"In my opinion..."
Feb. 20, 2003
I Respectfully Disagree
I have been buoyed in the last few days by the massive protest rallies staged throughout the world. I even spent time walking in the peace march in Victoria, B.C. on Saturday. My sense of hopefulness has been short-lived; I opened today's newspaper to read the headline, "Bush Respectfully Disagrees." The president's reaction to the international protestors and his blatant disregard for the feelings of so many world citizens seem less than respectful to me. Basically, his words act like a verbal middle finger. Bush patronizingly and smugly seems to say, "I saw you, I heard you, screw you."
Not that I honestly thought there'd be a miraculous turnaround of events after the peace weekend, but I naively hoped that the groundswell of anti-war emotions would allow Bush to back off a bit from his "right now or war" stance. The media imply that Saddam has been emboldened by the demonstrations; "news" reports sound scripted these days, crafted to keep Bush's agenda and popularity alive at the expense of the health of the American, and ultimately the world's, people.
Bush and his minions tout a pre-emptive attack on Iraq as a response to the terrorism of 9-11. In this way, Bush can claim we are not the aggressors but rather the victims, striking back in response to evil. The U.S. responded to the horrific events in New York by going after the perpetrators: Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaida. How Saddam Hussein and Iraq seamlessly became the focus of our wrath frightens me. War Hawks talk of Saddam's evil regime and 9-11 in the same breath, creating a link where one doesn't exist; there is no consistency in Bush's goals. Destroying evil in our War on Terrorism is enough reason to strike at Iraq but not North Korea (for the record, I support neither action). If empires of evil are our enemies, how can Bush justify picking and choosing his targets? Does he see himself as the Lone Ranger of Good, shifting his attacks from one dictator to the next as he gains momentum? This prospect worries me most, because carried to an extreme, this could start a World War III. All literature students know that three is a magic number, but this scenario could never end with "happily ever after." So, Mr. Bush, I respectfully disagree with your policies, and I will continue to disagree because I truly do not believe in striking first.