The 51st State of the Union?

Today, another bomb ripped through some Baghdad buildings killing another 90 people. When I read this, I was a little desensitised to it. 90 people. Not too bad. At least its not a three digit number.

So, are you like me? Are you forgetting what's causing all these deaths? It just seems like people are dropping like flies over there, and I don't have a clue why. I know that the U.S. originally went over to nab Saddam, which is done. So why are they still over there? Their death toll is still climbing - 3,116 as of Sunday when another soldier died. When is Iraq considered "Mission Accomplished".

Here's a thought that came to mind after reading about the carnage:

Since they do not have an actual plan, with milestone dates, mitigation strategies, and stated key deliverables, why not consider Iraq officially occupied and declare it a U.S. Territory? Do like Guam. Make Iraq like Hawaii. You consider it a place of strategic importance to the U.S., you then occupy, you then put in your own government, you put in your own law enforcement, and presto, a U.S. Territory.

Heck, you might even want to declare it a state. Okay, the state thing seems a little radical, but the Territory idea has precident. Iraqi people could be like Puerto Ricans, demi-American. It just seems more honest to do things this way. The U.S. seems to be calling the shots anyway, so why not formally announce that you're calling the shots.

So my first point about the explosion, and my second point about U.S. territory, may be completely unrelated. It just seems like more people are getting blown up since the occupation, and there appears to be no end in sight.

Ah well. It seems like more people are interested in Anna Nicole than Iraq these days anyways....