[IMC Bombay] squeak up (against Saddam, not the war)

[nity68@vsnl.com]

hello uma:
your offer of germany, russia or the US as a superpower leaves me wondering. that is like 
asking if i would prefer to get raped or murdered. Neither is my answer. as far as US doing a 
good job of being a big brother, please understand that US' interest in world democracy has 
nothing to do with democracy and everything to do with US' interests. US corporations are 
perhaps the most deadly when it comes to robbing democracy where it counts -- among the 
small, often disadvantaged communities, where they operate and whose resources they 
depend on.

America's actions -- military or otherwise -- are blatantly dictated by and done in proxy for its 
corporations. You may have heard about the spraying of Monsanto's round-up (a deadly 
herbicide) over the fields of Colombia to wipe out cocoa crops. Despite complaints by farmers 
(not cocoa farmers) that they are poisoned by and injured by the poison spray, the US goes 
about business-as-usual. Even in war, we're not prepared to accept civilian deaths. How can 
we accept it when there is no war?

It would be almost clicheic to remind you that America's business of war involves arming a 
tyrant, and later disarming the same guy once things get uncomfortable for USA.

America may win this war. But it has forever lost its peace. If God really does bless America, i 
think that God is different (perhaps more powerful) from the one that is to take care of the rest 
of the world.

i hope those of you who are willing to study the problems facing your country objectively need 
to understand that the world may live with a big brother, but that doesn't mean we like it or 
would thank america for it.

Big brother, I hear, is cutting federal funding for schools and hospitals to feed its army. A 
wiser, more just approach would involve fighting the war against racism, against poverty, 
against illiteracy, against small-mindedness within the United States. As some great sould 
said: "It would be a great day when our schools had all the money they need, and the Air 
Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a new bomber."

ciao, nity

On 1 Apr 2003 at 4:06, u ma wrote:

> 
> Sushma,
> I understand completely that most people have picked a side in this conflict already and are sticking 
> with it, no matter what anybody else might point out.But having said that, unfortunately I am still 
> going to have to disagree with most of the points you brought up. 
> 
> The fact is I would be just as 'gung ho' about my position, if my own government was run by a 
> dictator and his cronies for over 30 years, and an external coalition had to come in to remove it from 
> power.
> My country does not equal thebureaucratic Establishment at the capital that makes and breaks 
> laws as they please. My country, and her population is far more important than that. Edward Abbey 
> said it best, when he wrote that a true patriot must always be ready to defend his country against 
> his government. 
> 
> I could probably wonder out loud, why the Iraqis you mention hadn't have gone back into Iraq to fight 
> against Saddam earlier before this whole thing snowballed into a mess,and taken care of this 
> problem by themselves instead of forcing the West to interefere, but I won't.
> 
>  ______________________
> 
> Yes, the United States often acts unilaterally. Obviously, most Americans still haven't realised that 
> a lot of times their opinions are treated with distaste, not because of who they are, but because of 
> what they do. And that arm wrestling one's allies into submission with big budget media blitzes and 
> economic aid isn't helping them either.
> 
> However, we should remember that even though the world is a dangerous place, it is not particularly 
> so, to the U.S or the industrialized West. Maybe not even for a middle-of-the rung power like India. 
> We can solve our own problems. 
> It is the smaller nations : the Liberias, the Somalias, the Bosnias, the Tibets, the peace starved, 
> democracy bereft countries of the Middle East that need a Big Brother to keep the peace. And while 
> the US does not always do a particularly good job of playing a responsible super power/ beagle, 
> the world would be a sorrier place if some other nation were to take its' place.
> 
> Would any of us be more comfortable if China or Russia or Germany were the most powerful 
> countryin the world, instead of the US?
> 
> I guess what I am trying to say is that as human beings, and not just holders of a royal blue 
> coloured non-alignedpassport, the larger issue we should be looking at IN THIS PARTICULAR 
> SITUATION, is not the mere sovereignty of a nation. There are times and matters where world 
> opinion and action should and must supercede the authority of a country's internal governance. 
> Human Rights and Democracy are most definitely two such concerns, that we should all be be 
> prepared to die (and hopefully live) for. 
> 
> For the record: 
> 
> 
> *   For those who think that this is purely about oil ( and of course, it is not entirely NOT about 
>     oil either) may I remind you about oil-free Bosnia in the 1990's, where the US led NATO 
>     troops to prevent the genocide of Muslim Serbs and Croats, and later stayed on, to help 
>     restore democracy. 
> *   Some of the world's biggest, loudest anti-war, anti-Bush rallies take place in the United 
>     States. I haven't seen any anti-Saddam rallies happening in Baghdad for a long, long time 
>     now.Have you? 
> *   I love them funky Shanti-Tshirts too :) ( Just not right now.)
> 
> This is a long one. Thanks again for taking the time to read this through,
> 
> Goodwill,
> 
> Uma
> 
> 
> 
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