Stoopid Stuff

Harsh Realities

After the carnage of the last couple weeks in Iraq and the years of lies, of wasted time, money and lives, I've noticed a great unwillingness to face squarely up to what Iraq is, what it means, and what to do about it. With all the different things that people seem to tiptoe around, like a big steaming pile of dogshit on the living room carpet, it's time to face some hard facts.

First, the people who have died, Americans and Iraqi, have, indeed, died in vain. It's hard to say, and even harder to hear, but honestly, how can we delude ourselves into believing otherwise? We were lied to by our political leaders, who wanted this war for their own reasons. They lied right to our faces about why we needed to invade and occupy Iraq, and anyone around them who pointed out the factual inconsistencies of their lies was quickly discredited, fired or had their personal reputations impugned. They WANTED war. Think about that. Who WANTS war? This is the 21st century. There is no special honor in being a "War President", and the only legacy Bush is leaving is not just that of a bloodthirsty criminal, but an incompetent bloodthirsty criminal at that. Ask yourself what will come of this mindless, criminal exercise in empire-building. At the end of the campaign, we will be less safe, poorer, hated by millions more, with an exhausted, understaffed military and a permanently fractured electorate. How can anyone say these lives were not lost in vain. Let's ask Miriam Webster:

Main Entry: vain
Pronunciation: 'vAn
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin vanus empty, vain -- more at WANE
1 : having no real value : IDLE, WORTHLESS
2 : marked by futility or ineffectualness : UNSUCCESSFUL, USELESS <vain efforts to escape>
in vain 1 : to no end : without success or result 2 : in an irreverent or blasphemous manner

To no end. Without success or result. This entire Iraq debacle has been in vain. And the lives were, simply and honestly, wasted. Nothing we can do about that but cry. But there is one thing we can do, one thing that recognizes the futility, honors the dead and protects the living. We can bring our troops home. The key is to lose not ONE MORE LIFE in vain.

Second, you hear most people, Democrat and Republican, dove and hawk, say "OK, we're there now, we have to stay there and see it through". Here's the part they're missing. All the troops in the world, all the money in the world, all the commitment in the world, will not win this war. No regular army ever defeated an insurgency or a guerilla war without resorting to atrocities and war crimes of a dimension we are not, even under this administration, willing to commit. What does that mean? We can't win this, no matter what we do. More troops, more tanks, more artillery, more air strikes. What does that get us? Is there a way for a regular army to defeat a guerilla insurgency? Especially one where the regular army is occupying the nation against the will of the citizens of that nation. We need to put more real thought into this. The shouting of slogans and the administration lies as talking points are not enough. Ask yourself something: While a team of fighters is planting a thousand pound roadside bomb made up of artillery shells, do you think they are invisible? Of course not. The whole village, the entire neighborhood knows what they are doing. And nobody tells. Why? We are an invading army, an occupying force. THEY DON'T WANT US THERE. Oh sure, there are factions that find the American occupation temporarily useful to their political agenda, or that American military power can be used to some advantage, but we're simply being manipulated. Another harsh truth: The elections, the constitutional process, the politics of "Democracy at Gunpoint" are all a sham. The real power in Iraq is in the hands of a couple of clerics, notably Sistani and al Sadr. They are aligned with Iran. And we have handed them power, and continue to take casualties to make certain they can hold on to that power.

Third, it is not unpatriotic to be opposed to this administration, it's policies and programs, and specifically the unnecessary and disastrous war in Iraq. In fact, it would be unpatriotic and unAmerican to see these people actively engaged in the destruction of the America I love and all that she stands for and NOT take a stand against them. As citizens, we are supposed to defend our country and constitution against ALL enemies--foreign and domestic. They didn't put that domestic part in as an afterthought, or by accident. I cannot understand the people who continue to support the administration and their illegal, unnecessary war. I mean, who WANTS war? To be "Pro War" would be like being "Pro Murder", or "Pro Rape", or maybe "Pro Arson". Any human who is genuinely pro war is seriously deficient in whatever it is that makes us human. Kind of amazing how many of them also claim to be adherents to the teachings of an ancient preacher/philosopher named Jesus. If you find yourself in a war, all people of good conscience must concentrate all their efforts on ending it as quickly as possible. The end of the war is what is sought. Those of us who seek the end of this conflict are not only good Americans, we are righteous humans. To seek perpetual, unending death and pain is truly evil.

Fourth, the Democratic party should NOT be supporting this war in any way, shape or form. As Democrats, it is CRITICAL that we let our political leaders know that we will NOT support them unless they call for an immediate, full and unconditional withdrawal of all American and coalition soldiers from Iraq. No "finish the mission" bullshit, no "send more troops and do it right" nonsense. That is an ill conceived, poor strategy that can only fail. We cannot emulate the failed policies of the right and succeed. If we cannot be seen as correct on defense without selling our souls and mindlessly sacrificing more American, not to mention Iraqi, lives on the alter of power politics, then we have failed, but we will have failed with our honor and integrity intact. This administration abused their power, lying to the people to start a war of aggression, an unnecessary war that harms America's interests in every way. Ask yourself how America's invasion of Iraq is any different than Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. In spite of all we've been led to believe, we are not always and automatically the "good guys". This was a criminal act of aggression and the people responsible for it need to be brought to justice. Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld should have a cell right next to Saddam or Milosevic. They are responsible for immeasurable death, pain and suffering, and must be called to account. Prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity would be a good start.

Fifth, it is utterly unrealistic and dishonest to refuse to even consider the possibility that the terrorists might have some actual justification for being angry with America. To truly defend against terrorist attacks we MUST understand their root causes--this is only good sense. To recognize that there may be a basis for their hatred is NOT to say that terrorism is ok--quite the opposite, understanding them will help us fight them. To be willing to address some of our own shortcomings in policy areas is NOT appeasement, nor is it unpatriotic. And nobody (at least not me) is recommending that we undertake ANY policy that is not in our best interests. However, it is unreasonable to believe that American policies have always been fair and even handed, or to argue that America has always been a fair and honest broker in world affairs. So if there were policies that we could follow that would make America and the world safer, more peaceful and more prosperous, and these same policies would cause other cultures to like and respect us, rather than hate and fear us, wouldn't those be appropriate policies to follow? To believe that Islamic Extremists have such an unfocused, burning need to kill and maim that they just "go off" and do so at random, is naive, stupid and disingenuous. Every action has a cause, and identifying and eliminating that cause is the first step to solving the problem.

Sixth, there is simply no way for us to "Support the Troops". This is an evil, venal, disingenuous method for stifling discussion. If you do or say anything the criminals don't like, you can be discredited by their saying you don't support the troops. But how can I support the troops? Should I send them cookies? Is everyone who doesn't send them cookies guilty of not supporting the troops? Sure, I'm being facetious, but really, what does "Support the Troops" mean? Let me be very honest. I DON'T support the troops. Oh, I don't blame them. I'm intelligent enough to know that the war is not their fault. And I certainly don't expect them to go to prison instead of following orders to go to Iraq. They are not responsible, and I do not hold them accountable as I do their leadership. And I honor their courage and the fact that they uphold a proud history of the American fighting man. But to "Support" them, whatever that requires, would be to support their mission, and I do not, can not, and WILL NOT. My idea for supporting the troops is to get them out of a war zone they have no reason to be in. Their job is to defend America, not occupy a foreign land on behalf of American business interests. In fact, I am MORE patriotic in my support of the troops than the mindless right. They would leave them over there indefinitely, to be killed, wounded and scarred. I would end the costs in American lives today. I would see that many of them lived who otherwise will not. That is a harsh truth, but a truth it is.

posted by mikey @ 1:44 PM