Letter to the Editors of America's Newspapers

I get my regular email updates from Howard Dean and the Democrats. Despite not being able to read through most of the because they just fall so short of proposing any seriously effective plans to end the war, today's contained that linkable logo and a request to write to the editor of my local paper.

Well, you know me. . .

From: Michael Bains
**************
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Lakewood, OH 44107
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To: The Plain Dealer (and) The Washington Post

Subject: Worse Than Vietnam

Message:

This will take a few, but the lives of thousands, and the Liberties of millions are at stake.

Since soon after the trajedy of September 11th, President Bush has claimed that Iraq's Saddam Hussein was part of an Axis of Evil, fomenting Terrorism and constituting a threat to America's National Security.

One by one were his reasons for the invasion disproven and discredited, some as misguided Intelligence, others as pure delusion on the part of the President and his supporters, many before the first shocks of our great country's military might failed to awe those who are filled with hatred for our economic and cultural influence upon their part of civilization.

Iraq, albeit ruled by a psychotically murderous despot, was by all analyses, one of the most "Democratic" and egalitarian of Middle Eastern nations. Now though, after Mr. Bush's hegemonic attempt to bring our Western version of Democracy to that country, it is shattered along sectarian and regional divisions which show no indication of being amenable to Western "rehabilitation." The fact that these divisions existed in slumber before our Presidents "pre-emptive attack", only exacerbated the effect and set the groundwork for ever more wrong moves to come via the Course the President's has been Staying.

Our Congress has approved billions of dollars, not just for military ventures, but for the rebuilding of Iraq's infrastructure, it's highways, power plants, oil pumps and hospitals. Most of this money has gone to one American company to do the work; Halliburton - the company which pays Vice President Cheney deferred retirement benefits to the tune of $150,000 annually. This company has absorbed reconstruction dollars that might more efficaciously been paid to Iraqi firms using Iraqi workers. Workers who would then be too gainfully employed and have too much pride of ownership in their product to stand by whilst "insurgents" bomb and otherwise sabotage their efforts.

What was Very Real during the long and disastrous conflict in Vietnam was the still fresh History of aggressive Communist expansion throughout Eastern Europe and Asia. While the case for staunching that expansion was unquestionably sound, the experience of trying to guide a sovereign nation's political course was shown, even then, to be both futile and self-destructive to any country who would show such hubristic determination.

In Iraq, President Bush's "course" has resulted in the opposite of his stated reasons for going there. Iraq has become an ever growing base of terrorism and anti-American rage which, if something profoundly different from anything George Bush has yet proposed is not tried, shows every indication of swelling the numbers of human beings who will do anything to stop America - you, me, our families and friends - from destroying their homelands and their lives.

The Democrats overwhelmed their Republican opponents in this past November's elections, and they should not only continue to question the President over this foolish and profoundly hubristic plan, they should do everything in their Constitutionally proscribed power to stop it.

The people made their voice heard and, while no American can relish their President being brought to trial as a criminal against humanity, far less can we stomach the slaughter for wealth and power which the past six years of Bush Administration usurpation of Congress' Constitutional prerogatives, its disregard for the publics' Liberties and right to be free from a Big Brotheresque inquisition by our own government, have produced.

This President must be Impeached. The Law must judge him, and do so soon, before ever more billions of American dollars, thousands of American military personnel, and 10s of thousands of Iraqi human beings' lives are lost forever.

I added the link to Halliburton Watch for this post. It's not in the email, though, and despite the quietude of the Press on this enormous matter, I'm sure they're well aware of its substance.