After months of living in a war zone never knowing if tonight would be their last, the desperate family did the only thing that they could, which was to leave their city and their country, the only place they had ever known. Taking a perilous route through the war-torn countryside full of murderous bandits and renegade tribal leaders, the family made it to the shores, where for a large sum of money, smugglers would transport them in the dead of the night across the dangerous waters to an unknown fate in a strange land. The boat, which wasn’t a really boat, more of a larger version of the inflatable rafts that people buy when they go camping, was a 15 footer. As they boarded, the mother and father quietly turned and looked back, with tears in their eyes. Now, if you are wondering if this is the newest summertime blockbuster from Hollywood or even a story from long ago, you would be wrong. This event took place just a few days ago and it is just the beginning.
Things were calm as the captain began to chart his course. However, a slight breeze turned into a heavy wind and the waves began to swell by the minute. As the waves grew larger and larger, the mother and father huddled closer together, in an attempt to protect their two young sons. But the storm grew stronger, and sensing a lost cause, the captain jumped overboard, in an attempt to save himself. And with that, the boat began to sink. As waves crashed high against the small inflatable boat that was taking on water, it flipped over, throwing everyone aboard into the sea. The young father desperately tried to hold on to his young sons. But as his strength slowly drained from him, first one son slipped out of his grasp and then the other. And then his wife. In an interview, the man said — "The Turk smuggler jumped into the sea, and then a wave came and flipped us over. I grabbed my sons and wife and we held onto the boat. We stayed like that for an hour, then the first son died and I left him so I can help the other, then the second died, so I left him as well to help his mom and I found her dead…. What do I do…. I spent three hours waiting for the coast guard to come."
The recent pictures of the young boy, just three years old, washed up dead on the shores of Turkey have taken the world by storm. His name was Aylan. He was wearing a red T-shirt, had blue shorts on and was wearing Velcro sneakers and lying face-down on the beach. All in all, in this incident, twelve bodies, including five children, were recovered. Of 23 people on board the two boats, only nine people are thought to have survived — some made it to shore with life jackets. According to the BBC, some 350,000 migrants have made the perilous journey to reach Europe's shores since January this year. That means that 350,000 people have had to leave their homes and countries. But how did it ever come to this?
The most recent cause of destabilization in the Middle East began with the US invasion of Afghanistan, back in 2001. Then came Iraq in 2003. Then came the CIA backed Arab spring uprisings. Then came the destruction of Libya by NATO, although reports have suggested that this was really Hillary Clinton’s private war. Then came the rise of the Islamic State.
The common link in all of this death and destruction and chaos is Western interventionism. But why? Why should the West send its sons and daughters to the Middle East to fight in pointless wars that never seem to end and that don’t deliver the promises that the Politicians freely give? Democracy? Higher standards of living? Women’s rights? Improved education? Where have ANY of the things that were told to us on nightly news and in the papers when the wars were sold to us EVER come true?
The only thing that seems to be true is that the politicians have become richer (Tony Blair was asking for nearly 1/2 a million dollars a speech!), military contractors have spawned overnight, much like mushrooms do after finding a nice bed of bull pucky, and the common man is poorer than he was just a few years ago. In fact, it has been reported that America alone has spent nearly 1.7 trillion dollars on war since 2001. To put that another way, US taxpayers have paid about 8 1/2 million dollars an hour to be entertained by these wars since 2001. 8 1/2 million dollars! Per hour! Every hour, every day, for more than 14 years! Just think of what good that money could have gone towards if it had been applied to creating a better world or a least a better America. A world in which there could be stability, peace, and even prosperity. But who knows, maybe that is too much to ask, since, as they say — “Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”.
Once again, the tragic death of a young child has brought to the world’s collective attention to the horrors of war and death and destruction as a result of the West’s foreign policies. As recent reports have indicated, things are only now just beginning to heat up in the battle for Syria and the Middle East. Maybe it is time to bring back the old and honored system of single combat. If a President or Prime Minister wants to conquer a foreign country, he simply needs to challenge the opposing leader to a fight. Winner takes all. It would save time, trouble, and the lives of the common man. But then again, does anyone actually think that Obama could win?
So, what do you think dear listeners, “Will the lessons of the Dead Syrian child be learned?”
