I Am So Sorry

Not to belittle or downplay the suffering of the Vietnamese people under the U.S. assault from 1965 to 1975, or the Chilean people who had to endure 17 years of illegitimate and brutal dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet, or the Iranians who suffered under the U.S.-backed regime of Shah Reza Pahlavi, or the people of Guatemala and Nicaragua and El Salvador -- but I must say: the invasion, occupation, and seizing of Iraq, to serve the narrow interests of the oil conglomerates and Halliburton, marks the lowest point ever reached in the history of American foreign relations.

I am so sorry, as an American, and as an American citizen -- I am so sorry, to the people of Iraq, that my government has attacked and victimized you in such a barbaric, illegal, and illegitimate way -- based on lies and deceit.

To the people of Iraq, and the people of the Arab world generally, I speak only for myself as an individual, a citizen of the world, if not the United States.

I marched against this war repeatedly before it was launched, I walked precincts against Bush in 2004, I tried to help the Democratic candidate, for the first time in my life, by giving scarce money to a politician.

I am fully cognizant that I live in an empire and benefit thereby . . .

But reading today that my country, my government, is responsible for killing over one million of your people, I must formally apologize to you and give you my heartfelt sorrow and condolences.

I can never accept the idea that I am blameless -- for I consume the products, enjoy the lifestyle, reap the benefits of this unjust system -- but that was an accident of birth -- my father was a house painter, a tradesman, my grandfather was a poor man from Calabria, Italy.

The suffering of your people -- your women and children -- weighs heavily on my heart -- I will continue to do what I can to stop the bloodshed. But we cannot control the Imperium -- it acts on its own accord, with its own motives and means -- violent means. It controls us.

Please forgive us for we know not what we do.

I am so sorry.

 

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Comments

[YellerDawg]

I, too, did everything within my limited power to prevent this folly, but we are all to blame collectively. Bottom line.

[dryfactoidobotanoid]

after 9/11, those of us who watched Loose Change and had eyes and half a brain figured out that what was a cause for concern became the cause for personal anxiety. rogue elements tied to private intelligence, private defense, terror finance networks, could turn the whole national military apparatus against the people who live in that country, massively, indiscriminately, coldly.

there is no more Disney Land. inside is outside. and the worst is yet to come.

[Henry]

We certainly do know what we do...and that is the crime and shame of it all.