Meltdown

I HAD to respond to an assumption Prof. Campos made today in his article, "You've got to know when to fold", about people who were against this war from the start. I found his remark very offensive. Here's my response:

Prof. Campos,

Your statement in "You've got to know when to fold":

"For example, it's still a plausible argument that, given the information available at the time, invading Iraq with the aim of overthrowing Saddam Hussein and turning it into a stable democracy was the right thing to do, for both moral and strategic reasons. Opponents of the war who deny this are claiming an omniscience no one has."

is, in my humble opinion, way off the mark!

First of all, you are assuming that pre-emptive war is a new American doctrine of some kind. Last I heard it has been highly discouraged by the best political and legislative minds throughout the history of our country...and for very good reason, as has certainly been exemplified by this debacle. Second of all, you assume that the decision makers had no idea of the history of the area and what the results would be. I suspect they didn't, but they sure as heck should have before making a decision like this. I may a simple engineer living out here in the sticks of Virginia, but I could see that this war was a very, very bad idea. Iraq was very obviously a place that was held together by Hussein's regime, and no matter what anyone might think of his regime, going in there was asking for trouble in a huge way. Bush's own father knew this, but then he actually kept a few knowledgeable people around him, unlike the cabal his son has created. As for any illusion that this war would help unify the Muslim world in our favor, or that Iraq had anything to do with 9/11, that was also very obviously wrong to anyone who stopped to think for a moment and do even a slight amount of research. Hatred and extremism against America could only increase as the result of an invasion, and I made no bones about it with whoever I talked to back then. That conclusion only requires a minimal amount of empathic ability -- what if someone did that to us because they didn't like our regime? The NRA, for one, would have suicide groups out in force here, too.

Hopefully this is all clear to everyone now, but it's a bit late. But please do not assume that opponents of the war form the very start were claiming omniscience. We were just thinking a little more clearly than the people who were gung-ho for war, and the people who were drinking their cool-aid!

Regards

PS -- It was also obvious to me, even back then, that this war was sponsored by the corporations who stood to gain monumentally from it, and that this administration consisted entirely of people from those corporations.

I watched cnn in shock the day the first bombs fell, while the tv station made the invasion seem like a video game. I went to sleep in tears every pore of my body thinking this is wrong. I could only think of the children and the people in those houses.

And then i watched the election, and the lies and progaganda that your people were being fed by stations owned by corportions and political parties in bed with one another.

I will play the optimist and say that America can and will do better. I just wish it didn't have to go this far...

Wake up America. It's not too late!

How the rest of the world saw your world (Every American should see these two documentaries):

http://www2.digitaldistractions.org:8080/info.php?infohash=05686e6d73ac0fa26dbf9fd2774e7e2fd4789d3f

Canada’s premier investigative documentary and news program The Fifth Estate has produced a documentary called The Unauthorized Biography of Dick Cheney.(In addition to its impact among viewers and on society, the Fifth Estate is also recognized by its peers. It has won a remarkable 227 awards, including an Oscar for best documentary, three international Emmy Awards, 28 Geminis, 20 awards and certificates for investigative reporting from the Canadian Association of Journalists and dozens of honours from The New York and Columbus International film and video festivals. The show’s credentials are almost beyond reproach.)

CBC has also aired the Canada-France co-production “The World According to Bush”

(high-quality torrent)
http://www2.digitaldistractions.org:8080/info.php?infohash=1496b9df518a4f4121d33f0bb24669bd40167c75

“a two-hour documentary about the inner workings of the Bush administration that will alarm even the most hardened Washington-watchers. Both fans and critics of the acclaimed Fahrenheit 9/11 will want to see this investigation of the U.S. administration.” Some choice quotes:

* “This administration has chosen to use the propaganda tools of Hitler, Goering, and Goebbels” — Robert Steele, CIA Covert Operations
* “It is starting to look like a third world republic – a banana republic that is.” — Robert Baer, CIA Covert operations
* “No administration ever allowed herself a single tenth of what has occurred under George W. Bush. None.” - Los Angeles Times.
* “This administration is behaving like pigs at a trough.” - Joseph Trento, historian.

This is not hindsight... this is what too many people shut their ears and eyes to. This is how the American media let your country done.

We may be turning the corner and this is our darkest patch.

Consider this proposal that would unite liberals and conservatives.

We won, time to go

Bush and the GOP and their supporters are turning victory into defeat

We went to war to remove Saddam Hussein in power. He is no longer in power.

We went to war because of possible Weapons of Mass Destruction. We have found out there are no weapons of mass destruction.

We went to war to bring democracy to the people of Iraq. In a few weeks the people of Iraq will elect their new government.

We won. It is time to declare victory and go home.

Our magnificent troops fought well and have eliminated the threat of Saddam and many terrorists. It is time they came home to their reward.

Bush and the Republican party by insisting we stay there are turning our victory into a defeat. The longer we stay there the more we are viewed as occupiers, not saviors. Already 45% of Iraqis according to a British defense department survey approve of attacks on coalition forces as occupiers. Over 80% of Iraqis believe we should leave next year, we are making the situation worse. I believe them.

I call upon our elected representatives to declare victory and leave next year. We won, it is time to go home and celebrate our victory.

Instead of cutting and running as a defeat. Staying is the defeat.

The longer we stay the more we are seen as occupiers, the more we will be hated.

By declaring victory we show that we went to war honorably and left with honor.

There is no reason to stay there. Staying there is promoting terrorism.

If there were other reasons they won't admit to.... that is a different story, a story that says the left anti-war marchers and al Qaeda were right. A story that proves we are only there for oil and for imperialist greed.

Declare victory, withdraw from Iraq and disprove that story.

We won, time to go.

they went to war because they were lied to. denial is an easier option.

From today's Rant about the war already being lost:

> A record number of senior officials at both the Pentagon and
> CIA have left in recent months, saying they are unable to
> deal with what they call “the imperial Presidency of
> George W. Bush.”

I've got a great idea: why don't they just invoke "stop-loss" to apply to these senior officals in the same way that it applies to the peons?