The real reason why so many people in positions of power in our government are pushing for a costly, unnecessary war is oil interests. They realise that if the American public truly understood this, that they would not support this war. That is why they are using the propaganda machine to hide behind supposed "threats" to American public safety.
Iraq is one of the United States' largest suppliers of oil, and has the 2nd largest proven reserves in the world (Top Ten, reason #8). The influence that energy and oil companies have on "President" Bush's administration is no secret. The entire Bush family has extensive ties to the oil industry, and Bush's admisnistration is staffed with ex- oilmen. Dick Cheney was CEO of Halliburton Industries, an oil company that has had dealings with Iraq in the past, and stands to gain a fortune in both oil profits and military contracts "if the president decides to go to war" (like there is an if). Don Evans, Secratary of Commerce is the ex- CEO of Tom Brown, Inc., an oil company worth $1.2 billion. Spencer Abraham (Secretary of Energy) recieved $700,000 from the automotive industry as a senator- more than any other canidate. The White House chief of Staff, Andrew H. Card, Jr. was General Motor's chief lobbyist before his appointment, and the list goes on and on (info from: Michael Moore, Stupid White Men p. 16-23).
How is it that we have allowed these oil men to decide our fates, allowed them to play chess with the world from inside the White House? Has the nation really been so blind as to let this farce go on? New AP poll results show that American's consider Osama bin Laden as a larger threat than Saddam Hussein, that they are weary of a war with Iraq, and that they do not support Bush's planned tax cuts unless the economy gets back on track. Yet despite of this, the administration continues with its plans.
The UN Secratary General, Kofi Annan, has stated that there is
Over 100,000 people gathered Oct. 26th to Protest President Bush's palns for war with Iraq, marching around the entire perimeter of the White House. Speakers included the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Susan Sarandon, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, and others. The Overwhelming theme of the day seemed to be calling for a "regime change" in Washington, charging that the President, congress, and the media are using war with Iraq to appease oil interest, and distract the American people from the worsening economy, corporate scandals, and increasing poverty. The Washington march has been called the largest antiwar demonstration since the Vietnam war, and similar marches were held in San Francisco, Toas, New Mexico, Seattle, and Minnesota.
Voices in the Wilderness: a Campaign to End the Economic Sanctions Against the People of Iraq
A Very, Very Bad Idea: One or Two (or eight) Reasons why We Must Not Start War In Iraq
Iraq Crisis Antiwar Page
Not In Our Name
Earth To Bush.com
Iraq Journal
The Case Against the Iraq War
International A.N.S.W.E.R.
(Act Now to Stop War and End Racism)
The White House recently cut its estimate of the potential cost of war to coincide with that of Gulf War 1, however the US paid for only a portion of that war, with Japan (oil and cars?), Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia (competing oil interests?) paying most of the costs. No nation has offered to help share the costs of war this time around. In fact, most countries are opposed to the idea of a second Gulf War. Lawerence B. Lindsey, the former chief economic adviser to Mr. Bush originally estimated the cost at roughly $100 to $200 billion, compared to the $60 to $80 billion that the administrations new to economic adviser, Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. prpedicted.
Gulf War 2 could potentially cost much more than the first gulf war because of the nature of urban warfare. The Iraqi people, crippled by economic sanctions imposed upon them by the West blame the US for most of the hardships they find themselves enduring. This will lead to more fierce resistance by the populace, not simply Iraq's crippled military. Iraq has promised heavy losses to the US if it is attacked. The US military might just find a whole population of people that don't want them there and might fight back guerilla style, especially if civilian casualties are very high. Due to the nature of the type of war that the Pentagon is preparing for, there is a high probablitlty of "collateral damage" (civilian deaths). Starting a war in Iraq
Despite all of this, the US continues to deploy troops to the gulf region to prepare for a war, should that occur. How can we stop this? The first thing that we must do is contact our representatives in the government and tell them that we do not support a war in Iraq, if needed refer them to this document, and/or the links provided.
Here's How:
By phone: call the US capital switchboard, 202-224-3121, tell them your ZIP code, and they'll transfer you to your rep.
By Mail: Write to Office of Senator (name), United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510, or Office of Representative (name), United States House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515
By E-mail: For Senators: go to www.senate.gov/contacting/
index_by_state.cfm
For Reps.: www.house.gov/writrep/
Attend as many peace vigils or rallys as possible. Use your voice, express your opinions. Talk to as many people as possible about this, ask them what they think, and use the opportunity to raise their awareness of these issues if they are not well informed. Help educate the public.