Wednesday, March 26, 2008

What, really, this late in the day, can anyone say?

US justifications for Iraq war were built on evidence of an accused thief on the run from the Iraqi government? Who was distrusted by the senior CIA and UN inspectors. But the US government went ahead anyway, starting an unneccessary war which killed ... well let's remind ourselves again :




Iraq Body Count web counter



+ over 4000 US service personel at the alleged cost of 3 trillion dollars.

Oh yeah, but we all have "fatigue" from this kind of story. We all know that the Republican machine is corrupt, dishonest, cynical, hate-spewing, mass-murdering and yet somehow utterly incompetent at anything except fooling the American public into voting for it. Somehow people just keep on ignoring this.

3 comments:

John Powers said...

This afternoon a neighbor, a dyed in the wool Republican, came to the house for a visit. He was wearing a "Preempt the War" button.

Tony Karon has a guest post by Alistair Crooke. Crooke dissects the myth of violence in the name of progress.

I mention my wise old Republican friend to point out as example how that dangerous myth doesn't divide neatly across partisan politics. The dilemma as an American is violence as progress is a widely shared view.

Thank you for your post and the link. You are a voice of reason. LOL seeing my friend wearing a button makes me feel it worthwhile to wear one too. Maybe someday we'll overcome our delusions about violence.

Composing said...

Yeah, the post was partisan. Maybe unfairly.

Agreed that there are war-hawks in the Democrats or UK Labour Party etc. I'm still very curious why your friend is a Republican given the dire moral black-hole that the party is in. What does he still see in them?

John Powers said...

About my friend being a Republican, I've always wondered how he actually votes. His lover is an outspoken activist and she says their votes merely cancel each other out. She would know better than I, but I still wonder how he actually votes.

His lover is an old friend about my age. Our generation never established such strong political identification with a politically party, even when we've both probably voted overwhelmingly for Democratic party candidates. But for my older friend being a Republican is an identity rather like being Catholic.

He's a good guy who does care about human suffering. Still a part of his disgust with war is that it's such an awful waste of money and therefore offends the virtue of thrift which he associates with his Republican identity.

I wore buttons for about a year or so. I am happy he never stopped wearing them.