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Bob Weaver
Beyond re-living the horrors of the terrorist attack on America, and the
innocent who gave their lives, there is much to digest.
Last Thursday European and some American alternative newspapers
reported about 100 U. S. and British warplanes attacked an Iraqi military
base.
The event was not reported in America's mainstream newspapers or TV
news channels, and was "viewed as a normal attack" associated with earlier
no-fly rules and protection of minority groups.
It was the largest attack in four years, but has not been confirmed by the
U.S. or Britain.
War drums are pushing oil prices higher, and more troops and military
equipment are being placed in Kuwait and other war readiness positions for
a strike on Iraq.
The Bush administration claims Sadam Hussein has weapons of mass
destruction which he intends to use, but long-time UN weapons inspector
Scott Ritter claims that is not true. Some US leaders claim Ritter has
become a pawn of Baghdad.
Most polls show about 70% of the American people are not in favor of
attacking Iraq. Over 60% of Americans think President Bush should seek war
permission from Congress. Congress will likely give Bush "narrow" approval,
which will really be broad approval.
Most Americans want more evidence of Iraq's intent to do harm. The US
government will aptly supply it.
Most Americans want to "take out" Sadam Hussein, and believe he is a
scourge upon the face of the earth, and regret George I did not do the job
during the Gulf War.
Former President Bill Clinton says we should get bin Laden first, or confirm
his death before venturing into Iraq. Some Republicans responded by talking
about Clinton's inappropriate sex life.
No foreign country appears to be in real support of the attack, but British
and Israeli allies are giving "approval," and a few others could sign on.
We will go to war with Iraq, unless a more than compelling obstacle
surfaces.
Essentially, it will be an Uncle Sam event supported by American taxpayers,
limited flag waving and lots of concerns over being the world cop.
Most Americans have a sense that oil runs deep in the U. S. relationship with
Iraq. When President Bush says it is in "the interest of the world" to oust
Sadam, they know oil is part of that concern.
Iraq has the second largest reserve of oil in the world, second to Saudi
Arabia. The world will need Iraq's oil for a looming energy shortage.
America's recent concerns regarding the nearly $200 billion raid on ordinary
American's pocketbooks, jobs, retirement and stock investments by giant
energy corporations like Enron, will be lost in the horrors of war.
The effort to find corporate crooks, government officials and politicians who
"turned their heads" and modified the rules on giant corporations, will be
lost in the death and destruction of war.
It is still unclear what happened to some of those millions of dollars
Americans so wonderfully gave to help those who suffered losses September
11.
Little notice, at least in the last year, seems given to those who gave their
lives at the Pentagon or those who died in the Pennsylvania plane crash.
Ordinary citizens who gave their all preventing the plane from striking
Washington, may really be the greatest of heroes.
A surge of patriotism after 9-11 was short-lived. Most of us have failed to
appreciate our great American democracy, more particularly our liberties
and freedoms which are commonplace.
President Bush II, after the attack, called for normalization. He said people
should return to flying on airplanes, spending more money shopping and
investing in the stock market - back to normal.
While Homeland Security may be necessary in some form, little of it has a lot
to do with stopping terrorists, but a lot to do with decreasing civil
liberties, those things over which we have fought wars and seek to
protect.
When Hitler and the Nazis threatened the world, President Roosevelt asked
the American people to sacrifice, give up "normal" things like gasoline and
sugar, so the world could remain free. He called for the humility to win and
warned of a long struggle, belt-tightening and hard times. A time of
abnormality.
Most of us will support our president in times of war, but only history will
reveal what should have been done, what mistakes were made.
There is much on our plate this Day of our Lord, September 11, 2002.
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