So, there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and we've failed to bring stability to the country. Could we have made things worse? It turns out, yes.
Grinding poverty and the escalating war is driving an increasing number of Afghan families to sell their daughters into forced marriages, says the British publication, The Independent.
Girls as young as six are being married into a life of slavery and rape, often by multiple members of their new relatives. Banned from seeing their own parents or siblings, they are also prohibited from going to school. With little recognition of the illegality of the situation or any effective recourse, many of the victims are driven to self-immolation – burning themselves to death – or severe self-harm.
What follows in the report is a depressing description of life for many young women in Iraq where the illiteracy rate for women is 88 percent and how little is being done to change their plight.
Perhaps equally depressing is how quickly the occupation of Iraq has dropped out of the our discussions about America's future leadership. During the last debate between Obama and Clinton before today's primary, the occupation was barely mentioned. Our minds have turned to the relatively minor pain we're suffering from a stagnant economy.
Certainly the economy is an issue, as is health care, education and a host of other problems. But we can't forget the great plague President Bush brought to the Iraqi people in our name and our responsibility to see that it ends.
-- Jim Grinstead
Comments