Letters on the war against Iraq

7 April 2003

Below we post a selection of recent letters on the war against Iraq.

The evil is that innocents are getting killed to clean up the mess that Western nations, including the US, are responsible for. They armed Saddam with chemical weapons and military equipment to kill Iranians. Now US firms will profit rebuilding a country they destroyed to destroy the weapons the West sold to Iraq. How about compensation to the real victims ... the hostage Iraqi population ... gets paid by western nations out of their own pockets ... and NOT by Iraqi oil ... You can include the United States of America in the AXIS of EVIL.

7 April 2003

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Dear Sir or Madam,

How the tide has changed. I remember during the early eighties meeting an Iraqi Air Force student helicopter pilot at Carlisle Airport in northern England.

His government he told me was paying 240 pounds sterling for each hour undergoing helicopter flight training—provided by British ex-military instructors. Iraq was at war with Iran at that time. There were many Iraqi students at Carlisle—training lasted up to six months.

Britain was pro-Iraq at that time.

Regards,

7 April 2003

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Editor,

I visit your site as often as I can and find your information to be both informative and unprejudiced. Due to constant propaganda one living in the US experiences from officials of the government, newscasters, etc., your truthful articles are a breath of fresh air. I’m glad to see that you all take the time to inform the readers of the happenings no type of American media offers.

I enjoy visiting your site and I hope you continue to expose lies that are fed to the public from the American government.

Sincerely,

5 April 2003

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To whom it might concern,

Thursday afternoon on National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” broadcast, Neal Conan betrayed his allegiance to the Bush Administration by forcefully silencing the discussion between his guest speakers when the topic came to Cluster bombs and their dual purpose “minefield” effect. One of his guests began critiquing the legality of cluster weapons and Conan cut him off, changing to topic to a telephone caller.

It was quite clear that he knew where that discussion would lead and chose to disallow it on the air. The public has a right to know about the minefield effects of clusterbombs. Perhaps the Editorial Board of the WSWS would be willing to write a critique of Public radio in the U.S., exposing its ties to the wealthy and elitist factions in Washington D.C. and throughout all of the states.

I’m an avid reader of the WSWS. I spend at least two hours a day on the site, and then on others, verifying information and critically examining the reports. I must say that I have always been a supporter of the Fourth International’s cause. I have been very disturbed lately by the reports on the U.S. National Public Radio.

Thank you for your time and commitment,

5 April 2003

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Even an admitted “news junkie” such as myself has become sickened by the US news media’s reporting of the war in Iraq. The undisguised triumphalism, particularly on television news with its martial theme music and testosteronic graphics, reminds me of the games of the Roman Empire wherein the people were entertained with demonstrations of gladiatorial combat in which human beings slaughtered other human beings, or in which humans were maimed while doing battle with wild beasts, all to the roars of the crowds. How alike all empires remain throughout the millennia of human history!

Now, with the technological advances and power of modern weaponry, can the species really afford to continue its wars of aggression in the manner of the ancients? When will we evolve?

5 April 2003

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The articles displayed on the WSWS are brilliant, written with true heart and concern. After quite a bit of time of reading these articles, I felt like I should say something, but kept forgetting there was an Email The Author link, getting so caught up in the story itself.

You probably get letters of appraisal all the time, but I just thought I should say that the WSWS has a very intelligent, bright staff with articles that should each be surrounded by gold frames.

Keep up the good work,

5 April 2003

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Editor:

I am baffled that we had to disarm Iraq because they are a threat to the security of the world. Once the war began we started bragging about how old and outdated all of his equipment is. His jets are French Mirages from the 80s, his tanks are Vietnam era from Russia and his artillery is post-WWII era. He has no night vision and his air defense consists of some Korean War era machine guns. He has no advanced early warning system and apparently only has one position where he broadcasts all of his television programming. Also, his forces are unorganized and not committed to their country.

If all of what I’m now hearing on American television is true, then why do we need to disarm him? He doesn’t sound like he’d be a threat to Canada, much less the USA. As a Desert Storm veteran I support our military, even to the point that I think we should have a one year mandatory enlistment, however, I find no excuse for this war.

4 April 2003

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I was born in 1968, and missed the tumult of the Vietnam War and the revolution of the hippie era. I’ve spent my entire life having people tell me (either admiringly or disparagingly) that I am a “flower child born 20 years too late”. With my opposition to the war on Iraq, I’ve gotten the opportunity for the first time in my life to get involved and volunteer with a cause I believe in: PEACE. I completely agree with the closing statement in Bill Vann’s article on the ludicrous arrogance of relic writer Peggy Noonan (“Right-wing ideologue Peggy Noonan welcomes casualties in Iraq”), that it is inevitable that this war is going to eventually mobilize working class people to action to protest and not just accept this insanity. I’m sure that the hundreds of thousands of people that I marched with at the January and February peace marches in San Francisco are still totally upset at being ignored by the mainstream media. I think we in the peace movement have a daunting task ahead of us now, because corporations control everything nowadays, most obviously the media to spread the message. I just hope people start getting angry enough to mobilize before freedom and individuality exist only for the very wealthy, while the rest of us toil, sweat, and die in the name of capitalist greed.

4 April 2003

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Mr. Cellucci speaks for a very small (and small-minded) portion of American citizens and obviously represents the Bush regime’s policies of bully tactics towards anyone or nation who doesn’t go along with them.

I’m an American and have been for the past 53 years. I have never seen such jack-booted administration policies in our own history and have only read about them in history books. Everything (emphasis) about the Bush administration is frightening to most Americans (i.e. his policies regarding: the environment, civil rights, human rights, foreign affairs, etc.). Unfortunately the entire world still has to endure him for almost two more years.

I applaud Mr. Chrétien and his stand against this American tyrant.

Sincerely

3 April 2003