What have we become?

by Vic Blazier
Wed, 03/21/2007 - 12:33am

It's now four years since we invaded Iraq. FOUR YEARS, dammit! It's time the American people looked themselves in the mirror and asked some painful questions. Namely, are we a nation full of self-righteous hypocrites? Not sure? Think good and hard while pondering the following...

Regarding the legitimacy of preemptive warfare- The world agrees it was wrong when Napoleon, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, and even Saddam Hussein did it. Why then is it permissible for America to preemptively invade other sovereign nations?

Regarding the justifications for the Iraq invasion- Why did the U.S. ultimately spit in the face of the U.N. to invade Iraq for apparently spitting in the face of the U.N.? Why did we use dangerous nuclear weapons in the form of depleted uranium (DU) as we invaded Iraq looking for supposed "dangerous nuclear weapons programs"? Will we also use our "dangerous nuclear weapons" on Iran in order to keep them from obtaining "dangerous nuclear weapons"? If not, are we providing others, perhaps Israel, with similar weapons for use on their enemies much as we feared Iraq and Iran would if they secured advanced weaponry?

Regarding who and who can't have WMD's- Why are we, the only country in the world to actually use nuclear weapons on another county (TWICE!), reserving the right to determine who can have this technology? If we're so worthy of our right to have nuclear weapons, why are we considering the use of nukes on another country (Iran) in order to stop them from developing the same weapons we use so willingly? Since countries that actually have nuclear weapons are left unmolested by the U.S., are we inadvertently encouraging other countries to race for Nuclear Club status as a form of deterrence against American empirical aggression?

Regarding spreading democracy- The American people went to war in Korea and Vietnam to stop the spread of communism -an unsavory but, none the less, internationally recognized form of government. Why are we now the ones spreading our own form of government throughout the World? Is this a democratic ideal that we should be proud of?

Regarding the cleverly marketed Global War on Terror (GWOT)- Are we not supposed to notice that George Bush's "war on terror" happens where 3/4 of the world's remaining oil and natural gas reserves are located? If Iraq was the world's second largest exporter of carrots, would we have invaded? If what a country exports doesn't matter, why don't we have 150,000 troops on the ground all over Africa spreading democracy, preventing human rights violations, building schools and hospitals, and deposing of terrorist cells and tyrannical despots?

Regarding the meaning of the word “patriotism”- Iraqis fighting for freedom from oppression get called things like "terrorists", "insurgents", "evil-doers", and even ironic things like “Islamo-fascists” by shallow-thinking Americans. Did King George of England call George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin similar names? Should we stop celebrating these guys on the 4th of July every year and denounce them as "terrorists", or something else even more hypocritical? What would you do if your country was invaded by another in the name of spreading communism, toppling your despotic leader, and removing your illegal WMD's? Would you call yourself a patriot, or a terrorist?

Regarding America's paranoia towards Islam- So-called religious Americans who go to church once or twice a week seem to think everyone who practices Islam are heathens and that George Bush is a religious man doing God's work. Exactly what is the difference between George Bush using the word "God" while saying his God wants him to strike down the terrorists, and Osama bin Laden saying he will banish America to hell on behalf of Alah? Is the God most Americans worship somehow superior to "theirs"? Are these dedicated worshipers of God and followers of George Bush aware that for those who practice Islam, every single day is Sunday?

Regarding the value of life- If the religious right is against abortion, stem cell research, and killing, why no fuss about the "full-term" abortions happening in Iraq every single day? Does your religion tolerate the wholesale waste of life if camouflage, crude oil, and M-16s are involved? Does the lack of outrage over the loss of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives mean this rule only applies to white Anglo-Saxon protestant stem cells, embryos, and fetuses? Do we view ourselves to be superior beings, much like the Nazis did? Are you a racist? Would calling Iraq America's most productive abortion clinic wake anybody up?

Regarding right and wrong- Will you continue supporting this Administration and the wars it fosters? Or, are you content with being a hypocrite?

When you finish with your mirror, will you finally do something for change?

Vic Blazier
Proud IVAW Member

“Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” -Ambrose Bierce

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