On Saturdays, most of the space on the op-ed page in the local rag is given over to an expanded Letters section. I was reading it just now, and saw two letters that made me think that I live in a different universe from the writers.
The first
letter reads as follows:
Act like patriots
All those foolish, frightened Americans who constantly criticize the president about the war in Iraq are similar to the cowardly Europeans who saw no harm in Adolf Hitler until it was too late. They, however, had the good old USA to come in and clean up their mess. Unfortunately the United States doesn't have that kind of leisure today. We either win or we die. So all you Americans, pull up your sleeves, whether you are journalists, professors or politicians, and act as patriots for a change. When the war is over, you can get back to your ranting and raving against the president (unless, or course, he is a Democrat).
So, we're all a bunch of Neville Chamberlains, ignoring the
Nazi Terrorist threat, because we Hate America.
If nothing else, I wonder if anyone has ever told the author of this letter that the US started fighting Hitler more than 2 years after those "cowardly Europeans" did?
The second letter writer invokes the Evil Name (Cindy Sheehan) and then attempts to prove that attacking Iraq was a good idea:
Reasons for war
I should have written this letter two years ago, but I didn't. I'm doing it now.
It seems that Cindy Sheehan, whose son died in Iraq, and others opposed to the war are unable to decide for themselves why we have invaded Iraq.
Here are some reasons for them to consider:
- Sept. 11, 2001. After Pearl Harbor, we attacked Japan. So whom do we go after this time-no one?
- Worldwide terrorism. The 2004 National Geographic has documented 28 terrorist groups, with Al Qaeda, the deadliest, operating in 68 countries worldwide.
- Prevention of future terrorist bases in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- A way to demonstrate to the rest of the world that we mean business and need its help.
- A way to point out to countries that harbor and abet terrorists that they are no friends of ours and will be treated accordingly.
- The removal of a power-hungry, madman dictator who could, and would, be a potential danger to world peace.
- The setting-up, it is hoped, of a democracy in Iraq, to demonstrate to the people of the Middle East that freedom is possible for everyone.
- The prevention of Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia and controlling the Saudi oil fields.
- A way to enable the Iraqi oil money to go to the people of Iraq, instead of to Saddam Hussein and his nefarious projects.
- Israel. Need I say why?
- The removal of military bases from Saudi Arabia to Iraq. These bases in Saudi Arabia were a major sore spot to the Muslim terrorists.
- Any other reasons are secret and classified. The American people cannot be privy to confidential information that would compromise our ability to protect our country and our lives. Telling our enemy everything we know could very well tell them how we came to know it.
Twelve reasons why we went to war and nothing about weapons of mass destruction. Really!
(note: the original had a bulleted list. I put in numbering for ease of reference below).
So, let us take these in order, shall we?
- After Pearl Harbor, we did indeed attack Japan. We did not, however, attack Argentina. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
- Again, this has what to do with Iraq?
- There were essentially no terrorist bases in Iraq until we invaded and made it a terrorist magnet. Afghanistan is a different case; there was far more justification for attacking the Taliban than there was for attacking Saddam.
- We went to war to prove the size of our national penis? God help us. On second thought, given Commander Codpiece's Excellent Aircraft Carrier Adventure, there's a certain plausibility to this theory. Hint to future letter writers: "Hulk SMASH" is not a foreign-policy instruction manual.
- See above
- Saddam may have been a power-mad dictator, but he was nicely bottled up and had been for the last decade. We kept the Soviet Union contained for half a century; why was Iraq so much more dangerous?
- I like that 'it is hoped'. Iraq may someday become a beacon of freedom and prosperity, but don't hold your breath.
- See containment above.
- By "Iraqi people", I assume that he means "Bechtel and Halliburton". Because that seems to be where most of the money is going right now.
- Israel. When did Saddam last attack Israel?
- Wait, I'm confused. I thought we shouldn't be appeasing terrorists. Besides, looking at the casualty rates among US soldiers, it seems they're more pissed by the whole "invade an Islamic country" thing.
- This one scared the living shit out of me. With a straight face, the letter writer claims that we should just "trust that the government knows what it's doing" and if we dare to question Dear Leader's motives, why, that's just Aiding The Terrorists. Do I have to explain why this is fundamentally, totally, antithetical to the American ideal?
So, there you have it. A mindset that we'll never be able to reach. People who criticize the President are fundamentally unpatriotic, and besides, are doing so for partisan political reasons (anyone want to dig up Kosovo-era anti-Clinton quotes...?). We should simply trust that the Government is doing what it does for the Best of All Possible Reasons, and believe anything that comes from an official spokesman.
-dms