Gulf War II is underway as this article is written. It’s not a popular war--- at all--- here in Ireland.
The picture at right is of a soapbox. Notice that I’ve climbed down off of it! I’m not here to rehash the arguments that better-informed people are filling the media with. Who’s to blame for the tens of thousands of lives destroyed? "Bush!" "The UN!" "Saddam!" No, I’m not here to be cursing the darkness that has brought us to this day. I’m here to light a candle.
Cold Fact: Even if I had the truth, the perfect answer to the angry debates, there is nothing that I can do to make any difference. It’s not within the ability of any ordinary person- or even millions of ordinary people, voicing their opinion- to change the course of a single bullet. Doesn't matter if you're a right-wing Bible thumper, a tree-hugging hippie, or anywhere in between. The whole matter has all already been decided. It’s a dead issue.
What is within my personal power? I can assist some of the ordinary civilians who are in utter misery because of this world-scale mess.
Supported by donations, an Irish aid agency called Trócaire has been actively working in Iraq since 1991. According to their website, they have been involved in twenty-one different projects, including supplying emergency food aid, developing projects to ensure clean water, and provide supplementary feeding for infants in critical condition.
Even with the bombs falling, I understand that their aid workers are still there, still working: there was a news report, the day before the invasion, about Trócaire workers who had mapped a minefield and were helping to guide streams of refugees through it, to safety.
It’s a hopeful thought. Amongst all the ranks of soldiers determined to do some killing, there are a few people working trying to do the opposite.
In the past twelve years, Trócaire has spent under one million Euros in Iraq. UNICEF’s estimate for the number of civilians who have died owing to the sanctions and repression of the past decade? At least 1,500,000 dead. What’s a million donated Euros, against that? A drop in a bucket. Less: a drop in a ten-story refinery storage tank. In a salty Gulf. God and Bank of Ireland know, what I personally can contribute is a hell of a lot less than even that million. I can not change Iraq’s situation. I can’t save them all!
But maybe I can help guide a few through that minefield.
At the end of the day, if you’re asked what you did during this crisis, what do you want your answer to be?
"…Well… I talked about who was to blame!"?
Or,
"I did what was within my power to help."?
--Added to the DFA Guide, March 2003
Guide Index Red words? Check the Dub Glossary!