Editor,
Who is the enemy in Iraq? Is it terrorists, insurgents, al-Qaida, private militias, private contractors, foreign fighters or U.S. troops? The resistance in Iraq is coming from Iraqis.
We have become our own worst enemy in Iraq.
The U.S. is the aggressor, the invader and the occupier in Iraq. We'll never win. We've been bombing Iraq for 16 years.
We are training Iraqis to kill Iraqis. There is something terribly wrong with this country. Our military, government and media lied to start a war of conquest and aggression and lost the war.
According to a Daily Lobo poll Tuesday, 21 percent of us still believe Iraq will someday be a symbol of democracy and less of a threat to the U.S. Who are these people? Iraq is in a theocratic civil war. There was no threat from Iraq, since they had no weapons of mass destruction. Iraq was secular and enemies with Shiite Iran and Sunni al-Qaida. Our former ally Saddam Hussein was found pathetically buried in a hole.
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The only Americans making sacrifices in the decisive ideological struggle of our times are the U.S. armed forces and their families. If this is the decisive ideological struggle of our times, why not help the broken U.S. Army with a national draft? Why not enact a war tax, instead of borrowing $3 billion a week?
If you support the war in Iraq, then drop out of UNM and go enlist. If you oppose the escalation in Iraq, then hit the streets and stay in the streets. If you support the surge in Iraq, then pay for it with a federal tax increase. If you oppose it, then don't pay your taxes.
Do supporters of the augmentation in Iraq realize that U.S. troops will be under the command of a foreign government? Nine regiments of 500 U.S. troops each will be spending nights in Baghdad police stations instead of U.S. bases. Is that supporting the troops?
Politicos like Sen. Hillary Clinton, a New York Democrat, and Rep. Heather Wilson, a New Mexico Republican, have been strong supporters of the occupation of Iraq, but they're wavering now that they're looking ahead to the 2008 elections.
Anyone who voted for the invasion of Iraq - Democrat or Republican - should step down and resign. They should sacrifice their enormous egos and political careers for the truth.
The peace and justice crowd seems more concerned about its own fate than with stopping an attack on Iran. An hour-long protest of sound and fury signifying nothing once a year does nothing more than make people feel good. It isn't good enough.
The Army's broken. The government is broke. We lost our superpowers. It is time for the American people to stand up and fight. The people have the power.
Brian Fejer
UNM alumnus
