[Dryerase] anti-war
Shawn G
dr_broccoli at hotmail.com
Thu Sep 19 11:27:13 CDT 2002
Asheville Global Report
www.AGRnews.org
Reprinting permitted for not profit organizations, and the Dry-Erase News
Wire
Asheville citizens question Gulf War hawk on Iraq
By Eamon Martin
Asheville, North Carolina, Sept. 18 (AGR) A standing-room-only crowd of
nearly 300 people packed University of North Carolinas Owen Conference
Center on Monday night to hear retired Air Force Brigadier General C. Jerome
Jones put forth his informed views about the War Against Iraq Who Will
Decide? Who Will Fight? Who Will Win?
Jones is distinct in that hes not only Buncombe County assistant manager
and tax department director, but also the former deputy director for
strategy and policy to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Defense
Department during the Persian Gulf War. During his presentation, the retired
general clearly enjoyed taking credit for helping design what he called the
first post-Cold war military strategy, serving under then-Joint Chiefs
chairman, Colin Powell.
The tenor of the crowds overwhelming concerns and suspicions about the
launching of the US invasion of Iraq was made perfectly clear when Jones
broke into his presentation with an upbeat pop poll.
If the president has to go to war without the United Nations or without the
majority of our allies, and without a resolution of Congress, how many of
you would support that? Should we do that? Jones asked.
The entire audience of whom, over 80 percent were senior citizens
immediately responded with a resounding: No. When asked again if theyd
support the invasion in the event those conditions were turned around, the
house majority repeated their refusal.
Well, these are decisions that, fortunately, most of us wont have to
make, consoled the old hawk. Indeed, much of Jones talk seemed like a
motivational attempt to allay public fears with confidence-building
reassurances that, ultimately, the American people are in good hands, and in
fact, are merely a tactical consideration in the affairs of state and
Republic.
The NSA is a very powerful organization, he announced. The good news is,
for the most part and Im serious about this staffers are very smart
people.
At times, the former top brass official seemed to display a certain, almost
studied, public relations panache as he bobbed and weaved the audience
members often challenging questions.
You referred to the folks on the National Security Council as intelligent
people, pointed out audience member Dave MacDonovich. At least the first
three people [in the chain of command] have extreme interests in oil
production and get paid for it. [National Security Adviser] Condoleeza Rice
with Chevron, [Vice President Dick] Cheney with Halliburton, the whole Bush
family how can they make unbiased decisions?
I hope I did not say that they were not biased, answered Jones. But, he
assured the audience, the military folks on the National Security Council
staff are about as apolitical as you can be.
We have tens of thousands of our sons and daughters all over the world
tonight, who are putting themselves in harms way, and theyre doing that so
you and I can have this forum tonight, Jones said with pride.
This statement provoked one audience member to retort: Theyre doing that
so we can drive our cars.
Jones suggested that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 were as much
economically motivated as they were psycho-socially.
The economy has lost over a trillion dollars since Sept. 11, Jones said.
A lot of folks say that would have happened anyway that didnt cause it.
But nevertheless, a lot of 401Ks arent as lucrative as they were. And a lot
of folks are working a little, extra longer because they cant retire now.
Jones also suggested that Saddam Hussein would hold the US public hostage by
withholding oil and by using the instruments of diplomacy against us, in
order to defend his country.
We dont want to use those instruments, the ex-general enthused. We want
to use the military instrument because it is hard and we can win with it.
Other times Jones appeared to be caught off guard and made some remarkably
frank admissions.
One UNCA student asked, If Iraq wasnt in such a position to siphon off the
United States supply of oil, would we really care what kind of government
they have and would we care how authoritarian or tyrannical that government
might be?
I think its a great question, he replied, and much to many peoples
astonishment, Jones answered, I think the answer is probably we wouldnt
care as much.
Jones ended his presentation by pleasantly asserting that, from the military
perspective, he thinks, well win, and by urging the audience to remember
that it might be the right thing to do.
World Affairs Council organizer Linda Cornet explained that this program was
really spontaneously arrived at on the part of her group, the United
Nations Association, and the International Studies department on the campus
when they collectively discovered that things are happening very fast. And
we need to have a program where we can bring some expertise to this issue.
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