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OPINION
| UPDATED JAN. 22
On the Brink of War
America throws the word ‘war’
around without knowing what it means
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| The Shorthorn: David DeGrand |
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War is an easy word — three letters,
one syllable and horrific meaning. It is easy to say, easy to talk
about and easy to throw around — yet we fail to realize its
meaning.
We speak so casually of invading Iraq and changing its government.
We believe in video game smart bombs and elite troops. We do not
understand human rights abuse and weapons of mass destruction. Truthfully,
what we speak of is hypocrisy, murder and oil.
Clearly, this war is not about removing Saddam Hussein from power
to protect the world. It is about establishing global dominance.
America is the new empire, and oil is its drug. We are fighting
for our next high.
Madman, dictator and barbarian are titles of convenience. When Hussein
was interested in fighting Iran, we gave him money, satellite intelligence
and the biological weapons he needed to destroy the then invading
Iranian army.
With promises of a U.S.-friendly government, America would give
him the world on a silver platter in exchange for the black heroin
we need. Things went a bit sour, and we got burned by our own selfish
interests — Taliban part deux.
Only 300 Americans died fighting a “bloodless” war 10
years ago — mostly from friendly fire and accidents. Thousands
of Iraqis died.
The death toll keeps growing. Most Iraqi deaths have resulted not
from bombs and guns but from the lack of food due to economic sanctions
spearheaded by Uncle Sam. For the last 10 years, Iraq has been in
a state of third-world despair, surviving only by trading its expensive
oil for cheap food — an act of “charity” from America.
Economic sanctions only cull a fervent hatred of America and the
western world by the people they starve to death.
In a time of fear and half-truths, this country is using World Trade
Center fanaticism to front an international never-ending war on
terrorism and “evil.” In the name of protecting our nation,
we destroy any opposition to our way of thought.
War means death, destruction, violence and corruption. People will
die and continue to die. Blood will be spilled not by the politicians
and oil barons who want this but from the taxpaying public who will
fight.
Our White House cowboy speaks of terror, evil, freedom and democracy
while his policies line the pockets of campaign contributors with
the economic benefits of military action, while he restricts the
press’ access to war-zones and while he continues to be a tool
of the corporate interest.
No direct evidence links Iraq to a grave threat to national security.
There are no published pictures as with the Cuban Missile Crisis,
no convincing arguments being made — no ‘smoking gun.’
War will carve up the globe into “good-versus-evil.” Bush
described it best: “You’re either with us or against us.”
By going to war, we kill the fathers of sons who will grow up to
hate the United States. By going to war, we murder.
Micheal Frenti has it right, “You can bomb the world to pieces,
but you can not bomb the world to peace.”
— Jeremy Hollinger is a philosophy junior and The Shorthorn
opinion editor.
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