Americans happy for Iraqis freedom

This letter is in response to a letter to the editor by Naveed Kamal printed in The Oracle on Wednesday. In contrast to the spiteful tone of the letter, the American government, by all but the most hate-motivated of accounts, has gone to great lengths to prevent harm to Iraqi citizens during their liberation. That is precisely why Saddam loyalists would pose as civilians, or pretend to surrender, then open fire on our troops. This is really quite elementary, if you would stop the hate speech long enough to think.

Americans are literally overjoyed at the fact that Iraqis will be able to practice their respective religions as they see fit. Americans are overjoyed at the fact that Iraqis are able to protest in the streets whenever they want, even if some of them are protesting our presence there.

Americans harbored hatred, if at all, for Saddam’s government, not for the people. This is due to the fact that they threatened us and, more importantly, because of the stories Iraqi escapees told us when they reached the safety of the West. To misunderstand that at this point can only be intentional; in other words, a lie.

The letter claimed we cleared everything on our way to Baghdad. Certainly, it must have been referring to another war in another time. Tanks were cleared, but on the whole, that is it. Also, it claimed that we should blame President George W. Bush for the economy going down the drain. Down the drain? Sure, there are economic problems, but this economy is by far the most steady and promising in the entire world.

We will stand with the Iraqi people as they reform their country, starting with ensuring that Iraqi oil money is distributed among Iraqis, rather than embezzled by the United Nations, France and Germany.

We know there are tough times ahead. It may be tough to watch a Republican president get the credit for all of this, but it does not change the fact that it is a good thing.

Jason Konopack is a senior majoring in microbiology.

Country distracted by war in Iraq

The war is over, so why are we still protesting? This is a common question, which really shows how in-tune people are with the propaganda spewed up by the oligopoly of mass media. However, we are still protesting, and with good reason, and possibly more anger.

First, the war in Iraq is not over. The major battles have been fought, but as anti-American sentiment grows because of the lack of humanitarian concern and the number of innocent people killed (around 2,000), troops will have major problems. There is also the fact of the Iraqi info war, where the U.S. media reports half-truths and lies, while the real facts lie in foreign or independent media (see www.whatreallyhappened.com). Iraqi chemical plants are reported during primetime, while they are refuted in the dead of night, leaving the public truly uninformed.

Second, Iraq is only stop No. 2 on America’s hegemonic train of death and destruction. It seems that Syria is next, then Iran, then…? These countries will face the same false allegations and fabrications that Iraq faced, all in the name of occupation.

Third, there is the war at home. As military budgets inflate, schools cut classes and financial aid and health care becomes a luxury, the United States will be creating a population as unhealthy as Dick Cheney and as dumb as George W. Bush.

These wars are a distraction to the injustices plaguing our own people. Money is being sodomized into bombs used to kill innocent people abroad while innocent people in America die — hungry, cold and sick. As long as innocent blood spill, as long as the gap between the haves and the have-nots becomes bigger, as long as the American dream consists of ignorance, hypocrisy, brutality, and hegemony, there will be a struggle to fight, by the young and the old, here in good ol’ America.

Anthony Schmidt is asophomore majoringin anthropology.