I have been a peace movement supporter; I opposed the Gulf War and the War in Bosnia; not until Afghanistan did I have a war to support in my lifetime. The present war, by contrast, finds me straddling both sides. Nonetheless, the truely worthwhile arguments against the US war in Iraq get drowned out by the ritual irrelevance of the left, like those who follow the Chomsky-line, e.g., "it's about oil," "neocolonialism," and "the US has a horrid history of 'interventionism.'" All of which are, or were, more or less true, but stem from a bi-polar Cold War world that died 13 years ago; these points are much less germain to today's uni-polar Post-Cold War world, and hence obscure far more than convince. Toward the end of furthering enlightenment, I share this Op-Ed letter submitted locally. Feel free to borrow liberally (and without attribution), but especially please discuss! ----------------------------- The ironies of today’s “Peace" Movement are many. First, it’s biggest organizer, ANSWER, is led by the Bolshevik Socialist Workers Party—ideological cousins of communists who murdered more people through government rule than any other in the 20th century. Second, the UN Security Council membership—which people here and abroad see as THE legitimating agency in going to war against Iraq—is itself of very doubtful legitimacy. Most of its 15 members are rated “not free” or only “partly free" by human rights groups. Third, while most peace marchers want no civilian deaths at all, their recent turnout by the millions may actually kill thousands more of the completely innocent. Why? Despite mounting diplomatic and military pressure on Saddam Hussein to bolt for peaceful exile, the massive international division makes a peaceful outcome far less likely because he believes he can outlast the US government’s insistence on enforcing more than a dozen earlier UN resolutions. Fourth, there are an estimated four million refugees from Saddam’s reign of terror, and UNICEF estimates tens of thousands of annual deaths continue from trade sanctions. What about the fate of these people? How does peace help them? Finally, a synecdoche worth contemplating: The modern Olympic movement was founded in the hope of promoting peace between nations, yet Saddam tortures Olympic athletes. Is this “peace” worth defending? --Orson
