Not All Victims Are Innocent

The two people in the graphic are both victims of the war in Iraq started by America and her allies. Both are human tragedies. The child in al-Kindi hospital was wounded by mortar fire. The man to the left is Paul Reuben who worked for a "private security firm." There is however a very important difference. Reuben apparently was a nice guy who was in Iraq to make a bit of money and buy a house. His death is tragic. There have been very sad photographs published of his grieving family. It's impossible to be unmoved by the pain and grief they're now experiencing. But there's problem. And the problem is this. One of these people is an innocent victim of America and her allies war against the Iraqi people. That's the child. The other, Mr. Reuben was anything but innocent. "Security contractor" is a nice way of saying "mercenary." He decided to go to Iraq to make money and he was perfectly prepared to kill to do so. On an individual level his death is tragic. But he had no right to be there. He decided to be a hired killer. His action meant that he was directly supporting the corrupt illegal and racist war and occupation that has caused the death of countless innocent civilians. In his small "entry level" way he decided to profit from the misery and bloodshed in Iraq. His decision was as evil and immoral as the decisions of the war profiteers sitting in comfort in the USA and raking in their almost completely tax free millions. The only differences are those of scale and that he lost his gamble. He should have stayed at home. markfromireland