US and UN join Australian efforts to free hostage

US and UN join Australian efforts to free hostage:

"TONY EASTLEY: The Australian Government, the armed forces, the US Government, the UN, Iraqi clerics and non-government organisations are all now involved in trying to secure the release of Australian hostage, Douglas Wood."

Excuses have been made that Douglas Wood knew the situation in post war Iraq and did the best to protect himself. The same as the soldier who was killed who worked for the private army of body guards knew what he was getting into. Did they? Do they? The coalition of the willing have got us into this and they will need to get us out of it, but they also need to do some serious talking to the people in Iraq. I have heard there have been conversations between various government officials and the newly elected Iraqi government, but the whole country was willfully destabilised. I can only say , put down your guns. Don't be so reckless. That Australian Crawl song got it so right and it needs to be played and played till we listen. Douglas Wood is another person who is being traumatised. The Italian journalist was another person who was killed and his family are suffering. Each day our soldiers, their soldiers, our people, their people are dying and are being damaged and traumatised. Situation normal...all effed up. Seriously, how many more people, how many more lives, how much more of Iraq to be sacrificed before we realise that threatening, killing, bullying, shooting, exploding and bombing people does not work? We may not want to talk. We may not know how to talk, but we are losing our friends and family and people...and it is all happening in Iraq. They get to host it. It's mad. Whatever has happened , sadly, cannot be changed, but we have to have the moral fibre to push ourselves through the difficulties of negotiating with people who have had a gutful of us and our liberty. You can harden your heart and say oh well, that's another one gone... what can you expect? How many more ones have to go? Every nation is being affected and the difficulty is that now NO-ONE will go into Iraq to try and help rebuild it and it's not right they should be left alone to do it. So we really do have a formidable task ahead of us to resolve this. Us, yes. I think we all need to try and sort this out and the more people who put in , maybe the faster it can be resolved and stabilised. I sit here and read about people like Douglas Wood and then read about the Costello - Howard squabbling twaddle. While they have their priorities right...Douglas Wood and many others are right there on the line. Great leadership!