On April 2, 2003, one of my non-conservative friends said:
We haven't had any type of 'war' discussion. For myself, I think the whole
thing is unnecessary but maybe others of you feel differently. I also have not
been able to make the leap from Osama Bin Laden to Saddam Hussain.
To which I replied:
Um, April Fools was yesterday...
Were you getting bored that there were only one or two posts a day recently?
Could you make the leap from Hitler to Hussain? Left unchecked, Saddam would
have developed worse weapons than he's ever had and he would have used them on
us or on our friends to blackmail us. He's not the first, he won't be the last.
In another post, I already predicted that we'll have homicide bombings here in
this country; and it won't be a result of this war - it will happen regardless.
This current battle is simply the result of our President following through and
doing what he said we'd do:
"Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any
other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes, visible on TV, and
covert operations, secret even in success. We will starve terrorists of
funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until
there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or
safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to
make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day
forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be
regarded by the United States as a hostile regime."
"Today, the gravest danger in the war on terror, the gravest danger facing
America and the world, is outlaw regimes that seek and possess nuclear,
chemical, and biological weapons. These regimes could use such weapons for
blackmail, terror, and mass murder. They could also give or sell those weapons
to terrorist allies, who would use them without the least hesitation."
"Twelve years ago, Saddam Hussein faced the prospect of being the last casualty
in a war he had started and lost. To spare himself, he agreed to disarm of all
weapons of mass destruction. For the next 12 years, he systematically violated
that agreement. He pursued chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, even while
inspectors were in his country. Nothing to date has restrained him from his
pursuit of these weapons -- not economic sanctions, not isolation from the
civilized world, not even cruise missile strikes on his military facilities."
"Year after year, Saddam Hussein has gone to elaborate lengths, spent enormous
sums, taken great risks to build and keep weapons of mass destruction. But why?
The only possible explanation, the only possible use he could have for those
weapons, is to dominate, intimidate, or attack."
"Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda.
Secretly, and without fingerprints, he could provide one of his hidden weapons
to terrorists, or help them develop their own."
"Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have
terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice
before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge,
all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late. Trusting in
the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an
option."
"If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, for the safety of our people and for
the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him."
"Americans are a free people, who know that freedom is the right of every person
and the future of every nation. The liberty we prize is not America's gift to
the world, it is God's gift to humanity."
Jim Krazy
And I was just floored when I received this incredulous reply:
I do not understand how we can impose our will, our morals (like we have any),
or our ideals on other people. If Hussein is killing his own people, who am I
to judge? I've said for a long time that most of the world's problems would go
away if half the people would. He's just helping my theory along. What we're
doing is no different than what we condemn in others. It's that old 'my way or
the highway' or in this case 'kingdom come,' philosophy. We are not entitled to
do that, but we are an arrogant, complacent, and stupid society. We think we
know what's best for everyone. We don't. In our history we've done our share
to fuck up the world. Look no further than the Native American Indian. All us
with European (English, French, Spanish) ancestry should be ashamed.
This war is for revenge, pure and simple. George W has said as much. He's
finishing what his father couldn't. It embarrasses me.
We have pressing problems in this country, the economy, our children (and I'm
not even a liberal), education, over-taxation. We don't need to be half way
across the world fighting with an insignificant despot. Oh yeah, I forgot, it's
about the oil, too. My question is, after all this time, since the first oil
embargo in the 1970s, why haven't we developed an alternative fuel. We're so
smart, aren't we?
Barry Goldwater was right!
I was so sickened that I could simply end with this:
You can't really mean this:
"If Hussein is killing his own people, who am I to judge?"
If I were beating my own wife and my own children, who are you or society to
judge? -- this is so ridiculous I just can't believe it.
If we along with England did not step in to stop Hitler, he would have
exterminated every Jew (and then the Christians). And you can't say that
Christians did it 1000 years ago so it must be OK now. You can't say that if
one is allowed to do a wrong, then another should be allowed to do a wrong. I
am a sinner, but that does not mean it is OK to sin. And this does not mean
that I can't preach against sinning. This is NOT hypocrisy.
It is RIGHT to stop Hussein now. It was RIGHT to stop Hitler then.
This is not an argument of some dictator who is mistreating his people. He is
KILLING them and we would have been next.
Laws are EXACTLY imposing our will on other people. And laws are based on
MORALS. And some morals are self-evident. They have nothing to do with this
society or that society. You just KNOW is it wrong to murder someone.
I might be ARROGANT; but I am NOT complacent and I am definitely not stupid.
You ALL know I'm right. You just HATE George Bush so much that you can't be on
the same side of the argument as he is.
It is disgusting that any of you would side with Iraq before you own country. I
AM ashamed.
Jim Krazy
