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Volume XLII

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October 27, 2002


LISTEN TO YOUR PEACE WHISPERS
By Dalton Roberts
IPS Features

When a leader at any level reaches for new powers, it is always wise to double-check the wisdom of it. When a president reaches for war powers in violation of the constitutional role of Congress to declare war, it is wise to triple-check. After double and triple checking President Bush's reasons, I remain unconvinced about his plans.

My first thought was, "What in the world happened to Osama bin Laden?" He was the mastermind behind the 9-11 attacks. When he slipped through our noose, did Bush and company have to find another focus for the national hostility? Enter old Saddam just in time to keep the adrenalin flowing.

Saddam didn't have to do anything to grab center stage away from bin Laden. It's just that we know where he is and we have no idea where bin Laden is, despite a $25 million price tag on his head.

I always said letting Hussein get away was the downfall of the first Bush. Not getting bin Laden will likely be the downfall of the current Bush. Even if he removes Hussein from power or kills him, everyone will return to the question, "Where's bin Laden?" Especially if there are more terrorist attacks, and who thinks there won't be?

It is noteworthy that Reagan and the other Bush's administrations, including Rumsfeld and Cheney, liked Hussein and helped him fight Iran. Presented with information that Saddam had used chemical weapons on his own people (Kurds) in '87 and '88, Reagan blocked a Senate resolution imposing sanctions on Iraq. If it wasn't enough of a problem to go to war with him then, why is it now cited as one of the reasons.?

Bush talks about Hussein being a danger to his neighbors. Then why is Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan urging us not to go to war and to cool down the war rhetoric? If he posed such a big threat to them  they would be glad to see us polish him off.

Could it be that the thing prompting a change in U.S.-Iraq relations is our own national election? What better way to divert attention away from bin Laden than to create a patriotic rush of adrenalin in another direction? How sweet it is when it also gets everyone's mind off a miserable economy.

If we get into a war, it will work against the morale of our troops to say these things. That's why it is so important to say them now.

For our own peace and prosperity, we must divest ourselves of the idea that we are the planet's police force and hold god-like powers over all nations. It is an absolutely sure way to make the world hate us. Nowhere is the word "God" found in the word "America." True, the word "can" is and right now we can put the boot on every nation's throat but that is not the best America has to offer to the world

Yes, we can whip Iraq. Economically the country is already a wasteland due to sanctions. Their children are dying for lack of good nutrition and medical supplies. The people are suffering, not Saddam Hussein. How angry would it make you to see your children die due to the actions of a foreign power?

In attacking them we will generate more hate. Hate equals terrorism. We are discovering there is no sure way to prevent terrorism in a free society. We will have to turn this nation into a police state to contain it. Who wants to live in a police state?

There will never be a day when we will like all the rulers of other nations. Neither will there ever be a time when we can be certain that some ruler of some country doesn't have weapons of mass destruction. How many nations now have a nuclear arsenal? Are their rulers any more stable than Hussein?

We need to wage peace with twice the intensity with which we now wage war. We have the good will and vision in the hearts and minds of our people to turn the world toward peace if our leaders will tap into it instead of appealing to our own fears, hates and prejudices.

The path we are now on will not protect the peace nor enhance our security. Simple reasoning tells us that. Let us listen to our own whispers of good judgment.  

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Kris Bancroft disagrees with Dalton

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Comment:

Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.  --Dr. Samuel Johnson