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Readers’ Views on War and Peace

U.S. responsibility in postwar Iraq

The war is over. The battle for Baghdad has been won. No amount of equivocating can disguise the gleam of victory in the eyes of our war cabinet and generals. Aircraft carriers will begin peeling away from the Persian Gulf. The occupation has begun.

In a sense, pro-war and anti-war folks—patriots all, in that they want the best for America—should now be able to find common ground. We are relieved that deaths of young American men and women have been minimal, given the size of the operation. Few are sorry to see an end to the fascist Baath Party regime of Hussein.

Looking ahead, we fervently pray for true democratization and stability throughout the Middle East and beyond. Finally, we hope to see a day when America’s descent, for whatever reasons, into the status of world villain will be arrested and reversed.

Recognizing this new phase of occupation, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld became quite exercised, almost venomous, in his attack on the media for reporting the disastrous looting which swept Baghdad.

I paraphrase his outburst. “Oh, my goodness! I’ve never seen anything like this in the press! We’ve got a victory celebration here! The pressure is off these people. Come on! They are free people now and free people are free to make mistakes!”

While Mr. Rumsfeld’s reading of the Iraqi psyche may be correct, when he assigns mistakes, his woeful omission is himself and his colleagues.

The U.S. knew that all hell was likely to break loose once the conquest was complete. As occupiers, we are directly responsible for any chaos that ensues. That which is unavoidable can be understood and perhaps pardoned. That which is avoidable must draw the attention and ire of pro- and anti-war patriots alike. 

A glaring case in point is the pillaging of the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad, which housed a collection of civilization’s most ancient artifacts, some 6,000 years old. As reported by The New York Times and National Public Radio, an estimated 170,000 pieces were stripped away in two days of looting. The magnitude, wealth and beauty of the collection are known the world over and experts of cultural antiquity are stunned.

Was this mournful side effect of war preventable? You decide.

After the first Gulf War, experts alerted the Defense Department that nine out of Iraq’s 13 regional museums were plundered. Before this war, the Defense Department was supplied with a prioritized list of cultural and archaeological sites in need of protection. The National Museum of Iraq was at the top of the list. Granted, our soldiers have been busy with their objectives and self-defense, but a single Abrams tank firing over the head of the looters emptied the museum in minutes. The tank left and the looting resumed.

When Rumsfeld’s fiery castigation of the press is recalled, we are forced to discern something beyond rational argumentation. Clearly on the ropes for muffing the opening hours of U.S. occupation in Iraq, Rumsfeld lashed out defensively. Some may call it spin, others may dismiss it as “usual war-time propaganda.”

However, given the Bush administration’s proclivity toward secrecy, deceit and self-righteous intolerance of opponents, Rumsfeld’s remarks need to be considered as something more sinister. He is signaling that, First Amendment rights notwithstanding, dissent will be viewed in peacetime even as it was in wartime—unhelpful and unpatriotic. His outburst bullies and cows the pliant press and ordinary citizens into quiet submission.

Perhaps the State Department, Tony Blair and most of the world’s leaders are correct in opposing the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld insistence on U.S. domination in the administration of postwar Iraq. Maybe, just maybe, the UN and a broad international coalition might lend greater legitimacy to the eventual disposition of Iraq’s resources and governance, thereby helping to prevent world opinion from jumping to the inevitable conclusion that U.S. corporations—with their myriad of post and present administration officials embedded deeply on the boards of big oil, in particular—are being handed an uncontested monopoly in reconstruction contracts and a leg up on future business within the context of a regime anointed by America.

And maybe, just maybe, with a little humility and a little help from our friends, we will avoid the preventable mistakes, like our boorish disregard for the National Museum of Iraq.

Just a museum, you say, just another casualty of war? Tell that to the outraged archaeologist, Abdul Ridhar Muhammed, who, standing amid the shattered display cases intoned, “a country’s identity, its value and civilization resides in its history. If a country’s civilization is looted, as ours has been here, its history ends. Please tell this to President Bush. Please remind him that he promised to liberate the Iraqi people, but that this is not a liberation, this is a humiliation.”

Peter Comstock
Glen Spey, NY

What is the peace crowd thinking now?

To the editor:

As I watch the Iraqi people celebrate the freedom that President Bush and the coalition of the willing Americans have brought to them, I can’t help but wonder what all the people who are against the war to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction and liberate the Iraqi people are feeling.

It seems to me that if they are to be honest with themselves and consistent with their beliefs, then they must feel saddened and maybe angry, but certainly confused, by what the American military has brought to the Iraqi people: Freedom from oppression by their leaders. Freedom from torture chambers and rape rooms. Freedom from having their children taken from them and thrown in prison or murdered. Freedom to dance and cheer and assemble in the streets. Freedom to say what they want to say. And it seems that a lot of Iraqis are saying “Thank you.”

The peace crowd kept saying, “Give the inspectors more time.” More time would have kept Saddam Hussein in power longer, and caused more murders of innocent Iraqi men, women, and children.

Many anti-war people wrote on these pages “not in my name” and “we support the troops but not this war.” To say “we support the troops but not the war” is completely ridiculous. That’s like saying “we support the firefighters, but not putting out the fire.” You can’t support the troops and not their mission. The two are inseparable.

Katherine Dodge, Mort Malkin, Joseph Edward Vallely, Bruce Shor, Zeke Boyle, John Miller, Morton Sunshine, Skip Mendler, and many others all spoke out on these pages against this war to liberate the Iraqi people. What are these people feeling, thinking, and talking about today? Are they thinking to themselves “maybe we were on the wrong side of this issue?” I doubt it.

What did they think and feel when they saw statues of Saddam Hussein fall to the cheering Iraqi people? What did they think and feel when they saw that statue’s head dragged through the streets with people, laughing and cheering, riding on it and hitting it with their shoes? What did they think and feel when they saw the newly freed Iraqi people hug and kiss the soldiers who helped to set them free?

I know what I felt.

I felt happiness for the Iraqi people. I felt proud of the men and women of our military for the sacrifice that they make for freedom. I felt proud to be an American.

Now, thanks to people like President Bush, who know that sometimes it may be difficult and dangerous to do what is right, who are willing to hold the line and never waver from the path, the Iraqi people will once again have a chance to live a peaceful life and be proud of their own country.

Van Fuller
Cochecton, NY

Cuts to veterans benefits are disturbing

To the editor:

This is a letter from Waynepeace to the community.

We are dedicated to non-violent solutions to world problems.

This is a spiritual time for many. Easter carries the message of compassion and reconciliation. Passover reminds us of the joy of liberation from oppression. We, of Waynepeace, are of many religions and beliefs, but think that Christ’s teachings about peace and brotherhood communicate values worthy of all beliefs. During this special time, we hope that all people can find it in their hearts to show compassion for the victims on both sides of the war in Iraq.

We are disturbed that the Bush Administration has seen fit to cut benefits for veterans in its latest budget proposal. We are worried about the possible closing of the Wilkes-Barre Veterans’ Hospital. Veterans struggle to get benefits and, in some cases, wait months to see Veterans Administration doctors. With these latest cuts, we are concerned that our returning veterans will also be denied the support they deserve. We are concerned about their mental health. They have witnessed death, both of fellow soldiers and of innocent civilians. By having to follow orders, they have been expected to suspend moral judgment, which brings us back to Christ’s teachings and to the opposition of this war as immoral and unjust by most of the world’s religious leaders, including the Pope.

The long-suffering people of Iraq are in desperate need of help. They have endured sanctions, war and the destruction of the basic necessities for survival. So we invite you to join us in sending contributions for humanitarian aid through the organizations listed below.

Oxfam America, PO Box 1745, Boston, MA 02105-1745. Make checks payable to “Oxfam America.” Designate “Iraq Relief” on check. Online donations: oxfamamerica.org 

American Friends Service Committee, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19102 Make checks payable to “AFSC.” Designate “Iraq Relief” on check. Online donations: afsc.org.

We will continue to work for peaceful resolutions to conflict. To not do so means danger for all the world’s communities. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, in a world of dangerous weapons, the choice is not between violence and nonviolence, but between nonviolence and non-existence.

Katharine Dodge, Waynepeace spokesperson
Honesdale, PA

To the editor:

I am a veteran, having served during WWII, along with four of my brothers.

I have been against this war long before it got started, simply because the poor and middle class are the ones that have to shed their blood and die for political reasons.

As for the people demonstrating against this war now, it’s too late. It might be better to support our troops and by all means call their representatives after this war. Demand the return of our troops, no more pre-emptive strikes on Iran or Syria.

The Bush administration is being pressured right now to do just that.

Gene Reynolds
Spring Hill, FL

To the editor:

During my free time, I listen to radio talk shows. These talk shows are very interesting and in many instances, educational, especially during this time of grave crisis. The opinion of the listeners or callers are sharply divided, but as I noticed, the majority respectfully supports our dedicated young Americans, who, by serving our country, sacrifice their lives for freedom and a better world. They are highly trained and achieve their assignment with intense courage and honor. Sure enough, freedom does not come free. As we know from history, our freedom was bought and paid for with American blood. We all agree that the war is hell. War brings suffering, destruction and death, but sometimes war is necessary for a greater good.

To encourage our troops, to show them our support, we should proudly display our flags at this time, as we did it the first days after World Trade Center disaster. And most of all, we should pray that they all come home safely. When they joined the military, they took an oath to obey the Commander-in-Chief and it is exactly what these brave men and women are doing. They are not politicians.

And here is a lesson to the caller on the radio talk show who suggested that President George W. Bush should resign from office for his decision to attack Iraq because he did not receive the majority of the popular votes. Let me remind this caller that the President of United States is elected to his office by the Electoral College, not on the basis of the popular vote. If I am not wrong, former President Bill Clinton never received a majority of the popular votes, yet he was elected twice and received fewer votes in the Electoral College than President George W. Bush. And he (President Clinton) sent our troops to Kossovo without consulting the United Nations.

Bohdan Kandiuk
Glen Spey, NY

Is your life really different
since September 11?

To the editor:

I’ve had enough of this “since September 11 things are different” assertion. It seems like it rolls off of people’s tongues so easily like a new pledge of allegiance. The pre-September 11 vs. post-September 11 issue is used over and over again in editorials and even by the journalists in major newspapers and reporters on major broadcasting stations. But do we really live in a different world? Has your life changed? Apart from two buildings (which we plan to replace with larger ones) and the 3,000 dead and their families, what is different in your life in this “different world”?

Israel and Palestine were in the same heated exchange. Zimbabwe and other African countries experience the same political difficulties. In places where things were okay pre-September 11, they are most likely okay today. The same can be said almost everywhere across the globe. The world hasn’t changed. What has changed is that we as Americans went (and are still) on a bandwagon of flag waving. We, as Americans, also went from living in what seemed to be good times, easy living, to living in fear, and what I now hear referred to as hard times. And we have used that fear to justify rampaging the world, Afghanistan first, Iraq second, where’s next, who cares, we’ve got September 11 on our side to justify it.

So next time you hear or use the assertion that we live in a different world since September 11, stop and think about what you were doing on 9/10. Is that any different than what you are doing today? Has your life mission changed? How different are your immediate surroundings? With a few exceptions, I would bet that most people’s lives have not changed, only their perceptions.

Andrew Bosley
Scranton, PA
 
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