L. Neil Smith's THE LIBERTARIAN ENTERPRISE Number 210, February 10, 2003 STARS AND WARS A Theory
Special to TLE I have this theory. But I'm going to keep it to myself until something else has been said. We are people that should be open to new ideas and new ways of thinking. We are people who, for most of our adult lives, have not fit in to what the rest of the country calls normal thought. Our views of politics and people's rights, the Constitution and many other subjects place us in the minority. Why then, are we afraid to say that we are opposed to the country's coming war with Iraq? I, too feel the need for vengeance. We all do. We all should feel that fire burning deep inside after being pummeled with images from 9/11 as we have been. We have been told over and over again that those feelings are right and that the guilty must pay. Then let the guilty pay. Yes, Saddam is a very bad man. Doubtless, he deserves to die a hundred deaths for the things that he has done. Realizing that it has been said that Saddam will likely strike out against Israel and the U.S. in his final hours, our leaders are blatantly pushing the greatest advertising campaign ever waged onto the American people. We must fight. We must attack. For the pride of Germany... oops, make that America. That's part of the theory that I told you about at the beginning. The Second World War, according to what I've been told, was the fault of a teeny little man named Hitler. (Just in case you didn't notice, I'm oversimplifying for effect, so stick with me.) This man used the up-swelling of patriotism, to show his people that the rest of Europe, a little at a time, was a threat to their way of life. First one country, then another, fell to the conquest because they stood in the way of Germany's freedom. As our own military makes ready to perform it's duties as an occupying force, someone, please tell me why we are different than them. Again, I know that I am simplifying a very complicated subject. The socio-economic, political and moral reasons for this country's involvement in the Middle East are staggering, to say the least. I've seen it when an investigation turns into a witch-hunt. Occupying countries is not how you stop terrorist attacks. Occupying countries is how you provoke terrorist attacks. Maybe we should mind our own business for once. Because we are the only people who can make sure it doesn't happen again.
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