Dear Editor:
Mr. Jim Langdon’s letter in The Dispatch on May 8th celebrating
the outcome of our war against Iraq cannot go unchallenged.
Dear Editor:
Mr. Jim Langdon’s letter in The Dispatch on May 8th celebrating the outcome of our war against Iraq cannot go unchallenged.
I certainly do not feel like rejoicing, rather I think many Americans are quite troubled by the reasons for the war, and all the geo-political games that have been played out in the Middle East, and the “new world order” that the United States is now dictating because we can.
Mr. Langdon fails to mention the couple of thousand Iraqi civilians killed and the thousands wounded, both physically and emotionally. One of the pretexts for our invasion was to liberate the Iraqi people. In my opinion, Bush and Blair used this argument as a marketing tool to gain popular support. Too bad the human rights outcry was not made when Hussein employed chemical weapons against his own people and the Iranians. Rather, it was in the interest of the United States then to support the dictator by giving him targeting information.
I believe the real impetus for invading Iraq was to implement a security strategy to make the world safe for global capitalism. September 11th was the catalyst. Our military-industrial-financial complex will no longer be impeded by non-compliant groups or states. You are either with us or against us. Our “benevolent” or self-serving domination of the world’s political economy backed up by our raw, unmatched military power is the future.
Hussein is gone, that’s a good thing. But his government should have been declared illegitimate 20 years ago and he should prosecuted for crimes against humanity then. Our military did the job. We are proud and thankful for their willingness to serve our country. I’m not proud of our politics because war was not justified or inevitable. We were not creative enough. So I am discouraged, not jubilant.
I hope we take an honest look at our history; celebrating our freedoms, yet admitting that we have huge responsibilities also. And the real measure of our success will be justice and peace and repect for human dignity in our world.
Mike Monroe, Gilroy
Submitted Thursday, May 8 to ed****@****ic.com
