American Views Abroad

 
News has come out in Europe this week that US forces may have used phosphorus bombs in Fallujah. The letter below is from an American who resides in Frankfurt, Germany and who lost her cousin, a Marine sniper, in Iraq this year. It was sent to U.S. Senators Hagel, McCain, Kerry, Kennedy and Levin. It should be passed around to all concerned citizens, hometown newspapers or to members of Congress.

Dear Sen. Hagel,

I am writing as a very distraught American resident citizen abroad
regarding an admission made about the weapons used in the war in Iraq.
My cousin, Jeffrey Boskovitch, was captured, tortured, and killed in
Haditha, Iraq 1. August 2005. An insurgent video was made of him, his
body and removal of his dog tags available for all to see on the
Internet. To honor a beautiful, loving human being, I have made it my
life's work to honor his memory, work on behalf of the
internationalization of the Iraq conflict, and issues relating to human
rights in Iraq and care for military veterans. It is Jeff's passion
that provides me with the courage and strength to speak out and write
to you today.

Today while logging onto to RAI Italian news I saw something almost as
disturbing as watching the video of Jeffrey, dragged and tortured. It
is confirmed in British Reports that the Pentagon authorized the use of
white phosphorus, chemical weapons in Fallujah.

The documentary may be watched in English or Italian. The formal
documentation of British reports may be found online as well.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article325560.ece

http://www.rainews24.rai.it/ran24/inchiesta/body.asp (This is in
Italian.)

This coverage has now made it to the German, British and Swiss media,
although I have not yet seen it on CNN. This war has taken Jeffrey's
life forever while the government of which I am a citizen used chemical
weapons against innocent people, burning children to death while in
their beds. These children did not attack America on Sept. 11. To
honor the sacrifice of fallen servicemen and women, the Bush
administration must drastically change everything it is doing in Iraq
immediately. An investigation needs to be made into any Napalm-like
weapons used, which are clear violations of international and human
rights law. Please, on behalf of Jeffrey and more than 2,000 dead
Americans and their families, seek the truth about any chemical weapons
use in Fallujah or elsewhere. America's image in the world has been
soiled beyond recognition by an administration bent on its destruction
for personal gain.

Such atrocities only aggravate the insurgency and contribute to the
likelihood of torture of American troops. We must represent the change
for which we are advocating in Iraq. Certainly, Saddam Hussein's
chemical weaponry arsenal should never have been replaced by atrocities
of our own.

Angela Boskovitch,
Frankfurt, Germany

In War Blurs Lines Between Good, Evil at www.commondreams.org/views05/1111-29.htm, Andrew Greely calls the raid on Dresden which occurred two months before the end of WW II unconscionable. 'The lesson of raids in such places as Lubeck and Dresden is that even in just wars, the side that has justice on its side is likely to do many evil things. War sucks everyone and everything into its vortex of wickedness.'
- posted by Gloria @ 5:53 PM