letters

I am a soldier in the US Army. I am writing to disagree with you and some of those people who were callous in their opinions of the coalition troops causing excessive non-combatant casualties. You and these people weren't there. You never saw the Iraqi Republican Guard and "Fedayeen Saddam" using Iraqi civilians as human shields. You never saw the casualties coalition troops suffered to avoid civilian casualties. Nor how at great risk to themselves get civilians out of the way. How targets were not taken out because of civilians were in the area or around it. How our people were fired on from hotels full of journalists or civilians.

You people are quick to condemn the coalition for the tragic incidents that did happen. Are you quick to condemn the Iraqi Republican Guard or the Fedayeen Saddam for firing on their own civilians trying to get out of the fighting? Are you going to condemn them for using human shields? Are you going to condemn them for the torture and misery they inflicted on their own people for propaganda purposes? Are you going to ignore the fact that a lot of Iraqi people pointed out where these individuals were hiding at? Are you going to point out the fact that the Fedayeen Saddam was made up of Al Quaida and non-Iraqi Arabs? Or are you going to ignore these facts because it is too fair and too honest? And it doesn't fall in line with your thinking. It is easy for you and your cronies to say it was only "for the oil". Well guess what? We had the oil fields in 1991. If it all was about oil, we wouldn't given the oil up back then.

This may be beyond your thinking and reasoning, but the war was fought literally to free the Iraqi people and to stop the support of terrorists by Saddam Hussein. I know that may break your bubble and the simple-minded people who write you as "yes" people, but oh well that is the truth.

I would be surprised if you printed this letter, but if you believe in all points of view, you will. If you are like Saddam you won't.

You folks have a good time in Panama.

Donald E. Fehling Jr.

It is not surprising that the majority of Panamanians don't buy the reasons being given by the US for the invasion and carpet-bombing of Iraq.

What has the US government done to make the people whole that were injured in the last Afghanistan operation? --- about the kids who have been maimed, the property that has been destroyed? (Mind you, the US helped put the Taliban in power in the first place.)

Here in the US we have a chain of stores that sell everything cheap: pencils, paper, detergent, plastic flowers, cloths, etc.

We call it the Dollar Store and it is frequented, mainly, by people on very short budgets, the poor. A small US flag sells for exactly one dollar, not including tax.

But as everyone knows, for quality one usually has to pay much more.

The same goes for patriotism. There has been much bluster in our corporate media directed against anyone that says the obvious: the Iraq war did not need to happen, it is illegal, immoral --- maiming and killing innocent people to achieve the noble ends is despicable.

More, this war increases terrorism, and a pro-US Iraqi puppet government will never be seen as legitimate by the region's people.

People are loosing their jobs just for having an anti-war position. Dissident opinions or critical reporting is almost totally absent from the vast, corporate-owned, profit-driven media. A fanatical support for this war is being portrayed as the norm.

The US people are fearful: afraid of more terrorism directed against the US and afraid to speak and voice honest opinions amid the cacophony of lies, distortion, and attack on fellow US citizens being lead by the loyal "super-patriots."

I call this type of "love of country" by what it is: Dollar Store Patriotism. This is patriotism bought on the cheap, with no effort required other than believing the rationale sold to us by people that desperately hate human freedom and real democracy. Fueling this fanaticism is also a deep, non-reflective racism and cultural superiority. These are the used-car-lot flag wavers, people that wave the flag for reasons of profit and power. Bigger the flag, better and more authentic the patriot.

If we, the US, were invaded and overwhelmed by China, who in their goal of liberating the working class from very real capitalist oppression, claim to be "liberating" the people, you can bet the Dollar Store patriots and used-car-lot flag-wavers would be there on the streets cheering the conquering power on and greeting them with flowers.

Driving the behavior of the super-patriots is a deep belief that "might makes right," democracy and peace are for dupes. Far better to sidle up to the biggest thug on the block rather than work collectively for our common betterment through practicing mutual aid and sincere respect for others. The ends justify the means; we're bombing in the name of Jesus.

So keep your eyes open Panama. I suspect that your nation has its own Dollar Store patriots --- cheap used-car-lot flag-wavers that would sell their mother and pimp their daughters, stab a neighbor, all for their due share of the criminal booty.

Steven Hunt

I am looking for Marysol Pitti. All I know is that she is from David. Her sister Jadira used to be employed at Pepsi Cola in Panama City. This was 6 or 7 years ago. I'm Mark Plasha. I reside at 62 Cimarron, Lake Elmo, MN 55042 Tel: 651-337-0148, Fax 651-337-0149, email markplasha@comcast.net. Maybe one of the readers could steer me to someone who could help me locate Marysol or her sister.

Thanks,

Mark Plasha

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