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Nothing routine about taking innocent lives A local newspaper - such as The Daily Tidings - has little impact on national and world events. Its voice on the big scene, for the most part, goes unheard. But the only thing worse than being heard by few, is not being heard at all. Last Friday, President George W. Bush ordered a joint U.S.-British air strike against Iraq. It was the biggest blow against Saddam Hussein's military in more than two years and involved two dozen attack planes armed with precision-guided missiles, Pentagon officials said. It was the first military action ordered by the new president - which came in his 27th day in office - who inherited an Iraq policy that evolved from the 1991 Persian Gulf War that his father carried out to evict the Iraqi army from Kuwait. The official Iraqi News Agency said two civilians died and 20 were injured in the attack. Bush's approval was required because the mission was not the usual small-scale attack that U.S. and British pilots have carried out almost routinely inside the no-fly zones, according to Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Bush's explanation was terse. "It was a mission about which I was informed and I authorized," he said. "But I repeat, it's a routine mission." There is no question about the aggressive, insulting regime of Hussein. His acts in the region have been reviled by all nations who have a regard for human rights and sovereign borders. Nevertheless, to have come to the point in U.S. foreign policy when lighting up the night skies over a no-fly zone with our rocket's red glare becomes "routine" is a time to re-examine that policy. Certainly George W. Bush is not the sole purveyor of our policy against Iraq. But he has inherited what has obviously become a pathetic indifference for Iraqi lives. The Persian Gulf War drove Hussein's troops out of Kuwait, but there has been no net gain beyond that in the 10-year policy of aggression - other than the loss of precious supplies, and death to innocent Iraqis. International diplomacy is all that's left. And with Secretary of State Colin Powell to meet Tuesday with Palestinian Minister Nabil Shaath, his job was made virtually untenable by the bombings, in light of the fact that Palestinians see Hussein as their liberator. It will take a major effort by Powell to get U.S. policy on track. But that is what it's going to take. That, and getting George W. Bush, the military and allies to change the "routine." Visit our back issue library Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Western Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing