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TREASON AT THE TOP.
An op-ed piece, written by Lawrence Berg
to The Washington Post, March 29, 2007.
It can no longer be disputed that America has lost the war in Iraq.
From the beginning, it was apparent to those of us paying attention,
that once Bush started the Iraq war America had a single choice:
military draft or lose. It was apparent from the start that in order
to win in Iraq America would have to not only secure Iraq’s
borders to keep out terrorists, but also provide everyday security
for Iraqis so they could carry out their lives and build the institutions
necessary for a unified western style democracy. The ratio of occupying
force numbers to civilians in need of protection is well known.
The USA has successful recent experience in the former Yugoslavia
where not one single US soldier has been killed, and where old animosities
are all slowly being put out to rest in favor of peace and prosperity.
In Iraq the troop commitment required for a peaceful and successful
transition was never even a serious consideration of the Bush group.
US Army General Shinseki had the realistic troop numbers in mind
and was attacked and removed by the Bush people for opening his
mouth.
And this was just the troop commitment America would have to make
for the Iraq war to be a success. Bush would also have had to institute
a Marshall type plan at a cost of at least $1,000,000,000,000.00
to rebuild Iraq and provide a level of prosperity to the Iraqis
so as to induce and convince them that being allied with America
is better the choice of sectarian struggle, corruption and the chaos
Iraq has been mired in ever since the US toppled Saddam.
The problem was that for Bush to ask America to pay the cost in
lives and money necessary to win the war in Iraq would have cost
Republicans power in Washington DC. As this has become so clear
that even the most reality challenged person now realizes the cold
hard truth about Iraq. That because the price of victory was too
high, Bush and the Republicans have chosen to lose the war in a
bid to hold power.
The problem for them is the only way to hold power in the face of
losing a war is to shift the blame from those who got us into this
war on to those who will get us out, the Democrats. The disaster
that is Bush’s unnecessary and lost war in Iraq will fully
hit home when, not if, America leaves Iraq. By holding out as long
as possible and forcing those of us who opposed this war from the
beginning to force the issue and cause America to leave Iraq, Bush
is hoping that those who will get us out will also get the blame
for the disaster that is certain to follow.
The worst part of this strategy on the part of Bush and his supporters
is that it requires them to continue to sacrifice American lives
and other treasures for the sole reason of shifting blame for their
crimes and mistakes. Furthermore, by continuing to bleed America
in this lost cause Bush and his supporters further weaken America
and strengthen America’s enemies. In this lost and unnecessary
war, Bush makes the disaster that will follow America’s leaving
Iraq that much worse.
America will be worse off, weaker, less secure, poorer, with fewer
allies, have less influence in the world especially the middle east,
and our enemies will be stronger, more secure, richer, and have
more allies and influence in the world especially the Middle East.
Last, to waste the lives of our military and other treasures, and
increase the fallout of a disaster they caused, while at the same
time making our enemies stronger just to shift the blame from your
own mistakes and crimes on to those who tried to at first prevent
and now try to mitigate and decrease the harm from your mistakes
and crimes, does not only puts the blood of our soldiers who will
die for this sinful effort to hold on to power on Bush’s and
his supporters hands.
It makes the whole lot of them traitors to America.
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MISREPRESENTING
ANTI-WAR
ACTIVITIES.
Written by Sarah Browning
to The Washington Post,
January 21, 2005.
To the editor,
I was dismayed to read Timothy Dwyer’s front-page article
in this morning’s Post, “Tight Security, Strong Opinions
Dominate a Day Full of Divisions.” Anyone reading this piece
would think that all the protesters used “profane” speech,
burned flags, and “mocked and derided” the “regular
Americans” who attended the inauguration. Nowhere in Dwyer’s
article—or indeed in the entire paper—was there mention
of the tens of thousands of Washingtonians and visitors from out
of town who marched, with permits and without incident, in the streets
of our city, away from the inaugural parade route. I marched with
my in-laws and my husband and six-year-old son, who together carried
a flag-draped coffin from Malcolm X Park to McPherson Square in
quiet memorial to the thousands of Iraqis and Americans who have
died in this immoral war. We were surrounded by all kinds of regular
Americans—white, Black, young, old, middle-aged, liberal,
progressive, radical—who believed it was our right and indeed
our responsibility to dissent to this administration’s policies
of perpetual war abroad and war on our liberties at home. Dwyer
quotes not a single demonstrator, only those who objected to our
speaking out.
I
would like to remind those who think our presence was inappropriate—including,
apparently, our own mayor—that 92% of the voters of Washington,
DC voted against this administration’s policies. And because
we have no voting representation in Congress, one of our only ways
of voicing our opposition to those policies is in the streets. Another
is through our writings and works of art—Donna Britt’s
wonderful column in the Metro section gives us the words of three
poets speaking up for justice and peace. Thank you for that.
I would like to remind Timothy Dwyer and The Washington Post of
your responsibility to your home community and to the Constitution
itself: We are regular Washingtonians, we are regular Americans,
and dissent is a regular and very American duty.
—Sarah Browning
—Washington, DC
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Sarah Browning is the Coordinator of D.C. Poets against the
War and the Split This Rock Poetry Festival. Visit: http://www.splitthisrock.org
http://www.dcpaw.org
http://sarahbrowning.blogspot.com/
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