By Deb Della Piana
I was watching a BBC broadcast about the protests marking
the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq and came to the conclusion that the
American public either has ADD or someone, maybe Dick Cheney, is spiking the
public drinking water supply with LSD. I found myself becoming infuriated with
the fact that the American people actually think the “war is going pretty well
right now.” Those were the reporter’s
exact words. I made it a point to write them down because I couldn’t believe
what I was hearing. The propaganda about the “surge” working is apparently
being bought lock, stock and barrel. I’m trying to understand how this
administration could possibly have earned this level of trust, particularly
since everything about this war is based on outright lies.
The lies are a matter of public record.
A complete summary of the 935 lies manufactured by the Bush administration
to justify the Iraq war, which of our public officials told them and
when they were told can be seen at www.publicintegrity.org. Let there be absolutely no mistake here.
What was done is both illegal and impeachable. George Bush looked the
American people and Congress in the eye and lied and his minions, even
Colin Powell, followed suit. They lied about weapons of mass destruction.
They lied about finding a bio-weapons lab. They lied about Iraq trying
to purchase yellowcake uranium from Niger. They lied about Saddam Hussein
being involved in the 9-11 terrorist attacks. They continue to lie about
this war. So, please, tell me again why Americans should believe one
word out of our commander-in-chief’s mouth about the surge “working”.
However, beyond the “illegal” aspect, I am ashamed that the American
people could buy into a war that is so immoral on so many fronts.
Americans talk about Iraq like it’s
nothing more than a mass of land. It isn’t. It’s a country made
up of people just as is America. Until we invaded their country, Iraqis
got up every day, went to work and took care of their families. While
we sat glued to our television sets and reveled in the “shock and
awe” of America’s military might, innocent men, women and children
were dying for absolutely no good reason at all. More than a million
Iraqis have died in this war, and at least two million have been displaced.
Of course, Americans can assuage themselves by buying into the lie that
the “surge” has resulted in decreased violence. While it’s true
that there were fewer deaths in January (20 deaths a day due to political
violence), there were increases in February (29 deaths a day) and March
(39 deaths a day). While Dick Cheney was spinning his rosy view of the
war during his unannounced visit to Iraq earlier this week, one of the
deadliest days ever was unfolding in Karbala, where a suicide bombing
killed 50 people and injured dozens more. The so-called “surge”
is going in the opposite direction of what the administration wants
you to believe.
Of course, it’s easy for Americans
to look casually at war. We”ve never had a war on our own soil. We”ve
not been displaced. We”ve not had a first-hand look at the violence
of war and the innocent lives lost for the missteps our leaders take.
We don’t worry about going to the market to buy food and perhaps dying
in a roadside bombing. Yes, we look at images on a television, but we
really only see what the perpetrators want us to see and we can turn
it off any time we want. American culture glorifies and romanticizes
war. It rarely focuses on its destructive effects. And while our president
referred to the 9-11 terrorists attacks as being “at war,” what
happened in New York City on September 11, 2001 pales in comparison
to what has been going on in Iraq for the past five years.
Lest I’m accused of being a terrorist
sympathizer or an unpatriotic citizen, I have not forgotten that we
are approaching 4,000 American deaths in Iraq for a war that has had
absolutely nothing to do with protecting our nation from attack. This
senseless war is not about fighting for freedom or protecting the American
way of life. It is not about avenging the terror attacks of 9-11. While
some Americans seem to find comfort in the belief that we are fighting
the good fight, the facts are that Iraq was not involved in the terrorists
attacks and that America was never threatened or in imminent danger
from Iraq. Even one American soldier’s death in Iraq would be too
high a price to pay for this unjustifiable war.
President Bush has played the “God-is-with-us”
card time and time again when justifying the invasion of Iraq, painting
himself as God’s freedom warrior. Whether you”re Christian, Jewish,
Buddhist, or Protestant, the notion that any “god” would approve
of the death and destruction and the not-so-holy-acts of torture and
abuse going on in Iraq is repugnant. It is the most immoral position
of all for this president to take. And Americans who stand side-by-side
with President Bush on the issue of Iraq should be considered immoral
as well. It is time for Americans to look beyond their own comfort zone
and demand an end to it.