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May 30, 2003 The war for Iraq is now over and little by little the truth of the situation is becoming clearer. The weapons of mass distruction defense is looking more and more like a thinly veiled pretext for the removal of an unfreindly regime. I have no doubt that the removal of Saddam Hussein and his cronies was warranted, but as we look around the world the numbers of countries with equally abysmal human rights records and brutal dictatorial regimes begs the question where do we stop? If Sierra Leonne had oil would we be more interested? Is Iran going to be enough? or is Syria? We stand giddily on a slippery slope where self intrest and survival and the very real prospect of an unwinnable Holy War against the muslim countries of the world loom in the offing. The death of a thousand cuts, Afghanistan,Iraq, Korea,Iran sooner or later the finite resources required to effectively manage multiple fronts will begin to affect the ultimate security of the country these actions are designed to protect. The American public will support a winning effort, the media spin will carry the opinion of the Bush presidency for a while. The pointed questions however will begin to come and if the answers are tainted, then rightly so the populace will withdraw support. China and Korea are a tinderbox, we ignore them and focus on the middle east at our own peril. The erosion of American civil liberties is perhaps the single most distressing result of the Sept 11th attacks. The unbridled power to surveil,interogate and detain .. brings a chill to those who beleive in free speech and open debate, especially if your own personal views are counter to those in power. I live in Canada a wholly owned subsiduary of USA Inc, protected by the U.S. Navy and Airforce by default and geographical proximity.. I am certain I am not the only Canadian to wonder how long it will be before...Canada's independent stance and rhetoric makes regime change north of the border a politically expedient option. ------------ About the author: Stan Bernard lives in Edmonton Alberta Canada. Email Stan Bernard: bernard_stan@yahoo.com Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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