NORTH ,
COAST '
JULY 2003
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‘In a dark time the eye begins to see ’
5 0 C E N T S
VOL25NO1
-THEODORE ROETH KE
GARY VISKUPIC
WHY IRAQ?
INTERVIEWS BY MICHAEL McCUSKER
The real war in Iraq has begun. The photo/op blitzKrieg is over. Now the war settles down
to a daily bitter skirmish that might last years — not quite a mirror image of Vietnam; but every
patrol and search and destroy incursion of the U.S. occupation forces against native insurgents
will probably kill or wound one or two or more Americans, and as in Vietnam the survivors will
overreact in revenge, most likely against noncombatants which will increase the hostility (also
like Vietnam).
The reconstruction of Iraq is taking on an aspect of deconstruction. Local elections
in Iraqi cities have been voided by the American viceroy and their positions filled with hand-
picked surrogates, most of them officers of the Iraq military and/or former Baathist party
members. Political and religious factions the U.S. attempts to exclude from participation in
the "democratization" of Iraq agitate for American withdrawal from the country.
Iraqi cities and military positions were relentlessly attacked with immense carnage during
the invasion phase of the war, first with missiles and jet bombers, next with artillery, tanks and
soldiers. No real count has been made of Iraqi dead, perhaps because the overwhelming
LEE MILLER
In a most un-Christian manner the executive
department, instead of turning the other cheek has done unto
others before it was done to us. Assuming Iraq had weapons
of mass destruction, as evidenced by their use against the
Kurds, where are they now? This issue was not important then
because Saddam Hussein was also murdering Iranian soldiers
whom the Reagan administration considered enemies at the
time. Saddam received chemical compounds from which to
derive nerve agents and microbes to culture from the U.S.
government. Why was a tyrant chosen as an ally, except for
the hypocrisy and expedience of Republican agenda?
It appears that although the CIA and FBI both insisted
that there was no information indicating the possession of these
weapons and United Nations inspectors found none prior to
occupation, President Bush employed a falsehood in order to
instill hatred and fear in America as an excuse and pretext for
invasion of Iraq. Bush has destroyed his own credibility and
rendered his provocative policies irrelevant.
It wasn’t just poor intelligence — rather Bush knew
better, and chose to lie about it. The objective was to force the
American people into a state of perpetual paranoia and anxiety
The legerdemain is to keep citizens apprehensive and enflamed
against a generalized 'other* in order to draw attention away
from atrocious Republican fiscal and social policies. Outrageous
deficit spending on arms and prisons, along with the destruction
of the Bill of Rights may proceed in the United States according
to the hidden Republican agenda. These tactics worked for the
Nazis in order to exterminate Jews and enslave the German
people. It is a pity that the American nation is gullible enough
to fall for this war propaganda and give away their rights
Under the auspices of a perpetual "war on terrorism,"
there will be no limit to the number of sovereign nations
invaded. However, as the Greeks, English and Russians
majority are obviously civilians and U.S. public affairs people are sensitive about revealing the
cost in their lives, probably for the fact that as resistance increases so will the death toll of Iraqis.
Their deaths or injuries are explained as unavoidable accidents — yet in a sense serve as partial
if distorted revenge for 9/11.
If indeed the real purpose of the war has been disguised with the charade of weapons of
mass destruction, it will soon be discovered in the postwar period of American occupation.
Contracts with U.S. firms to reconstruct Iraq are an intimation of the future. But most pertinent
will be if Iraq's oil fields and profits are turned over to Iraqis as promised. Now the spears rattle
for continued combat operations against unfriendly forces in Iraq, and American troops might
soon be ordered into invasion of yet another Middle East nation.
Anna Myers, who just graduated from Astoria High School, Class of 2003, asked a set
of questions about Iraq for a senior project (taught by Dale Flowers). Two of those questions
are the basis of the following interviews which are featured to commemorate this 24th anniver
sary issue of the resurrected NCTE (‘The Born Again Bird’):
What do you think of the Iraq War?
Do you have any concerns about the war?
learned, it is easy enough to invade a country like Afghanistan
or Iraq, but it will be a bloodbath to stay there. The fact is that
even our “allies" in Afghanistan and Iraq do not want us to stay.
The reason, in part, for attacking Afghanistan was to get
Osama bin Laden, and Iraq to get Saddam Hussein (aside from
control of the world's second largest oil reserve). From this view
point, the war on terrorism is an utter failure. Remember that
most of the people and money involved in the 9/11 atrocity were
from Saudi Arabia, by coincidence the largest oil reserve in the
world — therefore, Bush's war must ultimately lead the U.S. to
Mecca.
Afghanistan and Iraq were relatively easy to invade;
however it is expensive and deadly to post occupation garrisons
overseas, and as we annex more countries they will become
targets of guerrilla warfare. The economic costs will be crushing,
even to persons not yet born Every week a handful of soldiers
will be killed here and there. As our forces are slowly bled to
death, how long will Americans tolerate the growing number of
bodybags?
Iraq was never associated with 9/11 except through
propaganda The weapons of mass destruction embarrassingly
not having been found, the link between Saddam Hussein and
Al Qaida unproven, the Bush administration hype has been that
the occupation of Iraq is justified by a regime change in Iraq
Regime change /s good, and most importantly, look forward to
it in the Oval Office
A tainted interpretation of the Bible regards these as the
End Times' By this view, a crusade against the Islamic states is
a “just" war, and it is all right to spend future generations' money
on weapons and exploit resources unto extinction, since when
Armageddon comes, Jesus will resurrect and save all the smug,
self-righteous Republicans, cast everyone else into Hell, and
restore the earth
PAT LAVIS
The war on Iraq allows Great Britain and the United
States to allocate Iraqi oil and benefit from the income. We also
demonstrated we can conquer a small nation at will Did we
make a change?
There are no more death camps in Iraq, but there are
still some 49 nations where people still disappear Most of these
are our “friends" or don't possess oil reserves.
The U.S cited weapons of mass destruction in Iraq
There were and are none. What about nuclear powers India,
Pakistan and Korea? They really do have nukes!
Thousands of people died in this war, and casualties
continue to mount as we occupy the country. We were the
aggressor and Iraqis, even though free of Saddam Hussein,
resent that we remain.
Why have we ignored the United Nations and people
all over the world who did not want this war?
And what really is our motive? The dollar, of course
But has the war profited the U.S ? What have we lost in
exchange?
JOHN PAUL BARRETT
War? I saw an occupation, a rout, yet another country
left in near chaos, hospitals, museums unguarded, public utilities
destroyed, looted, hindsight, manipulation, lies, spin...and at the
very end of it all, greed, simple, unbridled avarice. What else
could it possibly be?
I see rising Nationalism in the guise of patriotism, civil
liberties and rights threatened, suspended, an already stacked
Supreme Court moving even farther to the right I see Fascism
writhing beneath, a world of good will and support squandered
by this administration like William Bennett at a crap table I see
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