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wrbones
01-12-03, 08:45 PM
Mr. Bonesteel,

As someone who lost a brother (enlisted) in the Pentagon on 9/11 and has cousins who may be deployed to Iraq, your email struck a chord with me. I too am outraged by the fact that war veterans were spat upon by anti-war activists when they returned. I am disgusted by the way active soldiers and veterans are lied to, used, and mistreated by the government. Beyond displaying the bumper sticker, I believe deeply in the call to “Support Our Troops.”

In no way does that sentiment conflict with my opposition to the war against Iraq. Supporting our troops does not mean supporting whatever decisions made by our chicken-hawk political leaders. I believe the best way I can support our troops is to fully question these decisions before putting our military forces in harm’s way. My analysis leads to me to the conclusion that the proposed war against Iraq is misguided at best.

And there are plenty of active duty soldiers who share my opinion. I’ve received letters from people in the Army, Navy, as well as civilian workers from the Department of Defense who believe the war against Iraq is a mistake. One said: “If I speak out, I will be reprimanded. I have no voice. You are my voice. Keep up the good work.”

And there are many veterans against this war. I go to a bar, an Am Vets club, where the bartender, a WWII vet, believes a war against Iraq is a mistake. I know another veteran, Tom Sager, who visited Iraq recently to bring medicine to children (risking imprisonment for breaking sanctions). He vehemently opposes the war. I’m sure you are familiar with Veterans for Peace, which includes thousands of members. And there is a group of Gulf War veterans forming in opposition to the proposed war against Iraq.

Certainly, there are past wars in which American soldiers truly sacrificed their lives for the freedoms we not only have a right, but a duty, to exercise today. However there are also plenty of misguided wars. Sacrifices made by American soldiers in this proposed war against Iraq will not be a sacrifice for the American people, but a sacrifice for the political gain of rich politicians and financial gain of oil and weapons industries (industries tightly intertwined with these same rich politicians). This is absolutely not an insult to those who serve. It is their duty to follow orders, and when those orders tend toward exploitation rather than true defense, it is the duty of the citizens to stand up to the Commander in Chief.

I believe that not only would a war against Iraq not bring us greater security, I believe it would bring us greater insecurity by fomenting more anti US sentiment, creating additional instability, and constructing a situation which Saddam would be more likely to use whatever weapons he has (this is warned by the CIA).

Most importantly is the moral equation. If we don’t go to war, there is a possibility that Saddam may use WMD against his own people or people in the region, or possibly people in the US if a delivery system were devised. That is a possibility. It is a certainty, however, that if we go to war, thousands, tens of thousands, or even a hundred thousand plus people will die. That’s a certainty. The Gulf War caused over 200,000 dead, and ousting Saddam could mean even more. On one hand, we have a possibility and on the other we have a certainty. Morally, I choose the grim possibility rather than the grim certainty. Going to war is like playing Russian roulette with a pistol instead of a revolver.

Also, going to war isn’t the only option to get rid of Saddam or prevent him from developing WMD. There are plenty of other actions we could be taking rather than using or threatening force, and in fact, these actions may be more effective in the long term. Nonviolent methods have been used with great success over and over again throughout history. In all the years since the Gulf War, why haven’t any other ideas been implemented? Why hasn’t there even been a discussion in the mainstream about alternative actions?

Why? Because the arm-chair soldiers (Clinton, Bush) would like us to believe that the only options are war and inaction. To the public, “doing something” seems like a better option than “doing nothing.” From the perspective of the powerful, sending other people’s kids off to war doesn’t take as much intelligence, creativity, and courage as does devising more sure and effective but not-so-politically expedient alternatives.

Believe me, I have heard the arguments made for going to war – over and over and over again. Like almost half of all Americans, I remain unconvinced. Am I just stupid? I invite you to convince me.

I also invite you to explain why the President blocked an independent commission to look into 9/11 for over a year until it became politically impossible to stop it. When the commission became inevitable, the Whitehouse actively lobbied to weaken it, appointed a chairperson to the commission who resigned because his conflicts of interest risked exposure, then appointed another chairperson who has been found to have business associations with the Saudi royal family and others who are on the list of suspects.

The President and his friends blocked, postponed, and presently continue to sabotage the investigation for which the victims’ families have been fighting. Meanwhile, they use the victims of 9/11 to justify whatever they want to do no matter how far removed from the threat, be it a missile defense system costing in the hundreds of billions of dollars, invading Iraq, or forking over billions of dollars in subsidies to big business. From my perspective, I have no reason to trust what these people say.

In addition to screwing over 9/11 victims’ families, Bush and Pals have also done a good job of screwing over veterans.

And you call MY actions treasonous?

Although I believe your viewpoint is threatening to the safety and freedom of America, I wouldn’t call your actions to support the proposed war treasonous because I do believe that you have America’s best interest at heart. But you call my actions treasonous. Do you truly believe that I want to harm America? If you think that in order to be against this war one must be a traitor, then that leads me to believe you are not very familiar with the reasoning of those who are against the war out of patriotic concern.

I suspect that these arm-chair soldiers that are pushing for war care more about their business dealings and their own power than the safety and freedom of the American people. They are the traitors.

After over a year of relying on military force to defend against a decentralized, transnational network of individuals tied together only by their hate for America, where are we? The CIA says we’re no safer than we were on September 10, 2001. Where is bin Laden? Anti-American hate is on the rise. The current methods of the war on terrorism have proven to be a failure.

Relying on military force to fight terrorism is like using a sledgehammer against a swarm of flies. Completely ineffective if not counterproductive. It’s time to drain the swamp. The cesspool that breeds terrorists is a mixture of many things, one of which includes our own foreign policy.

Bush says this is a new kind of war, but he’s using the same old methods. Before the Bush administration, Clinton relied on the same methods, just to a smaller degree. It’s time to stop following this failed model and do something that works, lest we end up like Israel.


Sincerely,

Ryan Amundson ryan@peacefulsolutions.org

greensideout
01-12-03, 09:15 PM
Ryan makes some very good points here and some very bad ones as well.

I'm not at all for war. I want peace.

That's why I think we should blow the hell out of those that disturb it.

wrbones
01-12-03, 09:25 PM
Thanks GSO! I damn near fergot the KISS principle! :D

greybeard
01-12-03, 11:14 PM
Originally posted by greensideout
Ryan makes some very good points here and some very bad ones as well.

I'm not at all for war. I want peace.

That's why I think we should blow the hell out of those that disturb it.
Boy's I think I've found me a home-I like it!
(Ya'll do let old air wingers in here dontcha?)
Don

wrbones
01-12-03, 11:38 PM
Greybeard!


Welcome Home, Marine! Hell,if they don't let old Wingers in here, I'm screwed! LOL

Rotorhead here, Brother 76-83

Barndog
01-13-03, 04:38 AM
Ya me too.... although I was a grunt first ( real live grunt at 1/5) HML-267 is whar my heart is.