The “Disposable People”

Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich's insistence that he did the right thing on tonight's episode of Sixty Minutes updated segment, The Killings In Haditha, is not so far-fetched; after all, the people he killed are for the most part "disposable." That may sound harsh but it's true.

There is little question that the Iraq war was started to maintain "the non-negotiable American way of life," a lifestyle based on an ever increasing consumption of a non-renewable resource, oil. Maintaining control of Iraq's oil reserves -- the third largest in the world -- will ensure that our multiple cars, computers, home entertainment systems, mini-mansions, etc. will run smoothly and that superabundance will endure in America, or at least long enough to make sure the baby-boomers make it through, and hopefully my generation as well, to be completely honest...I love my lifestyle! But not enough to preserve it at the expense of the "disposable people."

President Bush addressing the Iraqi people in 2003:

"And all Iraqi military and civilian personnel should listen carefully to this warning. In any conflict, your fate will depend on your action. Do not destroy oil wells..." -- George Bush

The second updated segment of Sixty Minutes,The Ship Breakers Of Bangladesh also illustrated the importance of the "disposable people" to what we call "free market capitalism".

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