Saturday, February 16, 2008

The Spoils of War (originally written 04/14/03)

It’s a beautiful day outside. It really is. In fact, the whole last weekend has been nothing but beautiful days. Spring has sprung, as they say, and it’s very apparent that our snow days have been put of for at least another 6 months. I have been trying to enjoy this new spring, this new beginning, but just as the season started, so did the war. That tends to put a damper on any celebrations of new life, especially when so much life is being taken halfway across the world.
I’ve spent the last few weeks telling anyone who will lesson why this is an idiotic war. Not because there needs to be a less psychotic political system in Iraq, because there does need to be. The real reason why this war is pointless is because it will not solve anything, in the long or short run. Many, many Americans are for the war, and I’ve talked to many people who are. The reasons they give for the war are as vague as the ones they have heard on television and from the President. In fact, most people I’ve talked to have only regurgitated the broad reasons that the president has stated. However, if you really think about any of the reasons that have been given, none of them make any sense. At first, the government stated that they wanted to create a democracy in Iraq, but when you look at history, bombing a country has never, EVER created a stable working democracy. In fact since the end of WW II we’ve bombed 22 countries, and a real democracy has not come out of any of these instances. So, there goes that. The question I ask is, who the hell is going to replace Saddam as the leader of Iraq, one of his equally psychotic sons? Who is going to control Iraq when Saddam is gone? (Note I say "when"; this war is the most expensive, expansive assassination attempt ever).
One of the few (very few) humorous moments in all of this tragedy is when American troops raised an American flag over a port that they had taken, and then were told to take it down. I’m assuming there were some British troops with them who filled them in on the idea that they weren’t supposed to look like they were taking Iraq over for America. It is bad enough that that is what the world thinks, without our troops reinforcing the fact. Here is the real reason that this war is going to mess America up far more than it will help us. Bush has burned so many bridges in his push for war, that after this American is going to have to fight every battle, militarily or otherwise, by ourselves. A lot of people I’ve talked to say that Britain will always be on our side, but guess what? Come next British elections, Tony Blair is not going to be there any more. He is known amongst his people as Bush’s Poodle. Brits have no respect for him, and widely, widely disagree with his blind support of President Bush. In fact, the leaders of many countries that support us do so against their people’s wishes. The leaders of these countries (Pakistan, India, Turkey, Britain, Italy, Australia, Spain) will probably not see another term because of their support of the US. Many of these countries, such as Turkey, Pakistan, and Jordan are being basically paid off to support us.
Bush has made it clear that countries are only important as long as they are of use to us. President Musharraf of Pakistan has been made to feel like a fool for supporting the US, as we continue to economically repress that country’s exports for our own gain, while he risked his leadership role to support America’s war against the Taliban. If you want to read about the reasons why this war is a terrible idea, as is the entire Bush administration, read the Newsweek article from a few weeks ago entitled "The Arrogant Empire". The world is afraid of Americans because they know what is happening to Iraq could happen to each and every one of them if they should anger us. What people fail to realize is that we took military action around the world three times under the Clinton Presidency, and he never asked anybody for permission. The difference is that the world community trusted and liked Clinton and they hate Bush. You know why the world hates Bush and America? They hate Bush because their leaders have prostrated themselves before America, and the people of those countries do not know who runs their own home. Are foreign countries such as Britain and Italy lead by their elected leaders, or by Bush? World leaders and ambassadors feel like the American government treats them like wayward children. That is no way to rule the most powerful country in the word, and We The People, not Dubya the Idiot, are the ones who are going to have to pay for his arrogance and violence.

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