America's choice for War

The largest obstacle to bringing an end to the war in Iraq is our reluctance to come to the understanding we are each responsible for the basis of need to be there. We each choose our perspective, yet that is not a common appreciation. Our world is made of human beings who share the same need to be fulfilled and to be happy. The notion of evil is an oxymoron, where no one included in the conversation really believes life on earth is a saga unfolding defeat or victory between ourselves. The uncertainty is an ignorance of who human beings are. We are all born in a beauty and meaningful presence. That is ignored in the justification for ending lives. We ignore the truth of our own existence wherever we rationalize a purpose to kill for any point of ideology, politics, or perhaps even survival. Certainly not economics. This whole thing started with an American perception that, for untenable reasons terrorism had crept to our shores, and the Presidency saw effective response as searching out the individuals responsible and eliminating them.

The New York Times ran an editorial May 13, 'See You in September, Whatever That Means'. The Times points out that in Washington where the billions of dollars that fund this war must be carefully justified in clear fiscal terms, no one is grappling with how to measure progress in the campaign.

From the article:

"No one knows how to define progress in such a mixed-up situation," said Representative Jack Kingston, Republican of Georgia and a member of the subcommittee that overseas military spending. "We're having trouble measuring it. Imagine building a house without a ruler."

"Jason Campbell, a scholar at the Brookings Institution who is a co-author of something called the Iraq Index. The Iraq Index is a huge compilation of data tracking life in Iraq - everything from the monthly car-bomb rate to how many foreign nationals are kidnapped to how many Iraqis have electricity and Internet access. It is long on numbers and short on analysis, though the latest report, dated April 30, includes a brief, and somewhat gloomy, summation in which the authors write that "on balance, the picture in Iraq has some signs of hope, but continues to present more grounds for worry than for confidence."

"Michael O'Hanlon, the lead author of the Iraq Index, is skeptical. He says metrics are "important grist for a fact-based debate," but history shows it is dangerous to rely on too few of them. "Metrics were used in Vietnam, and we had the wrong ones, and in my opinion they did net harm to the debate," Mr. O'Hanlon said, adding, "I'm afraid that Congressman Kingston is going to continue to be frustrated, because we can't be exactly precise about which indicators are the conclusive ones."

It is no surprise to hear about this dilemma. The enemy we pursue changes faces with each passing incident of struggle to fill the political vacuum created by the removal of Saddam Hussein. In the cultural and economic outrage unleashed by the US invasion, appreciation and tolerance for what the Iraqis need drifts further away. The interests of the United States, or more importantly the cartel of a multi-trillion dollar petroleum industry is all that appears to have benefited. George Bush would have us believe in the egalitarian motive of bringing democracy and it's benefits to Iraq. Mr. Bush has little understanding of what freedom, for a society, must rest on. He adds to his justification the imperative for defending the American people from the evil of radical Islam, al-Qaida, sworn enemy and hater of our freedoms. We should watch where this purpose hinges on their hating us because of our freedoms. The truth is their movement is a natural response to the frustration caused throughout the Middle East over the Western world's disregard for culture and autonomy exploiting the fabulous wealth of oil below the sand. It has perpetrated a covert imperialism.

The American people have yet to grasp what is happening in Iraq, or throughout the Middle East. The American people and President Bush have yet to think what the end result of our strong arm tactics forcing the world of nations into harmony with our vision, supporting our 'needs' will be. It is the same absence of clarity our Congress has just agreed with the President to endorse once again, approving the money to fight this war. We will not consider a time line, but 'benchmarks' to hold the fledgling government of Iraq accountable. Ask yourself, in September if these benchmarks are not met, will Congress demand withdrawal of our troops? Not hardly. The people who believe in this war will fight it until there is no money or soldiers to walk the ground. They will keep control of their oil, and keep their endless battle with their enemies. They will preclude their appraisal of what is happening in Iraq, they will manipulate the American people into continuing to believe the campaign is necessary at any continuing cost. Because Americans live comfortably in a relatively amenable life, they will accept again the words of their Congress and President. This war will continue until they wake up and recognize the problem is in believing force can serve world peace.

Perhaps that is the real conflict, a distance within ourselves where we have yet to realize what we want.

Peace.

What Have We Done?

With the execution of Saddam Hussein, the pure irony of violence as a response to a political issue is glaring. For some, it may feel justice is served. For others the late dictator's hanging speaks volumes in commentary on the futility of an act that served so little. Saddam Hussein lived by the very ideology that placed him in the gallows to meet his death. That he arrived there surely seems fair. But how does this prevent further injustice? Is this one quick moment of pain and surrender of a life at all sufficient to heal the misery he was responsible for through his regime? The answer is clearly no, and his people continue today on their journey of securing peace and civility in their lives, which will never be the result of injury inflicted on anyone.

What have we done to believe democracy is served with this man's hanging? Saddam Hussein was so distantly removed from any possibility of return to power it could easily have remained a plausible outcome for Iraqi society to know he sat powerless in a prison cell stripped of his authority. Perhaps by their standard of justice this execution was inevitable. But for George W. Bush to frame this as 'an important milestone' in the process of bringing Iraqi people democracy only demonstrates an ignorance of what freedom must truly be based on:

"Saddam Hussein's execution comes at the end of a difficult year for the Iraqi people and for our troops. Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will not end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain, and defend itself, and be an ally in the War on Terror."
-- President George W. Bush
December 29, 2006

Mr. Bush acknowledges Saddam's execution will not end the violence Iraq suffers, but does not offer an answer that will. In fact, it was his choice to depose Saddam and be involved in Iraq militarily that catalyzed and perpetuates the condition Iraq faces today. It is unfortunate Mr. Bush remains our president unable to face this 'War on Terror' with no solution but his conviction in these continuing acts of violence that would seem to isolate or control the presence of the perceived evil of the world.

I wonder how he reconciles his philosophies and policy with the unmoving position of the Christian mind, clearly stated in the Vatican's response to Hussein's death through their spokesperson Federico Lombardi:

"A capital punishment is always tragic news, a reason for sadness, even if it deals with a person who was guilty of grave crimes. The position of the Church has been restated often. The killing of the guilty party is not the way to reconstruct justice and reconcile society. On the contrary there is a risk that it will feed a spirit of vendetta and sow new violence. In these dark times for the Iraqi people one can only hope that all responsible parties truly make every effort so that glimmers of reconciliation and peace can be found in such a dramatic situation."

What have we done to celebrate this as a moment in history that we took Saddam Hussein' s life to secure justice or democracy? We have created a perpetration of legitimacy in violence, almost an abysmal failure to come to terms with what really brings it to the world. We have ignored the real impact of breaking ourselves into quarters of good and evil where the evil can somehow be controlled or destroyed with same instrument of it's senselessness. There is far more to gain through understanding than suppression or denial. There is far more to learn while our answers continue as these pitiful charades.

What we have done is postpone our responsibility.