Stop the Slaughter - Mistakes in Iraq Reminiscent of Vietnam
by Jack Rossbach
sent 12-16-04, Star Tribune

To the Editor,

This country must immediately begin a staged withdrawal and remove all of its troops from Iraq. It must cut and fly.

I’m an army veteran who, luckily, lived through the lies, stupidity, greed for riches, and gluttony for power that fed the Vietnam War. That war devoured my friends, crippling many both physically and psychologically.

The same forces of deception and power are at work in this second slaughter in Iraq. I knew there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Powell’s lies at the United Nations were pathetic. The whole business of Iraq presenting a imminent security risk was so disingenuous that Donald Rumsfeld actually denied that all parrots of the administration had actually squawked this repeatedly. Meet The Press replayed a number of the Iraq imminent security threat claims demonstrating Rumsfeld's deception.

It was perfectly clear that there would be a well armed and well organized resistence in Iraq. Saddam made it clear that the entire country of Iraq would be armed. It has been a clear that many middle easterners consider revenge and freedom from occupation moral values. Only fools or those blind with power would lead active duty personnel, reserve personnel and National Guards into this morass.

So far about 35,000 of this country's soldiers have been emergency evacuated from Iraq. The physical and psychological tragedy for these warriors is only exceeded by the horrible viciousness visited on the Iraqi people with over 100,000 dead and millions likely wounded in body and soul.

If we bring our soldiers home rapidly, apologize with reparations to the Iraqi people, and hold a United Nations guided truth commission identifying false claims, there might be some hope of a positive future.

The mental illness I’ve seen from Vietnam has been terrible for so many. Many of my friends who were soldiers in the Vietnam War are returning to visit the Vietnamese as friends and to pay their personal reparations as they heal from the experience. Bush didn’t fight in that war and the Bush's aren’t fighting in this one either.

It’s easy to fight with other people’s children - especially those from the "lower classes". Keep in mind that the Pentagon is the greatest propaganda machine on this planet (as clearly shown by the Pat Tillman hoax). There is only one way out and that is to bring the troops home NOW!

Jack Rossbach
VFP #27 activist/leader, http://twincitiesvfp.org/
St. Paul, MN

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