Urban Hamid's Tales of Tragedy

Discovered a poignant blog www.urbanhamid.com about what happened to an Iraqi man's uncle and cousin.

Because Rumsfeld threw out the 1400 page State Department report detailing how we could avoid the current disaster in Iraq, he - and we - unleashed a Pandora's box of revenge in Iraq. What none of us realized is that Saddam Hussein kept this kind of "revenge killing" under control because he was just as brutal.

But now there are hundreds of "Saddams" killing people right and left. The news has been even more horrific lately. Hundreds have been killed in just days.

It's pointless to waste energy ranting against Rumsfeld. Bush won't fire him nor ever admit he made a mistake there. Not, at least, until the American people stare him down as we did over Katrina. Only then will he admit error.

Forget Bush - he's a blind pawn who will never suffer any consequences for any of this other than going down in the world's history books as the worst president we've ever had. Fault finding just wastes our energy

The question is: How do we help the people of Iraq?

As horrible a bloodbath as it will be when U.S. troops leave Iraq, it will not be any worse than it is right now.

We need to get out. And you know what will happen? What has to happen? Another tyrant will take over. Another Iraqi who tortures and murders will gather up an army and stage a coup against the new Iraqi government.

And the Iraqi people will suffer doubly as another monster "out monsters" the terrorists to restore order.

But he'll restore order. And Iraq will be back where it was, only worse: with a destroyed infrastructure and thousands of families in mourning.

But as long as the U.S. is in there, the common person is torn. They are, I'm convinced, half on the side of those creating chaos because they - like we - know if there weren't terrorists blowing everything up, Rumsfeld would have marched through Iraq to Iran by now and be on his way to blow up Syria.

There's no fatwas issued against Bin Laden, et al because everyone - the people and the clerics - are caught between hell and a beheading. They don't want to live in an occupied homeland forever and they're being slaughtered by their own people who will do ANYTHING to get us out.

And there is that huge part of that population that wants revenge, was waiting for revenge against the Baathists, the Kurds, whoever.

Did you ever try to save some small and helpless creature only to tear its leg off or injure it mortally?

That's what we've done to Iraq.

God help us. We've got to stop tromping around creating more damage and just get out.

If you haven't written to Congress, to your representatives and senators, it's time.

And send a letter to the editor of your local paper. Say we can't afford Iraq and Katrina's cleanup, say whatever you want.

But the bottom line is that Iraq can't afford us there anymore.

And that includes the mercenary army we have there protecting contractors - not the Iraqi people - at both their and our expense.