2012/04/08

Felicity Arbuthnot: Afghanistan, A Tale of "Three Tragedies"

March was another month of tragic, needless lives lost, the searing grief of mothers and fathers for lost sons and daughters. Shockingly stark, however, has been the impression, that for the powers-that-be, for a swathe of public in the West, some deaths are indisputedly regarded as, more tragic, more noteworthy, than others. On 6th March, six British soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. Corporal Jake Hartley (20) and Privates Anthony Frampton (20) Christopher Kershaw (19) Daniel Wade (20) and Daniel Wade (20) and Daniel Wilford (20) and Sergeant Nigel Coupe (33) died when their armored vehicle was blown up. The resulting fire reportedly burned all night. More youthful annihilations in an invasion and occupation, illegal, ill-conceived and long lost. Human sacrifices at the altar of political ego, dying because the powerful would still lose, throw away, the lives of others, than"lose face" "one hundred and twenty five months since the "war" started. In the US, five of the six would have been too young to even legally order a drink in a bar, but are old enough to die for monumental imperial folly, regional foothold" and a pipeline. Before the month ended, two more British servicemen were shot, and yet another, blown to eternity. In Parliament Prime Minister Cameron paid vacuous tribute. They died, he said: "Keeping our country safe." What nonsense. There are no Afghan hordes massing across the English Channel, planning invasion with near antique rifles, some so ancient they have Queen Victoria's insignia on, relics from another historic British folly. Prince Harry, cavorting round the Caribbean, filling in time before returning to Afghanistan in an Apache Attack Helicopter, with fire power of 632 rounds a minute, plus up to sixteen Hellfire missiles, to wipe out more villagers, and their homes, hung his head and declared himself: "Devastated."    

No comments: