Letter to the Editor: Wars not similar

By Sun Advocate

Editor:
I feel compelled to reply to Tom McCourt on his recent article titled “The Way to End Wars” (Sun Advocate, April 10).
He and the present administration shy away from the remarkable comparison of the war in Iraq and the war in Vietnam including the recent build up. The only difference being we were bound by treaty in Vietnam, “SEATO”.
There is no way we should compare it to World War II, a war we fought for our survival and that of the free world. If we are to compare this war to World War II we have to change sides. It was Nazi Germany that was making the preemptive wars on its neighbors and it was the Gestapo that was doing the torturing (instead of the CIA).
Tom, along with the conservative commentators are still claiming a connection between Saddam and 9-11. They have not been able to authenticate any of it. If Tom had been watching Channel 4 a few nights ago instead of Fox News he would have seen George Bush replying to a question. What did Saddam have to do with 9-11? His curt reply was nothing.
The big problem was starting this war. Many mistakes were made in this war that should not have started in the first place.
Not one person will deny that Saddam was a ruthless dictator that only parallel I know of was Tito in Yugoslavia who ruled a similarly ethnic three way division of Serbs, Croats and Moslems with an iron hand. Even Joseph Stalin who was intent on world conquest did not dare to attack Yugoslavia and to my knowledge none of his citizens ever challenged him. When Tito left the same thing happened there that’s happening now in Iraq with Saddam’s removal.
I say let’s support our troops and bring them home; let’s give the wounded better treatment and benefits and let’s give the families of the dead and wounded some decent financial support.
When we leave it will be a mess whether it is tomorrow, 10 years from now or whenever. There is no evidence that the situation will improve.
We won the war with Saddam’s army in short order but all the evidence shows we are losing and will continue to lose the occupation of Iraq. If we are intent on victory we will be there indefinitely. Something we cannot afford in lost lives or money (debt).
Bin Laden has claimed credit for the break up of the Soviet Union by bankrupting them in Afghanistan. He has stated that he does not intend to beat us on the battlefield but to do it by bankrupting us as he did the Soviet Union.
The war in Afghanistan was justified and had we gone in there with the same forces as we went into Iraq we would have destroyed the Taliban and al Qaeda. The whole world was with us then. But there is one big difference between Iraq and Afghanistan. Oil.