War with Iraq: holding our breath

By Tom Moore

"We’ve become an island of conservatism in a sea of liberalism. I’m afraid the rest of the world is leaving us behind philosophically."
--Dr. Jerry Thompson

"I’ve spoken to many people, and except for one guy who is a Marine, everyone else is
wondering, ‘why are we going to war?’ I haven’t come across anyone who agrees except this old gyrene, and he’s not going, and he doesn’t have any children who are going."
--Henri Kahn

The possibility of war with Iraq looms closer every day. So many elements are tangled within that possibility -- the present economy; the unknown impact that war would have on that economy, not just in the United States but throughout the world; fear that an ongoing "war on terrorism" and the heightened tensions that that would entail will replace decades of cold war anxiety and paranoia, in a move that many in power seem to hope for with rabid glee; the sinister prospect of Americans spying on each other and betraying each other to prove "patriotism" out of fear or malice. More often than not, trying to tease some sense out of all these elements leaves one with a head ready to explode. There is just too much to process.
One thing has been clear, however, and that one thing is a point on which to focus in this tangle of national and international affairs: the fact that there is another perspective, a call for cooler minds to at least be heard, if not prevail, a view that a move to war may not quite be just the thing this country, and this world, needs.
That view has been put forth for public debate in Laredo at several panel discussions sponsored by the Alliance for Peace and Justice at Texas A&M International University. The most recent panel, "War and the Home Front: The Cost to US," featured representatives from several social service and non-profit organizations and agencies, including Missy Bolbecker of American Friends Service Committee in Austin, Thad Crouch of the international Catholic peace organization Pax Christi, Austin, Michelle Hix for Food Not Bombs, Austin, Israel Reyna of Texas Rural Legal Aid, Laredo, and Sister Rosemary Welsh of Casa de Misericordia, Laredo.
Each spoke on a particular aspect of the cost of war. Missy Bolbecker discussed the billions of dollars given to the military industry. Michelle Hix noted that the existence of a non-profit pantry organization like Food Not Bombs pointed to the lack of funds for social services that are being allocated for military spending. Pax Christi was formed in Europe after World War II, said Army veteran Thad Crouch, to promote the Catholic Church’s view that military spending cannot be justified for more than what is needed for defense. Israel Reyna recounted how he became an anti-war activist after witnessing the emotional devastation experienced by friends and relatives who returned from Vietnam, and by the families of those who did not return. Reyna offered that the reasons given by the current government for war with Iraq sound similar to government reasoning for the Vietnam war. Sister Rosemary Welsh spoke of her 10 years working in Guatemala and Central America and seeing first hand the economic hardship resulting from US foreign policy.
Welsh later said she has felt galvanized to become more active in drawing attention to the negative aspects of potential conflict with Iraq. "There’s been talk about going and assassinating people, and I just think we go down a slippery slope if we start thinking things like assassinations are okay," she said. "What are we teaching our kids?
"Sept. 11 was a wake up call. We been insulated because there’s never been a war here. But what happened here is always happening in other countries," Welsh said.
"I guess what concerns me is if people have a different opinion, it’s seen to be unpatriotic. "But I see it the other way around -- just to follow along blindly with whatever the president says is not patriotic," she said.
"I’ve always been very interested in politics. Politics is life. I just think we need to be out there asking questions," she said.
Dr. Jerry Thompson, professor of History at A&M International, offered a big-picture perspective of current foreign affairs and the president’s handling of them. "As far as Hussein being an international outlaw, it may be necessary for us to go into Iraq, but I worry about the U.S. being the world’s policeman," he said. "What I’m worried about more than that, though, is that Bush is alienating 90 percent of the Europeans and most of the world. If you look at 1776, we were basically an island of liberalism in a sea of monarchies. Today we’ve become an island of conservatism in a sea of liberalism. I’m afraid the rest of the world is leaving us behind philosophically. I think Bush is weak in foreign policy. I don’t think he has a meaningful, basic understanding of foreign policy and it’s very worrisome."
Laredo businessman Henri Kahn commented on the possible financial troubles that could arise as a result of war with Iraq. "The stock market is going to go to hell for a while since nobody knows what’s going to happen. The Arabs, specifically the Saudis, are not going to confront us, they’re not going to confront the Iraqis. They wield an incredible amount of financial power. They own millions upon millions of shares, billions of dollars worth. If they resort to profit-taking they actually have the power to put the stock market into chaos. You can hurt someone economically a lot easier than mounting an attack against them. Which is the same thing we’re using in getting the Arabs and Russia and China to support this. We’re pledging a tremendous amount of money: ‘You want us to agree with you, fine, show us the money.’ Especially the Russians, their economy is terrible, they’re easy to buy off," Kahn said.
"I think that the restrictions the government’s putting on Iraq are incredible. They’re looking to fight, no matter what the Iraqis say about the UN inspections. Worse yet, the lives of a lot of people that shouldn’t be are going to be lost. Bush is using the tactics of Hitler (not for the same reason), of Fidel Castro, of getting people all excited, and they get that mob mentality going. A quarter of a million soldiers, billions of dollars, for what? For somebody 7,000 miles away? Iraq is trouble, yes, but for them to actually launch an attack that will affect us? No. Perhaps Kuwait, right across the street, perhaps Israel, but not us," he said.
"And think of the number of people, of Iraqis that they’re going to kill. You have a bunch of people in a terrible financial situation, and the administration doesn’t seem to care," Kahn added.
"I’ve spoken to many people, and except for one guy who is a Marine, everyone else is wondering, ‘why are we going to war?’ I haven’t come across anyone who agrees except this old gyrene, and he’s not going, and he doesn’t have any children who are going. I was in the Marine Corps. If someone is going to jump our country, fine. But Hussein is not a legitimate threat, at least I don’t think he is. It’s a fetish for Bush. And old [Secretary of State Colin] Powell was never for it, but they pressured him, for the security council. He’s the only military man in there, he knows what the hell war is," he said.
"My gripe is with the fact that Bush is willing to put our entire country on the line to satisfy some desire that he has to go and conquer someplace," Kahn said. "Us going against Iraq is like the Chicago Bears going against a high school B-team."
Dr. David Garza, member of the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners, reflects what is probably a prevailing attitude across the country. "I pray that the Iraqi government will recognized and abide by the recent, unanimous UN resolution, in the hope of achieving a peaceful and long-term resolution to the crisis," he said. "Though I believe the United States must take whatever measures necessary to protect its citizens and promote world peace, there is no doubt in my mind that many innocent lives will be lost on both sides of this war. On a more personal note, we are raising two sons, one who will be draft age in just over five years. As scary as the prospects of seeing our children sent to another unwinnable conflict are, those whose sons are eighteen years or older now must be mortified at the thought of mandatory draft today."
The response of attorney Armando X. Lopez exhibits a contemplativeness that seems sadly lacking among most policy makers regarding the action against Iraq. "When LareDOS asked me to contribute some thoughts to the debate about war, I wondered how I would negotiate around issues of patriotism and my personal and religious convictions about war. Would I weigh the logic and evidence that has been accumulated against Iraq and balance that with some still unanswered questions about the ‘necessity’ of this action against Iraq? Is it not simpler to get on the bandwagon of war and to ignore that sacrifices will be made by a younger generation of Americans? Do I give in to the more cynical views of those around me who realize that the talk of war forces our attention away from domestic issues and public business scandals?" he said.
"Many will say that to even have the debate shows a lack of unity on policy that spelled doom for the Vietnam war," Lopez said. "The truth is that a debate, both moral and pragmatic, should be at the center of our evaluation of what this war is about. It is a debate that currently rages between moderate and hawkish voices in the Bush Administration. It is a debate that should rage in all or our churches and in every classroom. It is a debate that each one of us must participate in."