The Left Was Right
February 14, 2004
By Jack Rabbit
One year ago this weekend, an estimated ten million human beings
marched world wide against Mr. Bush's planned invasion of Iraq. They
marched in major cities such as London, Madrid and Canberra, capitals
of Mr. Bush's military and diplomatic partners in what passed for a
broad coalition; they marched in Paris, Berlin, Tokyo and other major
capitals of the world; they marched in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles
and other major cities of the United States, including San Francisco,
where this writer marched with an estimated 200,000 others.
The message was clear: on one side stood George W. Bush, presumptive
President of the United States, his aides and PNAC think-tankers,
British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his aides and a small handful of
other world leaders, set to invade a sovereign state with no
provocation; on the other stood the people of the world, a teeming
mass of humanity, led by the political Left to oppose them.
They said that Saddam needed be overthrown because he was a brutal
dictator. We knew all about Saddam and made no apologies for him. We
knew that he had plunged Iraq into two senseless wars, one with the
blessing of the US government and one with its active opposition. We
knew that he had used poison gas on his own people. We knew that he
murdered thousands of Shiites in the aftermath of the 1991 war. We
knew that he was one of the great criminals of modern history.
And still this did not excuse war. If Saddam was a criminal in 1991,
we could have and should have brought him to justice in the aftermath
of the war; President Bush chose not to do so. In February 2003, there
was no immediate humanitarian crisis in Iraq for which Saddam was
directly responsible; he was not a threat to his weakest neighbor; and
he had no associations with the terrorists who attacked the United
States on September 11, 2001.
They told us that Saddam possessed a dangerous arsenal of biochemical
weapons and maybe even nuclear weapons. They told us Iraqi commanders
could launch a biochemical attack within 45 minutes of Saddam ordering
it. They told us Saddam has links to Osama bin Laden and the al Qaida
network.
We of the political Left who marched knew very well that there was no
stopping Bush. He would have his war. We knew he would dismiss us,
which he did, arrogantly calling us a "focus group." A focus group of
ten million people. However, we could show him our contempt. We could
show him that we were wise to lies. We could show him that we knew
that Saddam did not have anything like the arsenal that Bush and his
fellow prevaricators claimed; that we knew that the ongoing weapons
inspections were working; that we knew the invasion had nothing to do
with fighting terrorists; that intelligence was being cooked; that the
war would be nothing but a crass colonial invasion, gunboat diplomacy
with cruise missiles.
We of the Left knew that what was about to take place was one of the
major crimes of modern times.
One year later, we have every right to hold our heads high. We of the
Left were right.
The left was right on all counts. As it turns out, Saddam was a paper
tiger; there was no imminent threat. Insofar as he was a threat,
Saddam was contained; for twelve years since being expelled from
Kuwait, all his saber rattling was nothing but bluster. Saddam had no
ties to al Qaida, let alone any part in the September 11 attacks. What
Islamic fundamentalist terror organization operated in Iraq operated
in Kurdish regions beyond Saddam's control. The left said there was no
justification for the war, and there was none. The left was right.
The left said talk of the Iraqi people welcoming the invaders with
open arms and roses was nonsense. The Iraqi people know the difference
between liberation and colonial occupation. They are resisting
occupation. Also decried as nonsense was talk of going into Iraq to
democratize the Middle East. Bush loses an election and seizes power,
tramples on the Bill of Rights and human rights treaties, operates
what should be an open government in secret and sends troops into
combat after giving false justifications for the act. The idea that
such a man would be interested in bringing democracy and the rule of
law to Iraq is ludicrous. The colonial regime represses freedom of the
press, the right to assemble and the right to petition for redress of
grievances. The Iraqi Governing Council is a group of quislings
handpicked by the US colonial viceroy, not a body representative of or
responsible to the Iraqi people. The invasion has not brought
democracy to Iraq. The left was right.
The left said that Bush's cronies would profit from the invasion.
Halliburton and Bechtel received contracts to rebuild Iraq's
infrastructure without having to bid competitively. The left was
right.
The left said the occupation following the invasion would become a
quagmire. Since the invasion, Islamists have come to Iraq to fight
Americans. They weren't there before, but they are now. Half of the US
army's combat divisions are in Iraq on occupation duty. They are not
protecting Americans from terrorists; they are protecting Halliburton.
Once again, the left was right.
It is Bush who threatens to use nuclear weapons as a first strike. It
is Bush who threatens to launch "pre-emptive" (actually preventive)
attacks on other nations. It is Bush who arrogantly casts aside any
treaty, convention or agreement that stands between him and his loot.
Bush, like Saddam, is a tyrant. As dangerous as was Saddam at his
worst, Bush is far and away the most dangerous man on earth.
One year later, there is still work to be done. The American
occupation of Iraq continues. It must end for the benefit of both
nations. The Iraqis must be free to choose their own destiny and
control their own resources; the Americans must free their military
resources to make them safe from the real threat posed by Osama bin
Laden and his al Qaida network. Bush still sits in the White House. He
must be removed for the safety of Americans and the world. Once
removed, Americans must act to restore the good name of this nation,
the good name tarnished by Mr. Bush, and to restore trust in American
leadership. A new president must re-establish the confidence that when
American leaders speak, they speak the truth and not some lie aimed at
achieving a nefarious, imperial goal too foul to be named. When an
American president says it is time to go to war, the people of the
world must know that every other avenue has been tried and has failed.
There is no such thing as a war of choice that can be justified.
We must not fail in our goal. Bush must go in order for American
democracy restored at home and trust in American leadership to be
restored abroad.
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| User: "R. Foreman" |
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| Title: Re: The Left was right |
14 Feb 2004 10:03:28 PM |
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DaarkSyde <DaarkSyde@everywhere.com> Spat the Words
The Left Was Right
February 14, 2004
By Jack Rabbit
We of the political Left who marched knew very well that there was no
stopping Bush. He would have his war.
Yes, that's how it works in the US. When the Congress approves the
war, the Executive prosecutes the war.
Is there anything else you wanted to know about our system of
government?
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| User: "DaarkSyde" |
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| Title: Re: The Left was right |
15 Feb 2004 07:21:21 AM |
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On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 04:03:28 GMT, "R. Foreman"
<eidpers@anti-spam.comcast.net> wrote:
DaarkSyde <DaarkSyde@everywhere.com> Spat the Words
The Left Was Right
February 14, 2004
By Jack Rabbit
We of the political Left who marched knew very well that there was no
stopping Bush. He would have his war.
Yes, that's how it works in the US. When the Congress approves the
war, the Executive prosecutes the war.
Is there anything else you wanted to know about our system of
government?
No, all governments are the same,pure garbage.Just so happens that
the US government leads the pack of scum.
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