Monday, February 24, 2003

Legislation by Death How many thousands dead is it worth to the Bush Administration to pass a dividend tax cut.  Is privatization of Medicare worth the killing of 35,000 Iraqi’s.  Maybe a taxcut for the top 1% could be bought with 50,000 deaths.  What can Karl Rove buy with 100,000 civilian deaths-- the end of all taxes on the richest 1%?   Look at this article by Elisabeth Bumiller today from the New York Times, expressing the strategy of Karl Rove to have radical legislation ready to move after a presumed victory in Iraq, but before the true costs become apparent.   Democratic politicians need to realize that this murderous unilateralism has crossed the line—has literally taken America into the company of terrorists and outlaws, rogue regimes, mass murderers and war criminals   People get upset when Europeans and Asians say George Bush is a greater murderer than Saddam.  But, the logic is there for all to see said the Washington Post on page one today.   Unleashing the massive technological, unstoppable military arsenal of the U.S. on a weak third world country is equal to the great war crimes of the twentieth century:  the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, the Rape of Nanking by the Japanese, the bombing of Cambodia by Nixon, leading to the triumph of the Khmer Rouge and the deaths of millions.    What made these atrocities icons for criminality was the disproportionate power between the killers and their victims.  Some people view all war as unjustified.  But more people feel war is unjustified when the consequences of killing civilians and the suffering caused are completely out of balance with the purpose of the war.   The basis of the European astonishment over the actions of Bush and Rove is that the inspections are working at disarming Iraq.  With weapons being destroyed, inspectors on the ground, and the regime getting steadily weaker, the French ask what is the reason for war?   The answer, Karl Rove might say, is tax cuts and privatization of Medicare.   Only by terrorizing Americans and building up Saddam Hussein and the weak Iraq to be a monster of Hitlerian proportions can Bush attempt to justify his disproportionate power to murder.  If he didn’t build up Saddam, he would be seen as the arrogant bully, terrorizing weaker people.   The reason world opinion has turned so solidly against the U.S. is the once you get away from Fox and CNN, most of the world clearly sees an arrogant power using unnecessary and disproportionate force against a weak and isolated nation.  Many people think there, but for the grace of god, go I.   Given Bush’s unilateralism, there is no faith that he won’t next turn on Iran, turn on North Korea, turn on Angola or Somalia.  Already, countries that oppose the U.S. in the UN Security council are being threatened with retaliation.   In short, Bush is not building a coalition of the willing, but a coalition of the bought and terrorized.  This is not the cement from which stable, long term alliances for common goals are made.   The tragedy is that fear of America will probably lead to massive nuclear proliferation over the next several years.  Once the bully terrorizes the neighborhood, many neighbors decide they must buy guns to protect themselves.  The result is that everyone is less safe, especially us—riding in the wake of this cruel and heartless leader. 3:00:48 PM   comment []

© Copyright 2003 Toby Sackton. Last update: 3/3/2003; 11:24:21 PM.