Incendiary Advice

A recent polling of British citizens exposes many opened eyes, The Daily Telegraph reports:


"More than two thirds who offered an opinion said America is essentially an imperial power seeking world domination. And 81 per cent of those who took a view said President George W. Bush hypocritically championed democracy as a cover for the pursuit of American self-interests."

No, really. Ya think?!

It would appear obvious. Means, motive, opportunity...

First the means laid bare in the PNAC documents of the late 90's.

And then the motives, both legion and obvious: greed, hegemony, control of oil, flow of American dollars into defense contractors pockets (not coincidentally, many said pockets also worn in the halls of government)...

Finally, the opportunity, as also disclosed by the - online and readily available for your reading pleasure - PNAC documents. Requiring only a "Pearl Harbor like incident" to rally the American public...

We'll leave you to decide what exactly brought that event to fruition.

And yet, still...those who support the war in Iraq do so with nearly stunning naivete and willful blindness, citing 9-11, dismissing challenges to the rightness of our overturning a country, murdering innocent people by summoning one question: Do you think the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein?

It's a silly question. What's more: they know it is.

Smug smile in place, they search your eyes after having thrown down this oft-repeated, inane gauntlet, waiting for the chance to jump on your answer and expose the terrorist-lover they're convinced lurks right below your surface.

Iraq is arguably not better in many ways. However, that's not our right to determine, as only Iraqis can adequately make such a judgment. But the world?

I truly think not. Terrorism has tripled across the globe since 2003, according to our own US figures. And even a child could find correlation between our own American aggression and increases in other countries. As we've boasted for many a decade, America leads the free world. If our actions are violent, our concern for human lives, suffering and dignity negligible as displayed by our willing acceptance of policies in places like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, is it really any wonder the rest of the world follows suit?

As for Iraq, from that same article:

"Terrorist incidents in Iraq also dramatically increased, from 22 attacks to 198, or nine times the previous year's total. . ."


It grows increasingly difficult not to suspect our American water, mostly of the bottled variety these days, isn't tainted with happy pills. What else to explain how otherwise intelligent people still try to make arguments connecting Saddam with 9-11, or attempt to justify our own bloodlust and heinousness by bumper-sticker slogans like: The world is a better place without Saddam.

The world would also be a much, much better place without America leading the path for acts of wanton aggression, torture and endless war.