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Wednesday, March 26, 2003 6 tests to make up... two days... goal: stop failing. But before I attempt to shed the bad habits I've accumulated over the past 3 weeks and get back to work, first, a war update. Went to the antiwar protest in NYC this weekend, and contrary to popular belief, did not get arrested (^_~)... this is what democracy looks like.  Thousands march down Broadway in protest...  ...250,000+, in fact.  No blood for oil! Click here for more info. Why I'm against the war, in ~600 words... If one phrase could describe the current Bush administration and the war on Iraq, it would be "lack of logic." Although many reasons have been used to justify an invasion of Iraq, the most notable is Bush's declaration that he wants to wage a "war on terror" and "weapons of mass destruction". Never mind, of course, that the implied reference to 9.11 in this term is intentionally misleading, as Al-Qaeda was never linked to Iraq or the Hussein regime, and never mind the fact that evidence of such weapons in Iraq remains non-existant. Indeed, the Associated Press reports on Day 6 that "the disclosure that another U.S. allegation in the nuclear area was based on a forged document led Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D.-W.Va., to ask the FBI to investigate whether a 'larger deception campaign'' on Iraq was under way." It also notes that the U.N.'s chief weapons inspector, Dr. Hans Blix, "said that a satellite photo the American secretary contended showed movement of proscribed munitions [in a U.N. presentation] 'could just as easily have been a routine activity'." In his last report on March 7, Blix referred to "such U.S. statements as 'contentions' and 'claims'." The American people also seem to have forgotten that perhaps we need to eliminate our own "weapons of mass destruction" before we start bombarding other nations. On February 22, the State Department was quoted as saying that it will "not rule out any specific type of military response," including nuclear weapons, if the U.S. was ever attacked. By that logic, Hussein is equally justified in owning weapons--why isn't he allowed to have such weapons in the event that Iraq is attacked, as it is being bombed now? What makes it right for us to lead a preemptive strike and wrong for Iraq? Most recently, Bush named the war "Operation Iraqi Freedom." Let's examine the fallacy behind this moniker. Not only is the carpet bombing of Iraq antithetical to the idea of democracy, it is also not likely to convince civilian Iraqis that the American notion of freedom is in their best interest. If Bush's war is truly a "war on terror", he would have learned his lesson from history. From Napoleon's 1798 invasion of Cairo, following a declaration of a new era of equality for Muslims and European "enlightenment," to the 1956 Suez crisis, every similar Western intervention has failed. Even if the U.S. were to claim a victory in our current conflict, it might only serve to destabilize the region even more, sparking further anti-Americanism in the Arab world and leading radicals to cause the very terror that Bush is claiming to fight today. Furthermore, for a country so hellbent on promoting democracy, Bush and the media have been remarkably silent about the vast number of antiwar protesters worldwide. Over a quarter million people of every background imaginable--Jew, Muslim, Christians, veterans, and more--gathered in New York City alone for a single march on March 23. Needless to say, this is just a fraction of all those who are opposed to Bush's actions worldwide and all those who have protested at previous events. In the entire scheme of things, then, why are we going to war again? Blood for oil seems to be a correct answer-- thousands of pamphlets have been dropped over Iraq persuading soldiers to surrender and, oh, by the way, don't burn the oil fields--but once again, it contradicts with Bush's espousing of morality. Thus, as the protesters say, there is no other response than support our troops and call for peace now--bring our soldiers home and prevent them from dying in an unjust, uncalled for war. And I'm just getting started...U.S. arrogance never ceases to amaze me. Really. --posted by M @ 2:55 PM | 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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