Editor,
One of the reasons given for continuing to fund the war on Iraq is if we did not then terrorism would increase both in Iraq and the US. According to the US intelligence community's National Counter-terrorism Center, there were 14,338 terrorist attacks last year, up 29% from 11,111 attacks in 2005. Forty-five percent of the attacks were in Iraq. We can only conclude that terrorism has actually increased, not decreased, after our invasion of Iraq. Why should taxpayers continue to fund something which increases terrorism? Terrorism is not decreased by committing acts of terror.
Another reason given is that the troops will not be able to get those things that would make them safe and effective. The troops, as we have seen, were never really safe in Iraq. If we really care about the safety of the troops we should demand that they be brought home so they can be with their families.
As much as $13 billion given to the US military in Iraq cannot be accounted for, and now taxpayers are supposed to dole out even more money to have their children face death, and witness the atrocities committed in Iraq that are done in response to our invasion and occupation. This does not make sense.
President Bush claims that he wants the Iraqis to have democracy. Democracy involves more than voting. It means that the people have a say about their country. A recent poll shows that up to 80% of the Iraqi people do not want US troops in their country, and 60% of Americans do not want to continue funding the war. If the President believes in democracy, why is he insistent on going contrary to the wishes of the people?
President Bush wants success in Iraq, but just what is success? In war there are no winners, only losers. The first casualty of war is truth, and we have much untruth in this war. Success would be being truthful and respectful to the Iraqi and American people. It would be stopping the occupation, closing the 14 permanent US military bases in the country, giving the Iraqis the means to reconstruct their country, releasing all the prisoners who have not been charged with a crime, and allowing the Iraqi people rather than our oil companies to benefit from the oil in their country. Only then could we possibly see a decrease in terrorism.
Where there is no justice there is no peace. To continue funding an illegal and immoral invasion and occupation is senseless and counterproductive to both the Iraqis and the Americans.
Don Timmerman