In the political battle between America’s brainless and its gutless, agreement seems clear on one issue. They demand we remain in Iraq until the horrid mess we’ve created becomes somehow uncreated. Perhaps when an Iraqi teenager takes a gun to school and blows away a dozen classmates we will leave, since they will have finally achieved our level of democracy.
As the death toll and misery increase, the regime and its echo chamber opposition join in stressing the need for Americans to stay until we’ve corrected all our mistakes, no matter what it costs the Iraqis. A call for immediate troop withdrawal is, so far, drowned out in the din of agreement between the dreadful regime and its dismal opposition.
Will suicide car bombings have to strike America before a majority of the opposition calls for an end to this madness? Must we absorb more tragedy ourselves before we understand how much it hurts others? How many more lies will we tolerate before we demand the truth?
The cover story for destroying Afghanistan was finding Osama bin Laden – remember him? That fable seems forgotten; the warlords never left, the Taliban is back, the drug business flourishes, misery prevails, and our stylishly upscale puppet leader and his regime are helpless outside of downtown Kabul.
The bigger lies about Iraq’s hidden weapons are now as believable as its secret plan to invade Cleveland. Should we assume that those who produced these fables are not in jail due to our cherished freedom of expression? Or is it our incredible ignorance? Our freedom does not extend to people of Middle Eastern complexion who fit the terrorist profile formulated by those who profit from this murderous idiocy, inspired by godly revelation, performed with ungodly deceit.
Two years ago, the white house occupant boldly announced ‘mission accomplished’ to his troops. The only accomplishment was a staged photo-op with heroic leader wearing military drag, addressing a phalanx of fawning media stenographers, with backdrop of young warriors such as his wealth enabled him to avoid becoming when he was their age. It was great viewing, for fans of TV wrestling. But thousands have died since then, civil society has broken down, and a government of mostly former exiles has shown its only value is lap dog obedience to American and Israeli direction.
We have reduced a highly developed secular nation with an educated middle class, to a near anarchy of poverty, suffering and sectarian violence. Our military occupation is hated by most Iraqis, regardless of their politics or religion. The sectarian breakdown of their country benefits three forces: Christian fanatics who believe they are doing the work of god; Jewish fanatics who believe they are doing the work of god, and market fanatics who know they are doing the work of god. While the religionists plan their immaterial intimacy with the invisible king of the universe, the corporadoes get materially rich from rebuilding what their war has destroyed, and cash in on a massive theft of national wealth. But they are not alone in enjoying material benefit from Iraqi suffering.
Israel is especially pleased to see a once powerful Arab nation that refused to give it recognition and aided the Palestinians, reduced to chaos, division and weakness. It was Israel’s zealots among American policy makers who played a major role in getting the U.S. to invade Iraq. But whether one of these groups had more to gain should not be a subject for debate. That all are in league is what matters and must be confronted.
While the innocent are programmed to fear Islamic fundamentalism, it is the fanatic forces of Judeo-Christianity’s most dangerous sects, which are the real threat. The lunatic liaison of evangelical Christians, awaiting his rapturous destruction of everything in the universe but them, with believers in a Hebrew messiah and his real estate promise of their very own domain, represents a threat to humanity far more serious than alleged Islamic fundamentalism. The temporary unity enjoyed by these disturbed Judeo-Christians will eventually end and find them at each other’s throats in their scriptural war of immaterial prophecy. This could be good for humanity, if it only threatened their perverted pipe dreams. But given that these fanatics control the U.S. and Israeli governments and their nuclear arsenals, they could destroy everyone.
The staggering financial cost of this holy war has contributed to a growing loss of faith in the American government. Partisan battles over legislative procedure take precedence over real problems for those who find the cost of gasoline, health care and housing far more important than spending billions to destroy Iraq. Or raising millions for political combat over selecting judges most people won’t know or ever deal with. Dividing the nation into fictional blue state and red state opponents only makes sense to the minorities who actually participate in the political party with two wings; the center and the right. The majority of Americans work to support this insanity with their tax dollars. They grow more sickened by the power structure, and therein lay the hope.
If we continue interfering in other people’s lives, Iraq, and the Middle East, will be in our cities, our malls and on our highways. We need to avert the disaster of religious lunacy and a maniacal political economy, and take control away from forces bent on destruction. We are ruled by people who should be in an institution, not running it. Religious believers in a god of love, and secular believers in a humanity of love need to take matters out of the hands of irrational murders.
The reign of terror instituted by competitive fanatics who worship a god of demonic fear, represents a threat to the future of the human race. It must be so acknowledged, and dealt with. We should begin that process by getting all our troops out of Iraq. Immediately!
