Why are we in Iraq?

This war isn't about WMDs. It's not about liberating anyone from anyone. It's not about Saddam Hussein. This war is about the ideology of a small group of rich and powerful people who want to change the world so it fits into their personal views. It is about shaping, "a new century favorable to American principles and interests." It is about our having, "a military that is strong and ready to meet both present and future challenges; a foreign policy that boldly and purposefully promotes American principles abroad; and national leadership that accepts the United States' global responsibilities." It is because these ideologues believe "we need to accept responsibility for America's unique role in preserving and extending an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our principles."

Their methodology is clear. They believe that nothing is as essential to America's domination of the world for our own benefit as a strong military that consumes trillions of dollars of our tax money. And what better way to funnel out tax dollars into the defense industry than by starting a war?

Why are we in Iraq? It's simple, we are in Iraq:

• So the military will break lots of stuff and use up stockpiles so we will have to buy lots more stuff from defense contractors.
• To provide large contractors with billions of dollars of contracts so they will make obscene profits and become even more powerful.
• To gain influence over a major player in OPEC, so we will have a friendly voice at OPEC meetings and we will be able to influence OPEC policy.
• To gain numerous permanent military bases in the region as a launching-off point for whatever actions will be needed when we set off on our next adventure in, "extending an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our principles."

This is why we are at war with Iraq. This is why our sons and daughters are being asked to sacrifice their lives. This is why we are once again mired in an inextricable situation just like we were in Viet Nam a few decades ago. WMDs, liberating the people, countering Saddam Hussein; these are all just noises intended to distract us like a noisy mobile distracts a baby so it will fall asleep.Will you buy into the neo-cons lullaby or will you open your eyes and see their sham for what it is? The choice is yours.

All quotes from the Statement of Principles of the Project for a New American Century. http://www.newamericancentury.org/statementofprinciples.htm

Dear Kurds

A few days ago, on a politically-oriented message board, I was challenged to, "Tell the Kurds that Saddam Hussein didn't have weapons of mass destruction." So I wrote them this letter:

Dear Kurds,

Saddam Hussein had WMDs back in the 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan removed Iraq from the state-sponsors-of-terrorism list so America could sell him some helicopters that he then used to gas you. You see, we were much less concerned about the atrocities committed by Saddam Hussein against you back then because he was fighting the Iranians. We really haven't liked the Iranians much ever since they threw out the CIA- and Mossad-trained death squads and dictator we put in power. So we turned a blind eye to the way Saddam Hussein treated you. We even ignored his using helicopters paid for by American tax payers to hose down your villages with poison gas. We also gave him classified test results so that when he used gas, they would be able to do it more effectively.

Later on, after our little war with Saddam Hussein, it appears that he destroyed all of his stockpiles of WMDs, so he wasn't able to gas you anymore. We also flew our jets over your heads to keep Saddam from attacking you. While we did pull our planes out of the sky whenever the Turkish Air Force wanted to bomb your villages, we did prevent Saddam from attacking you.

Most recently, America has helped you out by extraditing Kurds to Turkey so they can be tortured and executed by the Turks. Surely you can see how we have bent over backward to help you. I hope this clarifies America's strong stance against Saddam Hussein's use of WMDs against you. For some strange reason, some people here in America don't understand what close friends we are and the efforts we have undertaken on your behalf in the past.

While you may never receive a formal apology from our government, please accept my personal apology for the wrongs you have suffered because of the actions of our leaders.

Yours truly,

Bo Lasquis