lives yesterday in Iraq to the previous one in February, 264 lives were lost. Where is their convocation?

As 33 lost their lives while attending classes, those who died in Iraq died in a market place that consisted of, “shops and vendors selling produce, meat and other staples.” Yet, who will grieve for them? We as Americans must. They too are innocent victims of violence and we must not forget that.

In taking the lives of 32 people they became collateral damage to Cho Seung-Hui in which he did not see them as being human beings, but we saw them as being innocent people caught up in the war of one. Do we think of these 127 Iraqis as being collateral damage and when will we start thinking of them as being human beings?

Witnesses at Virginia Tech stated that Cho Seung-Hui did not utter one single word as he blasted away innocent people, but the Iraqi people have heard from this president. In the past four years, he has told us all why American forces and innocent Iraqis must die. As many have described Cho Seung-Hui as being a loner with the approval ratings of this war slipping by the day, President Bush has also become a loner.

In hearing a witness discuss this siege with Tucker Carlson, he said he overturned desks and closed the door in order to put up a barrier between him and the gunman. He did this as an act of self preservation and to help protect others. One wonders how many times during these past four years, Iraqis have had to do the same. Then again; exactly what protects one from a bomb going off in a market place?

In his speech at that convocation, President Bush said, “it is a day of sadness for our entire nation. We’ve come to express our sympathy. In this time of anguish, I hope you know that people all over this country are thinking about you, and asking God to provide comfort for all who have been affected.”

Where are any elected officials especially President Bush to express their sympathies towards innocent Iraqis who were going off to work as our students were going off to class? I want to know if Americans are equally thinking of this massive loss of Iraqi lives which surpass the body count at Virginia Tech. One must also ask this question; do Iraqis see President Bush in the same light we see Cho Seung-Hui? Are they asking who does feel sympathy for their loss? Who will provide for their comfort?

As President Bush remarked that it was a day of sadness, many across this country have seen the Iraq War as many days of sadness. Each day, Buzzflash.com in their afternoon alerts posts the number of American casualties along with those wounded and yet the nation does not react in horror. They also publish The Lancet’s count of Iraqi dead and who sits in horror as their death count continues to rise?

As prayers are being said for those who perished in Virginia, prayers must be said for the Iraqi people. Until this war is ended we all must be in a constant state of mourning. The lives of our soldiers, the lives of innocent Iraqis are just as precious as those taken at Virginia Tech. Many of the Iraqi dead have been children who never had a chance to go onto school let alone college. Yet, who grieves for these children?

In closing, I am asking that anyone that flies the flag of this nation to keep it at half staff until such time in the future that our congress can end this war. My prayers are with those at Virginia Tech, our soldiers and the Iraqi people.

Author’s note: To those reading this piece on this site, please go to this link, http://www.marymacelveen.com/blog/_archives/2007/4/18/2888943.html to view the comparative pictures embedded within this piece. Please feel free to email me at xmjmac@optonline.net