US troops have refused the Iraqi Red Crescent access to Fallujah. The city has been under assault for days and reports on the conditions within the city are grim. It is unknown how many civilians have been killed but the numbers will undoubtedly be high. Violence has broken out in several other Iraqi cities since US troops launched their recent offensive. The US-installed government in Iraq has declared marshal law as the situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate.
Our government has a moral obligation to allow the Red Crescent and other relief agencies 
immediate access to Fallujah. Continued civilian causalities only further undermine our position in the region. Christians across the globe spoke out against the invasion of Iraq in part because they foresaw the human toll and chaos that was likely to ensue. Those concerns have turned out to be obviously valid. We must offer our prayers for the safety of the Iraqi people during this new wave of violence and for the safe return of US soldiers from a misguided and mishandled military campaign.
These pictures were taken from Al Jazeera. US media is reluctant to show the human cost of war. That means we sometimes have to get our news from sources outside of our own country. The Republican National Convention gave Al Jazeera renewed creditability when they allowed the Arab media company to cover their convention.
