In the Beginning

About a year ago I was in Kinkos sending some faxes and there was a line for the fax machine so I decided to check out what was on television to pass the time. It was one of those political debate shows like CNN Crossfire where opponents from the two major parties in the US squared off against each other.

The program was about the [at the time] recent Enron scandal. The Republican on the show kept on dismissing the Democrats attempts to describe the scandal as an indictment of the Bush administration especially with regards to Dick Chenney's relationship with Enron. At one point the Republican stated that "if we were bombing Iraq right now no one would care about Enron" to which the Democrat replied in a shocked tone "But that would be wagging the dog" to which the Republican replied "So what?".

Fast forward one year and one more corporate scandal later, they actually pulled it off.

Shoot First Ask Questions Later

Many people wonder where the impetus to attack Iraq came from given that the original furor had been caused by Bin laden and the War on Terror^tm. The first rumblings of this came from the announcement of the First Strike doctrine which redirected the focus of the nation from capturing the masterminds behind the worst terrorists acts ever committed on US soil to making war on nations arbitrarily chosen as enemies because they possess or may possess nuclear capabilities. Unsurprisingly the US ignored the established nuclear powers that have been [somewhat] allies like France, Britain, China and Russia. Upstart nations like Pakistan, India, and North Korea were also ignored while a nation with no history of nuclear proliferation besides some speculation by intelligence agencies was targetted for invasion.

However those in favor of the invasion perhaps giddy from the easy victory in Afghanistan have failed to consider the ramifications of an invasion regardless of whether successful or not. Their memories seem to be short given that just over a year ago the news networks couldn't stop pointing out that the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization used attacks against muslim countries as major fodder for recruitment drives where they painted the US as an anti-Muslim, imperialist nation. These people fail to consider what this action will have on America's relationship with it's allies and semi-allies like China. These people fail to consider the fact that the economy is failing, high tech jobs are moving overseas as states cut education funding which is not a good harbinger for the future, many work below their skill level, and more while the government quietly discontinues gathering statistics about the economy that are too negative. However given that the American people have allowed themselves to be distracted by bread and circuses or in this case tax cuts and War with Iraq^tm perhaps they do know what they are doing. I also wonder whether anyone has whether anyone has clearly stated what the plan for post-war Iraq will be. Colonization and occupation of the country? Election of a US friendly president? Leaving Saddam or one of his sons in power sans nukes if any? So many questions, so few answers.

North Korea

The passive treatment of North Korea by the current administration compared to its harsh treatment of Iraq despite the former's belligerence versus the latter's cooperation is so farcical that it can only be best described in parody. So I leave you with the thoughts of Aaron McGruder and the good folks at the Onion

• Bush On North Korea: "We Must Invade Iraq"
  
  
• Even though North Korea actually has nuclear weapons, is currently making more and could have the capability to strike the US in the near future, Iraq is much more dangerous

Use It or Lose It

The quote from the original article that moved me to post this diary is this one

They tell me that we are going to war to protect our homes from the evils of the world, and perhaps they are right; There are evil men with evil intents who should be stopped in this world, but right now that is becoming an increasingly small concern next to the worry that I might have no home to protect. The funny part is that I, to some extent, support them. Everyone supports the soldiers, of course, its not their fault they're there, but I support the President. I do not believe we should go to war, as he hasn't proved that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, but if he can prove that they do, we should intervene, for our safety, the safety of Iraq's citizens, and the safety of our neighbors, allies, and even enemies.

which basically boils down to if Iraq has a nuclear program then the US is justified in killing thousands of Iraqi citizens even though having a nuclear program is not unique to Iraq unique [see previous sections] nor has Iraq been directly aggressive towards the US. This kind of thinking is positively frightening to me but one I am sure a number of Americans share. Heck, in the past year and a half I've seen many profess online that the murder of millions {i.e. nuclear attacks in Afghanistan or the Middle East) are justified if it increases their feeling of safety so the above does not seem so despicable in that light. In fact, the United States has gone mad. I only pray that people come to their senses before it is too late.



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Disclaimer: The above comments do not represent the thoughts, intentions, plans or strategies of my employer. They are solely my opinion.