[Peace-discuss] Letter to the editor

[David Green]

Ten years ago the U.S. government lied its way into Iraq. On March 21, 2003, News-Gazette editors mendaciously wrote: “It is a reluctant United States that goes to war against Saddam Hussein and the domestic and international terrorism that he represents … Saddam and his henchmen are the only targets for allied forces. They are the only reason that this costly and tragic war is being fought.”
A million Iraqi lives, countless wounded and displaced, and a destroyed infrastructure and environment have resulted from this invasion and previous sanctions—along with trillions of U.S. taxpayer dollars and thousands of ended and damaged American lives. Local antiwar activists were not reluctant to oppose the war, nor to subject themselves to the predictable accusations and ridicule that go along with pseudo-patriotic war fever. While cheerleaders for the military claim to support veterans, they rarely examine the cynical policies that kill and injure them. The myth of our “reluctant” and well-intentioned wars persists amidst this silence.
On the tenth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, News-Gazette editors have no reflective comment, but do feature an op-ed titled (by them) “Pope Francis may threaten Latin America’s dictators.” Who are these dictators? According to columnist Andres Oppenheimer, they are democratically elected leaders in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and elsewhere. In the service of what is called freedom, there is no lie too blatant. While the Pope has no divisions and likely countenances no violence, he should perhaps be wary of those who do.
 
David Green
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