The War in Iraq

The war in Iraq is nothing less than an ugly crime committed by Bush and his neoconservative cronies against the American people, the Iraqi people and the world. At the time of this writing it has cost the lives of 2200 American soldiers and at least 30,000 Iraqis. The war is based on ginned up intelligence on weapons of mass distruction, a bogus link between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaida, and other lies. It has seperated America from its friends and united our enemies against us.

LHS

LOOKING FOR MORE HEROES
(From the June 2006 Newsletter)

Hopefully, when the Iraq debacle is over and the neocon threat has been laid to rest, we will remember those citizens who stood up and fought for our constitutional rights and the principal that war is to be used only as a last resort. We’ve already mentioned Cindy Sheehan and Tammy Duckworth, both extraordinary human beings who came out of debilitating personal tragedy to remind us that individuals can truly make a difference.

CIA officer Mary O. McCarthy may be another hero of this kind. On April 20th, 10 days before her planned retirement, she was fired for leaking classified information to reporters.

Washington Post journalist Dana Priest was the one who disclosed the secret CIA prisons in eastern Europe. She has said that the information about the secret prisons came from multiple sources on three continents. McCarthy did not deny speaking to Priest but, through her lawyer, she denied disclosing any classified information. That defense may depend upon one’s definition of classified information.

As deputy inspector general McCarthy had been assigned to look into allegations of criminal mistreatment of prisoners by her organization. When she heard a senior CIA official tell Senate staff that their organization never engaged in cruel or degrading treatment of detainees, she knew it was a lie and apparently spoke her mind within the organization and to Priest. \ McCarthy’s public firing was apparently an attempt by then CIA director Porter Goss, to set an example and intimidate other potential leakers. In spite of this, it appears as if McCarthy was not alone in following their conscience in this matter. The secret of CIA torture of prisoners is now out, although not in the headlines at present.

After Porter Goss was forced to resign as head of the CIA Bush appointed General Michael Hayden to replace him. Hayden is 100% Bush’s man and, sadly, was approved without serious opposition by the Democrats. He comes to the CIA as the architect of the NSA policy of warrantless wiretaps and in favor of extraordinary rendition and secret prisons. Bush hopes that a strong-willed military man like Hayden will be able to bring CIA personnel into line and stop the leaks. Hayden, however, is confronted by an organization that is already resentful of presidential and military control. He may succeed or he may just stir up a larger rebellion.

McCarthy has many friends and colleagues in the CIA who are also talking to the press under conditions of strict anonymity. Many feel that the Iraq war diverted attention and resources from the fight against terrorism. Some may still be resentful of how 9/11 was blamed on an intelligence failure. Some are upset by our disregard of the Geneva Convention and the lies told to divert the congressional oversight process. And some just think that secret prisons and torture are wrong. Reporting these problems to the press carries with it the threat of arrest and job termination. It’s risky to follow the dictates of your conscience at the CIA.

While we are discussing heroes we can’t leave out Representative John Murtha of Pennsylvania and the eight retired generals who have called for Rumsfeld’s resignation. More help is needed but I hesitate to pray for the Messiah because I think that he/she is a Republican.

TROOPS UNDER HEAVY STRESS
(From the June 2006 Newsletter)

The advantage in remembering history is that it enables one to recognize patterns in current news. The Jewish “never again” attitude toward the holocaust is a good model for Americans to adopt regarding Viet Nam. This not only helps in seeing cause and effect relationships that are needed to predict the future, it also gives insight into what must be happening behind the news that actually comes to light.

The November massacre in Haditha, in which marines killed 24 Iraqi civilians, has similarities to the My Lai massacre in Viet Nam. Both stories got out long after the fact. In the case of Haditha, the event happened last November and was revealed in the March 19th issue of Time magazine. Both stories were covered up and minimized, and both were a part of a larger pattern of brutality due to the psychological deterioration of our troops under a long period of stress.

One can only imagine the psychological pressure that our soldiers were under in Viet Nam, and are now undergoing in Iraq. They were sent into a foreign country believing that they are there to help the natives and protect America, and that they have the power to accomplish their mission. Then they find themselves under attack and watching their comrades die before their eyes. They eventually come to realize that they cannot easily tell the difference between the civilians that they are there to help, and the enemy that they are there to shoot. Many of the marines that were involved in Haditha were on their third tour of duty, watching a slow and relentless deterioration in their own security and in the progress of their mission. Apparently, when a marine was killed by a roadside bomb, the troops finally snapped under the pressure.

It is harder to lie to the American soldiers about what’s going on in Iraq than it is to lie to the American civilians who are at home. The troops know that the Iraqi security forces are not effective and deeply infiltrated by Sunni and Shiite militias. In America this fact is covered up. These American trained and American armed groups are ready to turn against each other when we leave. (Even so, I believe that we should give them a six-month deadline and then we must leave regardless of the consequences. It will be up to them whether they unite and work together, or kill each other.)

Make no mistake about it, troops who kill civilians will pay a heavy price for their act. There is no escape from one’s conscience. The guilt and nightmares will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Bungling extremists, like Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld, however, will go to their deaths thinking of themselves as heroes.

Cindy Sheehan Stays the Course

Cindy Sheehan returned to Crawford Texas late on Thanksgiving Day to continue her war against the war. On Friday she and about 200 supporters unveiled a permanent monument in memory of her son Casey who was killed in Iraq in April of 2004.

She has promised that she will return each time Bush visits Crawford until she is granted a second meeting with him. Her words are strong and confident: “We’re here to say that this war is going to be over, and we’re going to…make sure that this never happens again.”

Sheehan’s group of followers was much smaller than when she first came to Crawford and gained national attention last August. However, she is still a big thorn in Bush’s side, and the Neocons still think enough of her to organize a counter-demonstration every time she comes.

Her heroism stands out especially in the light of the general lack of courage exhibited by most of our Democratic and Liberal leaders as well as the press. We cannot help but wonder why so much of the burden of awakening America is carried by this one woman who lost her son? What if there was no Cindy Sheehan in America? Or, for a happier thought, think of how great it would be if there were ten!

Cindy Sheehan arrived in Crawford to the cheers of her supporters, and jeers of Neocon- arranged protest groups and drive-by hecklers. Her headquarters is called the Crawford Peace House and is located near where Bush tries to hide from reporters, and his job, at his vacation ranch.

Hiding may be counterproductive for Bush, who left the reporters little to do but cover Sheehan’s return while he rode his bicycle at his 1,600 acre ranch.

“We’re not going away”, she promised. “…We just want people to be held accountable, and just because someone is President of the United States, it doesn’t guarantee them immunity from accountability….”

During her active week-long visit to New York in October, Sheehan continued her very appropriate attack on Hillary Clinton for supporting the war. She referred to Clinton as the leader of the pack of pro-war Democrats. “It’s time to tell your elected officials, ‘If you’re not with us, you’re against us, and if you’re against us, we’ll vote you out of office’”.

Bravo Cindy!

Dumb and Dumber

The trial of Saddam Hussein is almost the dumbest thing the Bush Administration could have done. It gives Saddam a speaking platform and an opportunity to look like a hero to his followers. On the other hand, seeing him alive and well further enrages his enemies. The combination dramatically increases the chances of more bloodshed.

Saddam’s antics, which he has been allowed to get away with, belittle the power and control of the Iraqi court, the new Iraqi government and the United States. Even more damning is the evidence that nobody is strong or organized enough to protect the lives of the lawyers participating in the trial.

If Hussein is executed, a significant part of the Iraqi population will consider him a martyr, and rally behind his image. If he is not executed, the majority of Iraqis will cry foul, while the Sunnis will demand his release. Meanwhile tempers will heat up, and in that country it doesn’t take much time for hot tempers to result in a shooting war.

On the bright side, Bush could do something even dumber. He may still have a chance to try Osama Bin Ladin.

Old Sign Dusted Off

George dusted off his old “Mission Accomplished” banner to celebrate the election in Iraq last month. It does not look as if he will celebrate for very long. The Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds will wrangle with each other and soon the Sunnis will begin shooting again. Even worse, the secular oriented Shiites will fight with the fundamentalists for power. If the fundamentalists win, they will oppress all others and start the civil war in earnest. They will also form ties with the Iranian Shiites to create an even more deadly coalition.

About the same time that George unfurled his banner, the New York Times’ released a story about Bush totally ignoring the safeguards of our Constitution buy using subpoenas against American Citizens without court approval. This took most of the wind out of W’s victory parade, but never satisfied, I still have a complaint. Again the Democrats and the media stood like a deer in the headlights in the face of the neocon propaganda onslaught. If it weren’t for the Times’ story, George would have had the full attention of the public to gloat about Iraq.

Happy Birthday Iraq
(From the Newsletter, April 1, 2006)

Sometimes I feel as if writing about Iraq is too much like preaching to the choir. On the other hand, sometimes I worry that the choir might think that I have forgotten about the elephant in the room. And so, on the third anniversary of Bush’s war, I thought that a few words might be in order.

At various times, and by various entities, surveys have been taken of Iraqi public opinion. Since it would be hard to find a survey not taken by somebody who does not have some sort of prejudice, we have to take the results with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, one survey said that 87% of Iraqis would like to see a concrete timeline for American withdrawal, vs. only 30% in February of 2004. I can believe that the 20% minority Sunnis would want this because they feel that they can beat up on the majority Shiites and regain control. Although Sunnis are the more aggressive of the two groups, I believe that they will lose, not only because they are outnumbered, but because Iran will aid their fellow Shiites. In any case, it will make one heck of a civil war.

It is fair however, to give Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, lets say, six months, to get their act together before we leave. America cannot act like the mother of squabbling children, and the duty of the American government must be to protect American lives and American money first. Besides, the longer we stay in Iraq, the weaker our overall defense posture gets, and the stronger our enemies get. If the three Sometimes I feel as if writing about Iraq is too much like preaching to the choir. On the other hand, sometimes I worry that the choir might think that I have forgotten about the elephant in the room. And so, on the third anniversary of Bush’s war, I thought that a few words might be in order.

At various times, and by various entities, surveys have been taken of Iraqi public opinion. Since it would be hard to find a survey not taken by somebody who does not have some sort of prejudice, we have to take the results with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, one survey said that 87% of Iraqis would like to see a concrete timeline for American withdrawal, vs. only 30% in February of 2004. I can believe that the 20% minority Sunnis would want this because they feel that they can beat up on the majority Shiites and regain control. Although Sunnis are the more aggressive of the two groups, I believe that they will lose, not only because they are outnumbered, but because Iran will aid their fellow Shiites. In any case, it will make one heck of a civil war.

It is fair however, to give Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, lets say, six months, to get their act together before we leave. America cannot act like the mother of squabbling children, and the duty of the American government must be to protect American lives and American money first. Besides, the longer we stay in Iraq, the weaker our overall defense posture gets, and the stronger our enemies get. If the three factions cannot come to an agreement in six months, then it’s their problem and not ours.

I hope I’m not sounding cruel or selfish. First of all, this is the only scenario that may bring peace to the country. Secondly, why should liberal Americans feel guilty about the harm done by Bush, the neocons, and the Americans-in-denial who voted for him? Why should our children have to pay back the deficit that Bush’s war created?

On the optimistic side, perhaps fear-of-death will prevent a civil war, just as fear-of-death prevented a nuclear war between America and the Soviet Union. What’s different now is that the good ol’ USA has armed the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, and formed them into the Iraqi army which is theoretically designed to keep the peace after we leave. If we actually threaten to leave, they may realize that the Iraqi troops may start shooting at each other. Some of the forces are actually sectarian militias who have been armed and trained by the United States, and are ready to shoot at somebody. So let’s hope that fear-of-death prevails. After all, it would work for me.

The same survey also said that 90% of the Sunnis approve of the violence against Americans. Other results were that average electricity production is down 300 megawatts since before the war, household fuel availability has dropped to 55% of estimated need in the last two years and the number of insurgents and foreign terrorists has tripled in the same period. Heck of a job, Bushie.

Afghanistan Revisited
(From the Newsletter, April 1, 2006)

It’s time to take another look at the war that we “won”. We are in the process of totally losing control in Afghanistan. It may only be a matter of time before American puppet Hamid Karzai is assassinated and the Taliban and warlords rule again. American troops are spread so thinly across the world that it is not possible to actually control any single area, and this fact is showing in Afghanistan.

American troops are now tied down in Iraq and in over 700 military bases in over 130 countries throughout the world. Over 250,000 American troops and an equal number of their dependants occupy those overseas bases. The military also hires about 50,000 foreign citizens to perform basic services for these military personnel and their families. The 700 overseas bases do not represent strength. They are military and financial liabilities that make it impossible for America to maintain militarily control anywhere in any significant way. They are also serious targets for potential attack by our enemies.

As an example of useless military bases the Pentagon lists 27 in Germany alone. The Soviet Union no longer exists, so why does Germany need any American troops on its soil? Wouldn’t it be a good idea to bring these soldiers home to protect our borders from drug traffickers? That would also make it possible to hire American citizens to perform the various backup services that we now outsource to foreigners.

At this time the Afghan government and the United States control very little outside of the capital city of Kabul. The rest of the country is controlled by the Opium trade, the Taliban and the warlords. There was a time when Bush paid the warlord armies to help stabilize the country after the fall of the Taliban. Now they are in business for themselves again. Some warlords have even been elected to the Afghan parliament. In the countryside our enemies have the freedom and wherewithal to organize, train and grow more powerful. As for Afghanistan itself, the only economic success that can be boasted is the record opium crop last year. The drug trade is now 50% of gross domestic product.

Talibani and Islamic insurgents are using the same techniques that are being used successfully in Iraq. They use suicide attacks and remotely controlled roadside bombs, attacking policemen, foreign workers, NATO, American and Afghan government troops. If there is a firefight, they are able to melt into the friendly countryside, or cross the border into Pakistan, before any reinforcements can be brought against them. As in Iraq, the deaths of American soldiers are occurring at an increasing rate. Insurgent military operations are well financed by the Opium trade, and the Opium trade is well financed by sales to the United States and its allies. Opium farmers who are put out of business look to join the insurgency to earn money. There is absolutely no way that this war can be won without a huge infusion of American troops. The cheapest, and most effective thing that can be done is to bring our soldiers home to defend our borders against the passage of poppy products.

We were reminded of the problems in Afghanistan when the news came out that the Afghan government was set to try one of its citizens for converting to Christianity, a death penalty offense under Islamic law. After calls from Condoleezza Rice and Pope Benedict XVI to Hamid Karzai, the Afghan court dismissed the case against Abdul Rahman for what they called a lack of evidence and the possibility that the accused may have mental problems. This incident gave the Muslim population one more reason to be infuriated at both Hamid Karzai and the United States. Karzai is already between a rock and a hard place. He needs the United States to protect his life and keep him in power against the will of almost all of the people. At the same time American troops are hated by the population for causing civilian casualties, frequently invading and searching Afghan homes, and understandably for being Christian troops occupying a Muslim country.

Rahman can’t just be released into the street because he would very quickly be killed. He was first moved from the police facility in central Kabul where his life was threatened, to a high security prison outside Kabul, where his life is also threatened. A scramble of inconsistent statements were released to try to satisfy all sides. The Afghan Supreme Court said that the case had to be dismissed because of “problems with the prosecutor’s evidence”. An anonymous statement was leaked about a lack of information and legal gaps in the prosecutor’s case. Another said that Rahman would be released while the prosecutor did some more investigating. An anonymous Western diplomat said that Rahman would be exiled outside the country.

The Bushies like to call Afghanistan a democracy. Unfortunately Afghanistan is not the poster child democracy that we would like to see. It is really a combination of a theocracy, an opium factory and a training ground for terrorists, with an ineffectual government held together by about 30,000 U.S. and NATO troops. Its border with Pakistan is a no-man’s land not controlled by either government. Al Qaeda live, hide, train, grow and plan in this region, probably under the direction of Osama bin Laden himself.