Collateral Damage

My fellow blogger, Jill, in her wonderful blog http://www.divaplatform.com/ wants to pull me back into discussion of Obama vs. McCain vs. Weepy Clinton vs. the Baptist minister- but today I want to talk of something more important. Something military powers around the world called "collateral damage" - the death and destruction of the innocent people left behind once all the bombs have fallen.

As expected, the term was coined by the trigger and bomb happy US Military during their disastrous campaign in Vietnam. As I write this blog, I am outraged not only at the actions done by the US in Iraq (there are SO many better ways to install democracy!), but also by the actions of the Indian military in Kashmir who try to solidify their position by using illegal means, the abhorable acts of the brutal IDF in the occupied territories, and the truly despicable acts of the Islamic fanatics.

What happens after all the bombs fall? While all militaries would have us believe that they are targeting only "terrorists", why is it that so many women, children and innocent men are killed as well? We are used to shrugging our shoulders and saying "pity- it was a mistake". But these are very heavy mistakes and should we not start asking for some accountability for these mistakes? Do we all become party to this incompetence that kills innocent lives because it is inconvenient to ask for accountability?

And did we ever think about what happens to a family once this destruction strikes them? Take into consideration this fictional scenario which could easily be very true. A man takes care of his family of 4 children, his wife already dead from the substandard medical care they have in Afghanistan, Palestine or Iraq today. He goes about earning his money by selling bread, or eggs or something that costs little to buy, but that can be sold easily in a day. These earnings go to support his children and where possible send them to school. Now, one day he is going about his own business when someone decides to strikes a target. He just "happens" to be in the road and in a second he becomes a victim of this deadly but badly planned and implemented military action. In one second, his 4 kids loose all the support they have had.

Now, under Islamic law the person who fired that missile would have to take care and educate these orphans, of course even the most fundamentalist of Islamic powers decides which law to follow and which one not to, and this is one they don't. You can't expect the US military to do anything about it, because they conveniently call this man "collateral damage", and this term is only repeated in the Israeli and Indian militaries along with those everywhere else.

So news of the death of their father goes to the kids. The oldest is 12 she has not acquired any skills to do anything, no way of getting a regular job, no one will hire her to work as a maid because she is too young - and at the same time, she has 4 mouths to feed, clothe and keep sheltered. And in these parts of the world, there is really very little if no help available. What is she to do and how is she to take care of the family? It's only a matter of days before she realises that the only think she has to sell is herself - and for this there are plenty buyers.

Think about this every time you hear the word "collateral damage" and ask yourself if that child is not paying too high a price for our inability to question unnecessary deaths.