Letter to the Editor

Opposing war is patriotic duty

To the editor:

It is understandable that Americans such as Anna Jean Coffman want to trust the president and believe the Iraq war parallels World War II as a defense of freedom. Unfortunately, unlike World War II, the Bush war is totally unjustifiable.

Despite the lies promoted by the Bush administration, there never was any evidence linking Iraq with the terrorist attack of 9-11 and none that Iraq possessed the weapons President Bush claimed posed a threat to this country. The only justification for the Iraq invasion is a plan hatched in the 1990s by current White House appointees who are also members of the Project for a New American Century. They planned the invasion to promote U.S. global domination and serve corporate profit. This president committed to attacking Iraq immediately after 9-11, callously using it to elicit support from a frightened population. He has dogmatically stuck to that plan at the cost of hundreds of U.S. military personnel and billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars.

Bush repeatedly justifies the invasion as a war against terrorism. But as protesters and U.S. intelligence warned, this invasion has turned Iraq into both a chaotic mess and a haven for terrorism. If Bush wanted to promote terrorism, there is no single act he could have undertaken better to achieve that goal.

It is the duty of patriotic Americans to oppose this war. We must not blindly support a cynical and immoral president who promotes terrorism and sacrifices Americans for U.S. corporations.

ALAN R.P. JOURNET

Cape Girardeau