My Son was Waiting for a Taxi, So He was Killed

Abu Mazen sat on the sofa surrounded by his bereaved family and described the worst day of his life.

The day started like any other. The family had breakfast together, talking and laughing despite the growing occupation outside their window. Abu Mazen’s son said goodbye to his five-year-old daughter, and headed off to work. The same thing he did every day.

The kindly grandfather went out to his garden when he heard guns firing. A neighbor came running by shouting, “Abu Mazen, get your clothes, come with us!”

“I went. I saw [my son] lying there, shot in his chest, his stomach, his legs, his hands…” he explained to us as the tears came, breaking his proud appearance and revealing a grieving father.

“(There were) 3 US soldiers in a vehicle. A civilian car was running around nearby. The Americans started shooting everywhere. My son was standing, waiting for a taxi, so he was killed.”

This interview was obtained by Medea Benjamin during one of her humanitarian trips to Iraq and appears in the new documentary Internationally Speaking among many other stories and opinions of world citizens.

As Abu Mazen described his son’s untimely death, the widow sobbed silently beside him. The young daughter of the fallen father appeared confused and lost. The level of grief was palatable seeing this family torn apart by an illegal occupation. And this family is but one of tens-of-thousands who have similar stories.

Especially with the recent disaster of Katrina’s aftermath, Americans are getting a taste of tragedy. Perhaps the reason support for the war is at an all time low is that Americans are starting to feel what the Iraqi’s feel. Perhaps the reason is that with the complete incompetence shown in every level of our government around the Katrina disaster, America is beginning to see a pattern –” from the response on 9/11, to the Iraq War, now to Katrina.

Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News, on the Daily Show giving his account of Katrina in New Orleans, explained, “I have always wanted to believe that my daughter and her counterpart in New Orleans were of equal value in this country.”

What is it that makes an American Son/Daughter’s life worth more than an Iraqi Son/Daughter? There are over 1800 American soldiers dead because of this war. There are over 24,000 Iraqi civilians dead because of this war. When will enough people have died? What is the true price of oil?

Let us take this new ‘all-time low’ of American support for both this illegal occupation/war and this arrogant administration and push for impeachment on the basis of lies and incompetence. Let’s see this President & his cohorts go down in history, not only as liars and warmongers, but as War Criminals.

Bring them home NOW!