Monday’s letter listing several acts of terrorism as a reason for remaining in Iraq requires a response. First of all, any tactical analysis of the war we are waging there will clearly show that none of it is, or ever was, designed to thwart world terrorism. Secondly, we are not ever going to establish democracy in the Middle East. That part of the world has always been ruled by theocracies and will be long after our military leaves — if it ever does. Third, we are not defending ourselves from a foreign invader because the terrorists that turned our world upside down on 9/11 had nothing to do with the sovereign nation of Iraq.
We start wars for the same three reasons our cave-dwelling ancestors did: we want something they have, we are afraid they want something we have, or they are simply different than us. It’s high time we evolved just a teeny bit away from this kind of international relations. We are the most powerful nation in the history of the planet, for criminy sake. We don’t have to be afraid of anybody, nor do we have to resort to bullying them to make our lives better. We’ve got plenty of work to do on that score right here at home.
Incidentally, we are still dying and still killing. We are not winning. Let’s stop spouting that nonsense right now.
Harold R. Pettus
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