Well, here we are. Bombs are dropping, the dying
has started, and our country of ignorant, blind allegiance-pledging sheep has
sanctioned yet another massacre for profit in the name of “liberating the
oppressed.” Never mind the fact that millions of people spoke out against
our non-elected Commander-in-Chief’s hell-bent course of action, or that
Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix and Ex-Marine and former UN Weapons Inspector
Scott Ritter stated repeatedly that weapons of mass destruction didn’t
exist and that more time was needed, or that the report of supposed proof of
Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction presented by Colin Powell to the U.N.
was plagiarized, or that of the 535 members of Congress, only one (Sen. Johnson
of South Dakota) has an enlisted son or daughter in the armed forces, or that
GOP-contributors the Bechtel Group Inc., Fluor Corp., Halliburton Co. subsidiary
Kellogg, Brown & Root, Louis Berger Group Inc., and Parsons Corp have all
been asked to submit bids for the rebuilding of Iraq’s infrastructure,
again sadly proving the argument that this is indeed a slaughter for profit.
Never mind these facts, no. Never mind the fact
the the Hallibuton Corporation, of which our Vice-President was once CEO, has
been awarded a contract to oversee firefighting operations in Iraqi oilfields,
and will probably be instrumental in the rebuilding effort, just as it was in
the Gulf War after we bombed Iraq in 1991, to the tune of $23.8 million dollars.
This will probably be lost on my fellow Americans.
It certainly has been lost on our conservative -bending Bush-complicit media.
I can almost hear the conservatives now. “Where
were you when Clinton bombed Bosnia…blah, blah, blah…” Is this the
best they can do? That’s a moot point at this juncture. People are dying
in a war that is unjust and the media has simply sat on it’s collective
hands. Where’s the independent investigation into 9-11? Gone forever, I
suppose. This is now more relevant then ever because the entire chain of events
which have transpired since 9-11 (the reduction of civil liberties, rampant
profiteering and the demonization and imperialist invasions of lessor-developed
countries) have occurred because of 9-11. How come I can find all this information
from credible sources online but they can’t? Because they don’t want
you to know, that’s why.
I’m sure some of them will say, “what’s a rapper doing commenting
on politics…blah, blah blah…” completely overlooking the fact that
I, too, am educated, and that they, in their arrogance and inherent racism,
don’t have the market cornered on analytical thought. What makes these
talking heads more qualified than me to speak out? Nothing.
Understand that today’s supposed "news"
is totally under the control of the Pentagon. We never see actual war footage
– babies dying, families slaughtered – just blips and far-away night vision
shots. The dehumanizing effect of all of this is that we are desensitized to
the atrocities of war. For most Americans, it is a temporary inconvenience that
we hope will be resolved quickly. A video game…cool! We can’t relate
to the horrors of war because we’ve never been attacked here. Remember
most of the war hawks have never served in the armed services and most of the
doves have.
So now we are faced with the paradox of wanting our soldiers–young men and
women who risk too much for too little pay–to come home in one piece. But supporting
our troops while they’re fighting an immoral and illegal war is misguided and
wrong. Members of our armed forces don’t deserve insults, but their role in
this war doesn’t merit support either. Cheering them as they leave and holding
parades when they return would certainly be misinterpreted by citizens of other
countries as popular support for an inglorious enterprise–and it would make
it easier for Bush to send them off again, to Iran or Libya or wherever.
Iraq has never attacked, nor threatened to attack,
the United States. As his 1990 invasion of Kuwait proved, Saddam is a menace
to his neighbors–Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel–but he’s their problem, not ours.
Saddam’s longest-range missiles only travel 400
miles.
Why Iraq? Why not North Korea, who has an intercontinental
ballistic missile capable of hitting the western United States and nuclear capability?
Why not Pakistan, who just unveiled its new HATF-4 ballistic missile? I’m
not calling for us to ride on these countries too, don’t get me wrong.
But if disarmament were Bush’s goal, shouldn’t those countries–both of which
have threatened to use nukes–be higher-priority targets than non-nuclear Iraq?
Iraq isn’t part of the war on terrorism. The
only link between Iraq and Al Qaeda is the fact that they hate each other’s
guts. And no matter how often Bush says "9/11" and "Iraq"
in the same breath, Saddam had nothing to do with the terror attacks.
That leaves freeing Iraqis from Saddam’s repressive
rule as the sole rationale for war. Is the U.S. in the liberation business?
Will Bush spread democracy to the numerous other places where people can’t vote,
speak freely or eat much? You be the judge. I wouldn’t bet on it.
Of course, it would be great if Iraqis were to
overthrow Saddam (assuming that his successor would be an improvement). But
regime change is up to the locals, not us. George W. Bush has led us to commit
an abhorrent crime, an internationally-unsanctioned invasion of a nation that
has done us no harm and presents no imminent threat.
We have killers on the payroll in the White House.
Ten Thing You Can Do To Stop The War On Iraq
1. Call or Fax the White House or the United
Nations Security Council to express your opposition to an invasion of Iraq.
The United States Congress has voted for going to war with Iraq – failing in
its duty to represent a deeply divided American public. But there are still
ways to stop this invasion. Contact the White House at 202-456-1111 (tel) or
202-456-2461 (fax). Appeal to the members of the UN Security Council to do everything
in their power to stop this war now! You can fax them directly from the Global
Exchange website with one click of your mouse.
2. Join the national mobilization to stop the war on Iraq by organizing an anti-war
event (a rally, march, vigil, teach-in, or other action) in your community.
Make sure to list your event on the website www.unitedforpeace.org. UnitedforPeace
also has plenty of exciting action ideas and tips.
3. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper saying why you oppose
the war on Iraq. Your letter should be from one to three paragraphs long. Possible
points to make include: the Administration has not presented an adequate justification
for going to war; Iraq does not pose a clear and present danger to the US; and
an invasion of Iraq would violate international law. You can find out where
to send your letters by looking on the letters to the editor page of your local
newspaper.
4. Email a friend and ask them to join you in
opposing the war. Send this list of things you can do to stop the war to a friend
along with a copy of Global Exchange’s Top Ten Reasons Why the US Should Not
Invade Iraq, available online at www.globalexchange.org.
5. Distribute flyers about why people should stop this war now. Good, heavily
trafficked locations include bus stops, subway stations, grocery stores, college
campuses, libraries, and churches, among other sites.
6. Organize a weekly vigil against the war at
the US federal building in your city, at the office of a Congressperson who
supports the war, or at another public place.
7. Call a press conference where local community
leaders, religious leaders, veterans, politicians, and others can speak out
against the war. Once you have some community leaders who are willing to speak
out against the war, determine the time and location of the press conference,
send a press release to local media outlets, and then follow up with a phone
call to tell editors and reporters what you’re doing.
8. Educate yourself about Iraq and the US accusations
against Saddam Hussein so you can discuss the issue with friends, family, and
even strangers. We won’t be able to stop this war if we can’t convince people
who don’t agree with us to come over to our position. Websites that have good
information include www.zmag.org, www.thenation.com, www.commondreams.org, www.alternet.org,
www.pacificnews.org and www.endthewar.org.
9. Place a "No War on Iraq" banner in a prominent public place. Even
if the banner is taken down within a few hours, people will see it while it’s
up, and they will realize that the opposition to this war is growing. You can
hang banners from freeway overpasses and out the windows of buildings in downtown
areas. It’s easy to make a banner: just use paint or markers on a white sheet.
10. Connect with the local peace group in your community. They will undoubtedly
have other ideas for how you can work to stop the war. Some peace groups that
have chapters in many cities and towns include Peace Action and the American
Friends Service Committee. You can also look at the events section on the United
for Peace website, and see what groups are sponsoring events in your community.
Or join Global Exchange’s moderated email listserve by sending a message here.
Paris is readying his anticipated album, Sonic
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