Make No Mistake: the Iraq War is an elective war of aggression
by David Sadler
www.david-sadler.org
Published 2003.04.03

I support our troops and our military. Our troops are our family, friends, colleagues, neighbors and fellow citizens. Defending our nation is a constitutional requirement and a civic duty. But our wars must be for the purpose of self-defense; not for power and not for profit and not for imperialism.

Opposition to this misguided war policy does not mean I do not support our troops. To support the war policy thinking that this somehow supports our troops and increases our security from terrorism is as misguided as the war policy itself. This war has guaranteed our insecurity for decades to come.

How many will support our troops AFTER the fighting stops? How many advocate Agent Orange benefits for our Nam vets? How many advocate finding the cause of Gulf War Syndrome and extending medical benefits to our Gulf War I vets? How many advocate fixing the broken VA Hospital nightmare? How many oppose throwing our youths' bodies, our national treasury and our national morality at useless and unnecessary wars that are not in the direct defense of America? How many who support Gulf War II care about any of these issues critical to our vets from previous wars and to future vets hoping and praying their sacrifices won't be in vain?

" While no one can determine the precise number of homeless veterans in America, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that more than 275,000 veterans are homeless on any given night and at least 500,000 are homeless at some time during the year. With such a great need, the VA reports that it is currently only able to reach about 10 percent of these vets with the assistance they require. This means that nearly 460,000 vets remain homeless and unassisted. " -- Jim Carnes, Honoring our nation's heroes all year, May 30, 2003 --

" Monday, June 2, 2003, the US Supreme Court decided not to hear a case regarding health care for WWII and Korean War veterans. Fifty years ago, recruiters had promised young recruits lifetime health care if they remained in the military for 20 years. Since the promises were vocal and not in writing, a lower court ruled against the veterans. "
-- K-House eNews, For The Week Of June 03, 2003 --

" Thousands of citizen soldiers charged with rebuilding Iraq face an even more daunting prospect when they return home: repairing the damage to their careers and personal finances. For some, the task could take years. More than a third of military reservists and National Guard members suffer a cut in pay when they're called to active duty. Long term, the cost of military service is even greater: Small businesses collapse. Raises and bonuses disappear. Clients defect to competitors. "
Reservists pay steep price for service, Sandra Block USA TODAY, Mon Jun 9, 2003 --

" When American soldiers are sick and the Iraqis are sick there's nothing that says an Australian soldier is going to be isolated when he goes through those areas and he is not going to become ill. "
-- Dr. Douglas Rokke reporting that Australian servicemen and women who served in the recent Iraq war (March 2003) were reporting symptoms of uranium sickness [from U.S. depleted uranium munitions]. Dr Rokke is a former US Army nuclear health physicist and was formerly the Pentagon's expert on the health effects of depleted uranium ammunition. --

Some may have legitimate and informed reasons for supporting the war. Others may have legitimate and informed reasons for opposing the war. As Americans, we must agree to disagree or the First Amendment doesn’t exist anymore.

I do not believe, as many do, that the American people can’t be trusted with the truth. Since there are many mainstream news sources on this page including the US Department of Defense, I am including news sources from around the world to show the American people how others in the world view this conflict. If you have not been exposed to these news sources, you are not going to like what you see and read about the war and about the United States.

These news sources span the spectrum from left to right, liberal to conservative. Some are in the regions where we fight our wars. Don't expect them to love America. Some are extremist. What are the extremists themselves saying? Do you know? Or is everything you know about the extremists second-hand gossip? Read them for yourself. With all the sex and violence we are exposed to in our culture, we can surely handle the extremist views of others even in our own culture. All these alternative news sources represent what some people think. In that sense, it is important that we listen to others with differing views. Perhaps we will learn something if only to reinforce our current beliefs.

If anyone is offended by these news stories and sources of opinion, perhaps you should consider in more depth the costs, pain, suffering, global instability and moral foundation of each of our military actions. Knowledge is power, and there are powerful forces at work in the world today wishing to deprive you of information, filling your head with lies, distortions, misinformation and disinformation. Read, learn and think.

Growing up, I was taught that it was Nazis and the Soviets that censored the public’s information. At one time, our culture despised the thought of censorship. I will not stand by and allow my country to become a Nazi Germany or a communist Soviet Union. This is America, and until the people say the U.S. Constitution has been set aside, the Constitution is still in effect and that includes each and every one of the ten amendments of our cherished Bill of Rights.

This war (Gulf War II) has destroyed America in the eyes of billions around the world. We will not recover from this for hundreds of years if that soon. The Muslims had not yet forgotten about the Great Crusades (1080-1300 A.D.). With the images of this war branded into their hearts and minds through TV and print, can we expect them to just forget and forgive any time soon?

America is in for rough times. The world has been thrust into a New World Order by a small group of people controlling the American government with the blessing of the American people. We are all complicit in what America has done through the leadership of the neocons and the New World Order crowd. President George W. Bush has been a big disappointment to traditional, conservative Republicans. Our job is to find his replacement who will help mend our nation and our relationship with the rest of the world at the same time that we focus on America's sovereignty, self-sufficiency, standard of living and quality of life in a world that is on the verge of technological economic collapse and World War III.

And we must fix our socio-political system. It's been broken by those who currently hold our elected offices. It's time for a house-cleaning and the direct funding by the people of their replacements. Funding the DNC and RNC will only perpetuate the current blighted system. We must break the hold these groups have on our political process. Do not contribute to the parties. Contribute directly to the candidates of your choice.

God have mercy on America. May He show us the way to make things all right again.

-- David Sadler, 2003.04.03--