Iraq war not about freedom
DEAR EDITOR:
Your article from Bloomington, Ind. about Iraq war veterans ["Returning soldiers struggle to adjust," Nov. 4, page 4] was timely and important. It addresses the single biggest issue of the day, and one that deserves far more frank discussion than it has had.
As an opponent of this war, I'd like to briefly address one vet's observation from the article. Cpl. Daniel Rhodes wants to say to critics of the war, "Do you realize that you're sitting here in a classroom, living freely because we're willing to fight?"
This argument - often heard - is illogical in two very large ways. First, it essentially says that because we have people dying (and let's not forget, killing) for our freedom, we therefore ought not practice it.
Second, and more important, the argument is based on a lie. Nobody in Iraq is fighting for my freedom. This is one of the great myths of American history. It has been adapted, of course, from previous empires such as Rome and Great Britain, who used it to send their young people on all kinds of military adventures in the nether lands of the world, convinced they were bringing civilization to the savages and saving the folks back home from outrageous evil.
This war, and virtually all before it, is about wealth and power. The only freedom being protected is that of American-connected corporations to exploit the oil and gas resources of the Middle East and, eventually, the Caspian Sea basin.
If this news hurts the feelings of any war veterans, I am truly sorry. But I, for one, cannot stay silent as we mass murder tens of thousands of innocent fellow humans for a lie.
Jim Glover
associate professor
recreation
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