Quote:
Originally posted by ARTelevision
Am I correct in ascertaining a certain pacifism in your position? I'm reading your comments regarding what we are doing in the business of conducting the War on Terrorism that seem to imply that those things are somehow not part and parcel of engaging in warfare.
If that's how you see it, you may object to waging war against the terrorist organizations and the states that support them in principle. That limits the options we can discuss, doesn't it?
|
I don't object, in principle, to conducting war on terrorists. I do object to a War On Terrorism, which may as well be a War On The Color Blue. I don't believe you can conduct a war on an ideology that crosses cultures and countries.
What are we fighting in the War On Terrorism? I believe Bush would say we are fighting:
- against brutal dictatorships
- against the proliferation of nuclear weapons
- against the proliferation of biological weapons
- for the spread of democracy and freedom
- for equal justice for all
We have conducted this war by:
- supporting dictators in pakistan and other counties
- looking the other way as pakistan proliferated nuclear technology
- reducing the freedom of USA citizens with the patriot act
- ignoring democratic processes in the United Nations
- torturing afghan and iraqi prisoners
- imprisoning USA citizens without giving them their rights
- imprisoning foreign soldiers without giving them their rights
- installing a non-democratic USA-picked operating government in Iraq
- installing a non-democratic USA-picked operating government in Afghanistan
I don't believe this is the proper way to conduct war. Look at our conduct in World War II. We joined with a group of allies against a common foe. We followed the geneva conventions to show respect for that foe. We conducted public trials for the prisoners of war. We helped germany and japan reconstruct themselves. It's quite a different process.
I am not a pacifist, but I believe that the USA's example in the conduct of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will not increase the ideals of freedom and democracy in the world today.
What common ground do you find with what I just said?