The warBy Josh Jennings

As you are watching the red-white-and-blue-tinted lens of FOX News or the catchy slogans of CNN, media reporters, “embedded” and studio alike, are spewing patriotic propaganda to reassure the American public of the efficiency of the terrorist attacks on Iraq. Calm days and a few nights of scattered explosions and anti-aircraft fire are the only images we have seen in Iraq. Some people passed out, vomited, or cried when they saw the apocalyptic aftermath of the WTC attacks in New York on their TV screens; imagine what the heavily bombed areas of Baghdad look like after 3,000 bombs have been dropped in a week. TV news media is showing a relatively small fragment of the horror of the “shock and awe” campaign, and they are releasing a relatively small fragment of the actual events of the war. The only concerns that American media have are the number of U.S. POWs, the “sneaky” warfare techniques the Republican Guard troops are using (wearing civilian clothes, ambushes, fake surrenders), and the amount of U.S. troops killed in battle. What is the television media not reporting, you may ask?

According to the AP, on the 26th, 2 cruise missiles struck a residential area of Baghdad, killing 14 civilians and severely injuring some 30 more. In a nearby town, another 62 were injured or killed as a result of errant bombs, says TheIndependent.com. Also, the Reuters press reports that in the Shaab district of Baghdad, a local market was destroyed this past week, accounting for the lives of 15 or more innocent Iraqi people. European-based media has reported “precision-guided” missiles hitting hospitals, buses, and even other countries (Turkey, Kuwait). “Smart bombs,” such as the intelligent one that blew the limbs off of 40 or more women and children when it struck a Baghdad hospital, are not always accurate. Even American-based newspapers like The New York Times (not on the front page, of course) are reporting that the state-run Iraqi television station, which is considered a civilian target, was intentionally bombed, and everyone from Amnesty International to Human Rights Watch is calling this attack a “violation of the Geneva Convention.” All of this in just one week, and the war is only in its “first stages,” according to Donald Rumsfeld.

Why are so many Americans still supporting the Bush administration and their war, while disgraceful amounts of Iraqi civilians, Iraqi troops, and American troops are dying? An offensive war is being waged that is not in the name of national security, but in the names of ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, and Halliburton, who will benefit profusely from rebuilding the infrastructure of Iraq, and those of us that disagree with this are being called “anti-American.” Oh, what a job corporate media has done. As networks fight to attain the highest ratings with these intense, overly dramatic stages, millions of Americans are being pumped full of Bush doctrine like a vein getting its sweet taste of heroin. Not surprisingly, then, we see that those who “support” the war are doing it within the comfort of their recliner/sofa positioned in front of the idiot box, while those who are against the war are showing their support of peace by taking to the streets to protest, going on hunger strikes, and devoting their time to uncovering the real truth of this war that is often too disturbing for biased, corporate-owned American media.

Lastly, to all those who urge Americans to “support our troops” in the field, I ask: what better way to show support than to demand the unelected maniacs in office bring these young men and women home? Supporting the war is supporting the inevitable reality of bullets piercing through a young Marine’s face. This war isn’t about defense, “liberation” of the people who have been repressed by the U.S., or disarming a “hostile” regime with weapons of mass destruction, since Saddam Hussein’s bio/chemical/nuclear arsenal, if it exists, pales in comparison to the arsenal of other hostile nations. This is about politics, global capitalism, and oil. Stop depending on TV for factual information – the war as they show it is like the ultimate reality series, but as with The Real World and other worthless shows, the information presented is a mere fabrication of the truth.

This is the sole opinion of Josh Jennings, who is a junior sociology major and a columnist for The Louisville Cardinal. Contact: [email protected]