There is a video making the rounds of (mostly liberal) blogs again, showing a US tank crushing the car of some looters. Ive seen it recently on BoingBoing as well as several other locations.
I am in a mixed position about the video. I think that looting is wrong and should be punished, and perhaps the car crush was appropriate. Perhaps not. Clearly the attitude displayed by the troops is inappropriate.
However, what disturbs me most about the video, is the way it is presented This video was filmed in October of 2003, during the initial stages of the occupation of Iraq. While time does not wash away whatever "sin" is involved in this video, the fact that the video is posted over and over again, with no date information - often in a collection of other videos showing inappropriate behaviour by our troops - makes a perception that this type of activity is the norm.
The thousands of videos taken by our troops or the media, that do not show something outrageous, are never seen. They aren't "newsworthy" in the minds of the (liberal) media and blogs.
Are there many mistakes being made in Iraq? Yes. Are troops sometimes doing bad things? Yes. Is only showing the bad parts helpful for anyone (including the Iraqis)? Definately Not.
But that is all we see.
Other than "it bleeds it leads" and general liberal anti-war bias, I am not sure why the video is continuing to make the rounds. It may just be a video-meme-wave that goes around in circles so slowly people don't realize it is a repeat.
BTW, I am not precisely sure on the date of the tank video. I am getting my information from this post on an anti-war site. The post is from Feburary 2005, and identifies the video as a Frontline documentary from 2003.
A cardinal at the Vatican has called a planned fence between the US and Mexico "InHuman", according to this Reuters story.
"Speaking of borders, I must unfortunately say that in a world that greeted the fall of the Berlin Wall with joy, new walls are being built between neighborhood and neighborhood, city and city, nation and nation," said Martino, head of the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace.
So says the man who lives in a country that is SURROUNDED BY A WALL.
Controlled immigration is the foundation of national sovereignty. It is impossible to have sovereignty without the ability to control the population levels, and ensure that immigrants meld into society.
My father was an immigrant, from Greece. He came here over 50 years ago, and still speaks with a heavy accent. But he is integrated into our society. I have spent my life studying foreign cultures and languages. I speak French and Japanese (and a smattering of Spanish) in addition to the obvious English.I love travelling the world and learning from other cultures. So I do not say this as a xenophobe.
Immigrants bring incredible value to our contry. Language, music, art, food, history, politics, different viewpoints etc. And a succesfull nation does require steady (legal!) immigration. But there must be opportunity for fair immigration from all parts of the world, and for high value immigrants who will contribute to and grow our society. It is unfair to the United States, it is unfair to every immigrant who waited their turn, it is unfair to every would-be immigrant still waiting.