Letter: Now is the time for real action in Iraq

Friday, April 27, 2007 | 7:18 a.m.

I would like to comment on Ken Anderson's April 24 letter, "Let's put events into perspective."

I agree that the Virginia Tech incident and our soldiers' deaths are tragic, and I feel extreme sorrow for all the families involved. But most Americans seem to overlook the biggest tragedy of all, the deaths of innocent people in Iraq.

On Thursday after the murders in Virginia took place, a small article in the back of the Las Vegas Review-Journal stated that 45 people were killed by bombings in Baghdad. I'm sure those people had mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and other relatives who were devastated by their deaths. Maybe the paper should have shown their faces on the front page as well, with factual captions stating, pregnant mother, 3-year-old girl, father of five, medical student, etc.

Then another picture should have shown family members searching bomb sites for loved ones' body parts. Maybe all news media outlets should show the faces of all the tens of thousands of innocent civilians who have been murdered, tortured and blown up in Iraq because of our president's mishandling of his ill-conceived war.

I believe it is time the American people (and I do not mean by the passive act of voting) force Bush to act now. Separate Iraq into three partitions and get a U.N. peacekeeping force in place now. Stop the killing of innocent civilians now. Get out of Iraq now. If Bush cannot act now, impeach him and Cheney and get someone in office who will act now.

Sadly, though, I feel many Americans are saying "So what, the Iraqis are killing each other because of centuries of hatred." Yes, maybe they are; but let's not forget, had Bush left Iraq as it was, most, if not all of these innocent people would still be alive. So would our soldiers.

Dean Wade, Las Vegas