US soldier: We are facing death in Iraq for no reason

We are facing death in Iraq for no reason
A serving US soldier calls for the end of an occupation based on lies

By Tim Predmore, 101st Airborne Division

For the past six months, I have been participating in
what I believe to be the great modern lie: Operation
Iraqi Freedom. After the horrific events of September 11
2001, and throughout the battle in Afghanistan, the
groundwork was being laid for the invasion of Iraq.
"Shock and awe" were the words used to describe the
display of power that the world was going to view upon
the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was to be an
up-close, dramatic display of military strength and
advanced technology from within the arsenals of the
American and British military.

But as a soldier preparing to take part in the invasion
of Iraq, the words "shock and awe" rang deep within my
psyche. Even as we prepared to depart, it seemed that
these two great superpowers were about to break the very
rules that they demanded others obey. Without the
consent of the United Nations, and ignoring the pleas of
their own citizens, the US and Britain invaded Iraq.
"Shock and awe"? Yes, the words correctly described the
emotional impact I felt as we embarked on an act not of
justice, but of hypocrisy.

From the moment the first shot was fired in this so-
called war of liberation and freedom, hypocrisy reigned.
After the broadcasting of recorded images of captured
and dead US soldiers on Arab television, American and
British leaders vowed revenge while verbally assaulting
the networks for displaying such vivid images. Yet
within hours of the deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons, the
US government released horrific photographs of the two
dead brothers for the entire world to view. Again, a "do
as we say and not as we do" scenario.

As soldiers serving in Iraq, we have been told that our
purpose is to help the people of Iraq by providing them
with the necessary assistance militarily, as well as in
humanitarian efforts. Then tell me where the humanity is
in the recent account in Stars and Stripes (the
newspaper of the US military) of two young children
brought to a US military camp by their mother in search
of medical care.

The two children had, unknowingly, been playing with
explosive ordnance they had found, and as a result they
were severely burned. The account tells how, after an
hour-long wait, they - two children - were denied care
by two US military doctors. A soldier described the
incident as one of many "atrocities" on the part of the
US military he had witnessed.

Thankfully, I have not personally been a witness to
atrocities - unless, of course, you consider, as I do,
that this war in Iraq is the ultimate atrocity.

So what is our purpose here? Was this invasion because
of weapons of mass destruction, as we have so often
heard? If so, where are they? Did we invade to dispose
of a leader and his regime because they were closely
associated with Osama bin Laden? If so, where is the
proof?

Or is it that our incursion is about our own economic
advantage? Iraq's oil can be refined at the lowest cost
of any in the world. This looks like a modern-day
crusade not to free an oppressed people or to rid the
world of a demonic dictator relentless in his pursuit of
conquest and domination, but a crusade to control
another nation's natural resource. Oil - at least to me
- seems to be the reason for our presence.

This is just an excerpt - to see the whole article visit:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/st...045297,00.html

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"People in the United States work really hard, much harder than any
other advanced industrial society and this causes a lot of stress.
People are always concerned about their work and they live in fear.
Although there is a lot of crime in the United States, it is
approximately the same as comparable societies, but fear of crime is
far higher. In many ways, this is the most frightened nation in the
world!" Noam Chomsky
http://zmag.org/content/showarticle....36&ItemID=4107

Shame on you Chomsky!! The US politicians and major networks want
everyone to believe that we're the greatest country in the world -
that the American people are superior to people from other countries -
especially - non- whites. They don't want us to know that the US is
seen by people around the world as a very strong and imature teen age
bully.

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Want to maintain a lopsided view of current events? Then stay tuned
to the major american news networks. If you want a more rounded view
of national and world events, then visit:

http://www.commondreams.org

http://www.indymedia.org

http://www.thenation.com

http://www.futurenet.org/current.html

http://www.populist.com/current.html


Only the truth will set us free.
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Vote to impeach Bush,Cheney, Rumsfeld, and . Ashcroft for high crimes
and misdemeanors - details here:
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