[Peace-discuss] Liberal Democratic alternative

[C. G. Estabrook]

Oh, I'll probably vote for Gill, but exactly what this communication from
his campaign raises questions about, is to what extent he does oppose the
war. Kerry-like, he seems to be taking a position only marginally (and
obscurely) different from that of the administration.  The Bush people too
desperately want "a diplomatic solution so the troops can come home."

Kerry's position may in fact be to the right of Bush's.  Kerry says troops
would be in Iraq for the four years of a Kerry administration. "Look, you
may have some deployments of people for a long period of time in the
Middle East depending on what the overall approach to the Middle East is,"
he said to the AP. "I'm not going to tell you we won't shift deployments
from one place to another..."

The good parts of this letter are where Gill's supporter "can't type." The
rest is pretty outrageous. If David Gill really said, "I should take my
turn over there," what did he have in mind doing?  Killing Iraqis? Or some
other support for the regime of torture and "interrogation" that the US
has been revealed to be running in Iraq (and in American prisons around
the world)?

"Dr. Gill supports the troops." Would Dr. Gill also have supported, e.g.,
British troops in Ireland, French troops in Algeria, or German troops in
France?  If not, what's the difference?  Simply that our troops are
Americans and those others weren't?  Does that matter to the thousands and
and thousands of Iraqis who have been killed by our troops, or those who
have suffered torture, rape, and murder in this illegal war?

There's nothing here that Tim Johnson couldn't embrace. Apparently the
voters of the 15th district are to be given a choice between the
Republican pro-war position and an imitation of the Republican position.
The terrible fact is that Americans killed in Iraq have not died as a
"sacrifice for our freedom," as Gill's man says, but for the lies of the
Bush administration's "war on terror," and the "liberal Democrat" should
be saying so.

The only honest policy is to bring all US troops home immediately,
dismantle US bases in Iraq, and cancel contracts to US corporations like
Halliburton, who are profiting handsomely from the invasion.  Then some
way must be found for the US to pay reparations for the invasion and the
decade-long regime of sanctions that killed more than a half million
Iraqis. Only that would be "a more diplomatic approach to this war and
work towards bringing our troops home."

Best, Carl


On Wed, 26 May 2004, jencart wrote:

> You won't vote for Gill -- who opposed the war, BTW -- bec one of his
> supporters can't type?  That IS depressing, Carl.... The guy sez Gill
> wants a diplomatic solution so the troops can come home.  Works for
> me.  Jenifer C.