APPEAL TO U.S. TROOPS: NO ONE WANTS YOU IN IRAQ

I spoke to a dude today, a fellow in his forties or fifties and he was with what appeared to be his son and wife. He caught my attention because of his fatigues and the bumper sticker that
said ARMY.

I asked him if he was going to Iraq. He said he hoped not. I said I hoped not either then I did the unthinkable. I asked him a question, "If the Iraqis don't want you in Iraq and the American people don't want you in Iraq, and its an illegal, unjust war, why is anyone going?"

He and his whole family looked a little shit-faced. No one said anything.

"Resist the war I said to him. It's an illegal imperialist war. Resist the war! Resist the war!"

"Resist the war and live. Stay home and live."

I made my speech and left the dude and his poor family to their thoughts.

I hope that dude doesn't go to Iraq. If he does go, it is at least in part his choice. I sharpened up the philosophical debate in his head and perhaps in his family. If they weren't already talking about what a bunch of crap the war is you can bet they are now.

He may not want to pay the price of resisting the war which could be high or could be quite low depending on how the ARMY looks at his resistance. Some are discharged, others get some time. He will not be killed. He will not return home a cabbage patch father and husband.

Some will say, some have said that I have gone over the edge. But it was just words, just a conversation, just an appeal to another human being who may or may not save his own life by resisting the war. It also is the right thing to do, to not be part or an imperialist invasion and occupation.

When he is in Iraq, if he makes that choice to go, he will either be at a base with no contact with Iraqis or if he does leave these protected sanctuaries he will be trying to survive the ongoing war against the occupation. Of course he is likely to have superior weapons and armor. I wonder how kind he will be to Iraqis? I suspect he will not be kind to the average Iraqi who just happens to surprise this dude-father-husband soldier. Face it, this harmless looking dad may be blowing away families in Iraq if it fits the oh so liberal "rules of engagement". That's the situation Bush-Cheney and Representative Dennis Moore want to put him. That's something else he won't have to do if he choses life, peace and resistance to the imperialist, unjust, illegal war in Iraq.

This sacred cow thing about the military is just used by imperialist leaders like the Bush-Cheney
criminal clique to suppress debate and open discussion of what these scoundrels, the imperialist leaders, are really all about. They want oil, Iran's oil, Iraq's oil an and everyone's oil. They want a permanent occupation of Iraq, Bush compared his dreamed of occupation as being like that in
Korea. The Korean occupation is already fifty years old with no end in sight.

The whole invasion of Iraq has only polarized the world against the United States. Our economy is in long term and now apparently acute decline. Yet one fact remains, whoever ends up running Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia will sell oil. We don't need to conquer other lands to buy oil.
It will be on the market.

The whole war is pointless in terms of achieving democracy or stability. It created al-qaeda in Iraq. Osama Bin Laden and Dick Cheney (as well as his loathesome sidekick G. W. and clueless congressional leaders like Representative Dennis Moore (D) of Kansas all agreed that the invasion of Afghanistan was a great idea, for Bin Laden. It was a classic case of drawing the enemy in deep so that a protracted war against the invader can begin.

Only it was quite an additional bonus to Al Qaeda to see the United States invade Iraq as well.
Now the United States is losing two wars, one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. The invasion of Iraq made possible the creation of Al Qaeda in Iraq and similar groups where they really didn't exist before the invasion. Who was the genius here? Not Discmaster Cheney, not Representive Dennis Moore of Kansas who has been a relentless supporter of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Who has benefited besides the military contractors and the Al Qaeda type groups?

So when you see a soldier, try to save his life. Tell him no one wants him in Iraq and that we want him to live here in the United States in peace. Your may be able to say it all better than me. I am confident of that. Such personal messages may save individual lives and stop an unjust war. Maybe you will save a soldier's life and lives in Iraq as well.