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Thu May 1, 08 04:05 PM
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Why we're against the war
Q: Why are veterans, active duty, and National Guard men and women opposed to the war in Iraq?
A: Here are 10 reasons we oppose this war:
- The Iraq war is based on lies and deception.
The
Bush Administration planned for an attack against Iraq before September
11th, 2001. They used the false pretense of an imminent nuclear,
chemical and biological weapons threat to deceive Congress into
rationalizing this unnecessary conflict. They hide our casualties of
war by banning the filming of our fallen's caskets when they
arrive home, and when they refuse to allow the media into Walter Reed
Hospital and other Veterans Administration facilities which are
overflowing with maimed and traumatized veterans.
- The Iraq war violates international law.
The
United States assaulted and occupied Iraq without the consent of the UN
Security Council. In doing so they violated the same body of laws they
accused Iraq of breaching.
- Corporate profiteering is driving the war in Iraq.
From privately contracted soldiers and linguists to no-bid
reconstruction contracts and multinational oil negotiations, those who
benefit the most in this conflict are those who suffer the least. The
United States has chosen a path that directly contradicts President
Eisenhower's farewell warning regarding the military industrial
complex. As long as those in power are not held accountable, they will
continue...
- Overwhelming civilian casualties are a daily occurrence in Iraq.
Despite attempts in training and technological sophistication,
large-scale civilian death is both a direct and indirect result of
United States aggression in Iraq. Even the most conservative estimates
of Iraqi civilian deaths number over 100,000. Currently over 100
civilians die every day in Baghdad alone.
- Soldiers have the right to refuse illegal war.
All
in service to this country swear an oath to protect and defend the
Constitution of the United States against all enemies, both foreign and
domestic. However, they are prosecuted if they object to serve in a
war they see as illegal under our Constitution. As such, our brothers
and sisters are paying the price for political incompetence, forced to
fight in a war instead of having been sufficiently trained to carry out
the task of nation-building.
- Service members are facing serious health consequences due to our Government's negligence.
Many
of our troops have already been deployed to Iraq for two, three, and
even four tours of duty averaging eleven months each. Combat stress,
exhaustion, and bearing witness to the horrors of war contribute to
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a serious set of symptoms that
can lead to depression, illness, violent behavior, and even suicide.
Additionally, depleted uranium, Lariam, insufficient body armor and
infectious diseases are just a few of the health risks which accompany
an immorally planned and incompetently executed war. Finally, upon a
soldier's release, the Veterans Administration is far too under-funded
to fully deal with the magnitude of veterans in need.
For further reading:
- The war in Iraq is tearing our families apart.
The
use of stop-loss on active duty troops and the unnecessarily lengthy
and repeat active tours by Guard and Reserve troops place enough strain
on our military families, even without being forced to sacrifice their
loved ones for this ongoing political experiment in the Middle East.
- The Iraq war is robbing us of funding sorely needed here at home.
$5.8
billion per month is spent on a war which could have aided the victims
of Hurricane Katrina, gone to impoverished schools, the construction of
hospitals and health care systems, tax cut initiatives, and a host of
domestic programs that have all been gutted in the wake of the war in
Iraq.
- The war dehumanizes Iraqis and denies them their right to self-determination.
Iraqis
are subjected to humiliating and violent checkpoints, searches and home
raids on a daily basis. The current Iraqi government is in place
solely because of the U.S. military occupation. The Iraqi government
doesn’t have the popular support of the Iraqi people, nor does it have
power or authority. For many Iraqis the current government is seen as
a puppet regime for the U.S. occupation. It is undemocratic and in
violation of Iraq’s own right to self-governance.
- Our
military is being exhausted by repeated deployments, involuntary
extensions, and activations of the Reserve and National Guard.
The
majority of troops in Iraq right now are there for at least their
second tour. Deployments to Iraq are becoming longer and many of our
service members are facing involuntary extensions and recalls to active
duty. Longstanding policies to limit the duration and frequency of
deployments for our part-time National Guard troops are now being
overturned to allow for repeated, back-to-back tours in Iraq. These
repeated, extended combat tours are taking a huge toll on our troops,
their families, and their communities.
Q: Why do Iraq Veterans Against the War call for the immediate withdrawal from Iraq?
A: There are several reasons why immediate withdrawal is the critical first step toward solving the problems in Iraq.
- The reasons and rationale given for the invasion were fraudulent.
There
were no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq during the time of the
invasion according to US officials and former chief UN weapons
inspector Hans Blix. The idea that Al Qeada and the 9/11 terrorist
attacks were connected to Saddam Hussein and the Baath party were
proven false in the 9/11 Commission Report. Members of the Bush
Administration have admitted that they “misspoke” in the run up to the
war.
- The presence of the US military is not preventing sectarian violence.
The
US occupation of Iraq has proven to be unable to prevent sectarian
violence and halt an escalation towards a civil war. Despite having an
average of 140,000 troops in country since the occupation began,
internal violence and attacks against civilians and Iraqi security
forces have been on a steady incline.
- The occupation is a primary motivation for the insurgency and global religious extremism.
The
insurgency can be broken down into many individually named factions
with various goals, beliefs, and techniques. However, our membership of
veterans believe that the occupation of Iraq is the primary thing
encouraging the insurgency and giving it legitimacy in the eyes of many
Iraqis. Likewise, other people of the Islamic faith are encouraged to
resist America ’s policies internationally based on how they perceive
our military operations in the Middle East.
- We can no longer afford to fight this war of choice.
The
financial burden is destroying our domestic programs that could be used
to protect us from natural disasters, provide medical programs, or help
improve education. We are jeopardizing the US economy and putting
strains on the budgets of important government agencies like the
Veterans Affairs Department.
- National security is compromised.
Funds
that could be used to protect our ports and transportation are being
stripped away while our National Guard units are on constant
deployments instead of being used to protect and defend us here at
home.
- The world is becoming more dangerous.
International
terrorist attacks have increased and it has become more dangerous for
Americans to travel abroad. Approval for US policy has decreased and
the dislike of Americans has increased.
- Our national “moral authority” is being undermined.
The
US has lost credibility to much of the world as the defender of liberty
and freedom and our national identity is eroding. We can no longer
deploy our armed forces for peace keeping measures with the good faith
of the international community. We need to regain the respect and faith
of the global community. This begins by withdrawing our troops from
Iraq and helping the Iraqi people rebuild their country and society.
- The majority of American citizens, Iraqi citizens and US military would like to see an immediate end to the war in Iraq.
If
we are truly a democracy and we aim to create a democracy in Iraq our
leaders will represent the will of the citizens and lead according to
their wishes.
- The military is broken.
We are abusing
the small population of armed service members with multiple deployments
while using inadequate vehicles and equipment. Less than one half of a
percent of the American population is serving in the active armed
forces, which is the least amount in the last century. Only 25% of the
troops in Iraq are there for their first tour, while 50% are there on
their second tour, and the remaining 25% are there three times or more.
We continue to involuntarily extend soldiers with Stop-Loss, recall
them repeatedly for additional service using the Individual Ready
Reserve, and send soldiers with diagnosed medical problems into combat.
N/A
Link:
http://blog.bitcomet.com/post/21134/
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