Now That We Destroyed Iraq, Let's Leave It

But Let's Continue to Throw Millions More of Our Tax Dollars Into Rebuilding It

by Peter Stern

After all, we did the same thing with Germany and Japan after World War II via our destruction of those nations with our bombings. After we dropped the A-Bomb on Hiroshima, destroyed the city and caused deaths and radiation mutilation to millions of Japanese, we then (almost guilt-ridden) soaked our tax dollars into rebuilding Japan, a task that lasted for decades. It took decades also to rebuild Hamburg and other German cities with American tax dollars. History repeats itself, as does the ongoing "war machine."

Now, Iraq stands without its legs. It is a country without real leadership or foundation. The people have lost their homes, schools and their traditional daily lives. The disruption includes no electricity, lack of fresh water and ongoing health issues. Since 1991 the U.S. has been hell-bent on removing the Hussein family regime and occupying Iraq. After almost 10 years of U.S. presence, civil unrest continues and suicide bombings kill dozens daily. Although finished in Iraq, the mayhem continues in Afghanistan.

So what has been accomplished in Iraq that justifies spending more than $1 TRILLION of our tax dollars???

Well, one way to view the matter is to recognize that $1 Trillion could have averted some of the economic problems we face in our own nation. Iraq lies in shambles --- physically, politically and socially. We leave Iraq with a skeleton government, one that can do little to protect itself and its citizens --- but we are still leaving.

Congress should pat itself on the back for a job well-done. We came, we conquered, we obliterated, but we did little to free and protect the people of Iraq. The majority want what people in the U.S. want: freedom to live their lives the way they want to; the right to educate their children who deserve a better way of life.

Instead, the U.S. has given license to radical individuals and groups to continue infighting and suicide bombings, the kind that murder parcels of the population every day. We did not install democracy as we promised and we created more harm than good. Tribal leaders will once again fight for domination. It is an age-old tradition that dates back to Biblical times.

Yes, forces obliterated the Hussein Dynasty, the same one we supported for decades, but at what cost to our nation and to the people of Iraq? Let's pull-down the veils and take a good look at what we have accomplished. The winners are the corporate titans, e.g., Halliburton, Exxon, BP and others. U.S. citizens are kept in the dark regarding what their leadership accomplished during the past decade. Our pride as a nation is disintegrating on a world scale. We are driving down a long, lonesome road --- from which there is no return. And let's top it off by throwing more of our tax dollars into the lost effort of returning Iraq to some sense of normalcy. After all, we can afford it, can't we? After all, we have always done that for nations we have destroyed.