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Who Is Feeding The Iraq
Resistence - We Are!

By Raymond Long
Information Clearing House
6-28-5
 
Now the majority of Americans realize that the occupation of Iraq is a disaster, the question arises what is next. The current argument for staying there is to stabilize the nation until their government institutions including the military and police get on their feet. Attached to that it is argued by some that we are building "democracy" and Iraq is the front for the "War on Terror" and by "fighting them (terrorists) there we do not have to fight them at home".
 
If we ignore the broken record rhetoric and diatribe from our so called "liberal media" and analyze what is really happening a different picture appears. The insurgency is strong and will remain so as long as we occupy Iraq. Despite the media's repetition of Zarqawi, al Qaeda and foreign fighters and even Baathists, the greatest enemy of of military in Iraq is the people. Yes, the Iraqi people are the enemy. The people we came to deliver democracy, liberty and freedom to. The people who were oppressed by Saddam Hussein. They are our enemies. Why? We have bombed their houses with cluster bombs, used depleted uranium shells yielding spikes in cancer and leukemia, and napalm. We have abducted their fathers, sons and brothers, raped and tortured them.
 
To this day, Falluja is a prison camp. All people must be searched before entering and leaving that city. We have shipped them to other nations to "interrogate" them. We have shot first and asked questions later as families approached our checkpoints. Approximately 150,000 Iraqis have died with our bullets and bombs. We have stolen $8.8 billion of their own assets. We have put their national industries up for sale to foreign multinationals. Unemployment stands at 50%. We control their oil, which is of course their greatest commodity. In short, we have we are aptly seen by the average Iraqi as invaders and plunderers and we see them as terrorists.
 
But we are not terrorists! We do not crash planes into buildings or chop off heads. We have more sophisticated ways of eliminating the enemy. And these ways look very clean because our regimented media does not show us the bloody results of our incursions.
We were not invited by the people, we came to fight al Qaeda who did not exist there, we came to find weapons of mass destruction, which were not there. The argument that Saddam Hussein was a cruel dictator has merit, but it is disingenuous to ignore the fact that we supported his regime throughout the 1980's as we used him to fight Iran. How many people died in that proxy war that we supported? Regarding mass graves what about the 100,000 Iraqi soldiers that we carpet bombed who were already in retreat on the "road of death". We have always used Saddam for our purposes. Before he was our ally, and now he is our scapegoat.
 
So who is feeding the insurgency? We are! We sustain the insurgency be simply being there. Furthermore, every house raided, man abducted, child maimed or orphaned, woman widowed adds to the insurgency. For every one we harm, we create 10 insurgents or sympathizers. We do this to avenge those who attack us, while those who attack us do so to avenge our attack on them, viscious cycle of violence. Our corporate controlled media shores up support at home by simply taking the Pentagon's spin on events and trends in most cases. How many Iraqis have they interviewed to discover their side of the story?
To blame our soldiers is absurd. To criticize President Bush does not mean we don't support our soldiers. It was not their decision to invade this sovereign country. They are not the ones who deceived the nation into this tragedy. The soldiers signed up to defend this nation from aggressors but not to be the aggressor! They are doing as they are told and trying to survive. The have sworn an oath to do as they are told and not question authority. If they are attacked they have to return fire. These soldiers receive benefit cuts from the Pentagon and shortened leave time while the private mercenary contractors receive up to four times their pay. Our poor soldiers have been placed in one giant trap called Iraq and the poor Iraqi people are trapped there with them. It is impossible for the two to coexist.
 
The Iraqi people, like all people have pride, want their dignity, liberty and freedom. The tragic irony is that the occupation robs them of the very society that we claim to want to install by force (as if such a creation is possible). These are not foreign fighters, terrorists or Baathists. This is a grassroots insurgency against an imperial adventure by our leader who lied to us before the war and continues to lie to us now. If we can see that they are human just like you and me perhaps we can understand. The insurgency will continue as long as we "stay the course". More innocent blood shed, more homes and businesses destroyed and lives put in utter turmoil. Another $300 billion of taxpayer money will only enrich private contractors, spill more blood and cut assistance for the 30 million people here in the US who live in poverty.
 
We don't have to remain silent. We can call our congressmen and urge support of the current Iraqi exit plan put forward by Congress. We can hold Bush accountable for beguiling us into this debacle. Make your voice heard!
Raymond Long is a anti-war activist living in the New York City area. He can be reached at raymondlong@sbcglobal.net
 
c. 2005 Raymond Long
 
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Information Clearing House endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
 

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