Categories: Archives

Invading Iraq Won’t Secure America

Most days I try to believe whatever television tells me. It’s got lots of pretty lights,… Most days I try to believe whatever television tells me. It’s got lots of pretty lights, so I’ll believe what it says about the magic bullet theory and the fitness miracle that is the AbBuster.

But there are two things even I can’t be forced to believe.

The first is that Britney Spears is still a virgin.

C’mon, Britney – you’re just trying to distract us from your mediocre singing voice and gain points with moral conservatives who will buy your next album for their children. Besides, Justin Timberlake says it’s not true, and he should know.

The second is that a U.S. invasion of Iraq will somehow make America safe from terrorism.

C’mon, Rumsfeld et al. – you’re just trying to distract us from your mediocre domestic policy and gain points with political conservatives who will vote for you in the next election – for the sake of the children! Besides, Colin Powell, who unlike Cheney and Rumsfeld actually served in the military, thinks diplomacy is the way to go, and he should know.

Hmm, I may have inadvertently made a point there: Isn’t it weird how those with military experience – such as Powell, four star general Anthony Zinni and Republican Henry Hyde – are more cautious about using military force than former oilman Dick Cheney, who used multiple deferments to avoid service in Vietnam?

Then again, maybe these distinguished veterans aren’t in possession of all the facts. Donald Rumsfeld recently said the Bush administration has “bulletproof” evidence linking the Iraqi government to al Qaeda terrorists. Unfortunately this evidence is currently classified. But as Marcus Aurelius would have said, these are honorable men. You can take their word for it. Seriously.

Even if you don’t believe Saddam is aiding al Qaeda, you have to admit he’s pursuing weapons of mass destruction. Just ask the British.

Last week, British Parliament released a dossier assessing Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction capabilities. They smell what Iraq is cooking, and it’s primarily chemical and biological weapons.

Incidentally, during the Reagan and Bush presidencies, the United States – along with Britain and the Swiss – sold Iraq West Nile Virus, E. coli and Anthrax cultures. Cultures are a key component in developing biological weapons. Oops, our bad.

According to both British and U.S. sources, Saddam is at least a year away from a fully working nuclear device, even if he should amass enough fissile nuclear material.

So this is our basis for invading Iraq, deposing its ruler and presumably setting up a pro-U.S. government. Let’s see how that might play out.

We invade Iraq. Thousands die. Presumably we win – though in a recent Pentagon war game, the U.S. brass had to cheat in order to pull off a victory.

Along the way, Saddam launches SCUDS into Israel. Israel counter-attacks. Under Sharon they’ve made no promise to turn the other cheek as in Gulf War, Take One. Many Arab states already regard the rising beat of our war drums as an attack on their sovereignty by an Israeli proxy army.

Israel is also the largest nuclear power in the region and considers the use of nuclear weapons to be a mere extension of conventional warfare.

Suddenly a pre-emptive act of “regime change” boils over into all out Mid-East War. I bet we’d feel pretty silly at that point, and probably not too safe. Especially when terrorists who blame us for the whole debacle start attacking our cities.

Clausewitz said war is the continuation of politics by other means. Let’s remember what kind of politics had brought us to this point and hope that a different kind – diplomatic negotiations backed by the use of force but without the saber-rattling rhetoric of armchair hawks – can get us out.

Jesse Hicks is no dove, or even a pigeon, but thinks you ought to at least confer with the people before you go dropping bombs of liberation on a sovereign country. He can be reached at jhicks@pittnews.com.

Pitt News Staff

Share
Published by
Pitt News Staff

Recent Posts

Students gear up, get excited for Thanksgiving break plans 

From hosting a “kiki” to relaxing in rural Indiana, students share a wide scope of…

19 hours ago

Photos: Pitt Women’s Basketball v. Delaware State

Pitt women’s basketball defeats Delaware State 80-45 in the Petersen Events Center on Wednesday, Nov.…

20 hours ago

Opinion | Democrats should be concerned with shifts in blue strongholds

Recent election results in such states have raised eyebrows nationwide, suggesting a deeper shift in…

1 day ago

Editorial | Trump’s cabinet picks could not be worse

Over the past week, President-elect Donald Trump began announcing his nominations for Cabinet secretaries —…

1 day ago

What Trump’s win means for the future of reproductive rights 

Pitt professors give their opinions on what future reproductive health care will look like for…

1 day ago

Police blotter: Nov. 8 – Nov. 20

Pitt police reported one warrant arrest for indecent exposure at Forbes and Bouquet, the theft…

1 day ago