a letter to the president ...

... sometimes things happen that even piss my husband off (which takes quite a bit ... i should know!) ... this is a recent letter he wrote to our mr. bush in washington ....


Dear President Bush,

I am a resident of the United States of America, and a registered Republican in the state of California, and I have to say, I am thoroughly appalled at what I am reading in the press about this case involving the rape-murder of an Iraqi teenager and her family by US soldiers. Mr Bush, this case is another potential powder keg for your legacy, if you even care about it, given that the story was broken to the press by top ranking generals. The silence from the White House and Secretary of State's office is deafening. Why play the let's-just-wait-and-see game, Mr President?

If you haven't seen an account of what our military legal corps are alleging happened, here is some of what Yahoo news is reporting:

"The soldiers drank alcohol, abandoned their checkpoint, changed clothes to avoid detection and headed to the victims' house, about 200 meters (yards) from a U.S. checkpoint in the "Triangle of Death," a Sunni Arab area south of Baghdad known for its violence, the affidavit said.

The affidavit estimated the rape victim was about 25. But a doctor at the Mahmoudiya hospital gave her age as 14. He refused to be identified for fear of reprisals.

[Former soldier Steven D.] Green is accused of raping the woman and killing her and the three other family members, including a girl estimated to be 5 years old. An official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that Green set fire to the rape victim's body in an apparent cover-up attempt.

Iraqi authorities identified the rape victim as Abeer Qassim Hamza. The other victims were her father, Qassim Hamza; her mother, Fikhriya Taha; and her sister, Hadeel Qassim Hamza.

The March 12 attack was among the worst in a series of cases of U.S. troops accused of killing and abusing Iraqi civilians."

Let me remind you once again, Mr President (and who ever else is reading this), of the names of these Iraqi civilians who were in support of the American presence in their area to quell insurgent violence until 5 rapist-murderers in our US military snuffed out their lives:

Abeer Qassim Hamza (the targeted victim, 14 years of age). Her father, Qassim Hamza; her mother, Fikhriya Taha; and her sister, Hadeel Qassim Hamza (5 years old. One year younger than my American daughter!).

As a father, as an American, as a Christian, I am outraged to the point of violence myself. Just how do you think the enemy feels? Do you think this can be diplomatically handled or just shoved under the carpet by the Administration like so many other serious things that have occurred on your watch?

You call yourself a Christian man. You say you care about the people of Iraq. You say you care about the people of the United States of America, our safety and security against terrorist attacks. If even one of these statement are true, you must act boldly, Mr President. Our enemies are waiting to see just how you handle this situation. Thinking pragmatically, you have an image problem, Mr President. Many of my republican friends feel the White House does not give a damn about anything but itself. If this rings true, then act, Mr. Bush! Treat this heinous and deplorable incident as if the victims were Jenna, Barbara, or Laura. Tell the world that these cowardly, disgusting murderers, who have disgraced the uniform and brought shame on every American soldier who have given so much to our great nation, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Call their hideous acts of decrepit decadence and moral bankruptcy for what they truly were: crimes against humanity. Get angry, Mr Bush! Get angry that this one foolish and sinful act has set back your agenda. Make sure every American and the world is crystal clear that justice means something in the United States of America.

Don't play the role of a lame duck, Mr President. You have the chance to get those in Iraq who may be on the fence to reject the path of insurgency by your remarks today. Those incredibly despicable individuals have threaten national security and endangered every American on planet Earth with their callous acts against a child, no doubt. Don't aid and abed this tyranny by remaining silent. Speak out, Mr President.

Think of what good you could do to restore public faith in our great Republican civic leaders with a strong stance on this issue now. Rape is a horrible, horrible act of cowardice and unthinkable violence. Don't let this opportunity escape you like Hurricane Katrina where the sluggish response from Washington admittedly appeared a day late and a dollar short. Be swift and decisive. Let the world know Americans are not rapists and murderers. In the eyes of those left behind, particularly the 8 and 13 year old orphaned brothers of this poor violated and fallen child, sister, daughter, niece, friend, human being, this is what America, Americans, and every American soldier serving overseas looks like. Don't make the mistake of thinking a bunch of court maneuverings and legalese will take these scorching memories away.

Thank you for listening

Chris Clermont