Wazir — who [in addition to his 7 year-old-daughter] also lost his wife, five other children ages 2 to 15, his mother, his brother, his sister-in-law and his nephew — said he would travel to the U.S. for the trial if given the opportunity but the death penalty for just one man would not be enough. The only child he has left is his 4-year-old son Habib, who was with him in another town when the shootings occurred.
And the most heart-breaking quote:
Then he brought up his 2-year-old daughter, Palwasha, and his eyes brimmed over with tears.
"I can still feel her small hands on my face and feel her pulling my beard," Wazir said as he cried and shivered in the warm air. "Even when I saw her burned body, she still had that beautiful smile."
I don't understand how anyone who is also a parent could possibly shoot children to death in such a rampage. But that is what Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales supposedly did, in all premeditation. And I feel sorry for his wife and children, for whom he has been a hero, but now he will be known as a murderer.
I hope justice prevails in this case. There may be mitigating factors in this case--post-traumatic stress from multiple tours of duty, among other things. But it is still a despicable act, and at the very least our country needs to make sure it takes responsibility for its part in sending him there and arming him, and to also give him a fair trial and hopefully people like Wazir some sense of justice, which, I'm afraid, will never restore what was taken away from them on that terrible night.
No comments:
Post a Comment