The Truth About the War in Iraq

The truth about the war in Iraq is clear, and has been woefully clear, as well as being entirely malign, from the beginning: American forces were sent into Iraq, in March, 2003, for the sole purpose of gaining, and maintaining, American control over the oil fields. Every reason and every justification that was provided to the world by President George W. Bush before the war has been proven to be utterly false. Most Americans were quite willing to accept, and were also quite willing to support, those reasons and justifications without any questions, because accepting them was much easier than acknowledging the foulness of the truth.

The truth of the war speaks for itself, and can never be lessened or denied. America did not find any "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq. America has not established democracy in Iraq. America has no desire to establish democracy in Iraq. America has not given any semblance of freedom to the citizens of Iraq. America has no honest intention of ever withdrawing its forces completely from Iraq. By invading Iraq without any just cause, and by remaining there to preserve American control, America has brought only murder and misery to the Iraqi people.

Saddam Hussein, the bloodthirsty dictator who had received self-serving support from America for many years, was removed from power (and was later executed) as a result of the war, but it was merely a case of exchanging one form of tyranny for another. The fundamental welfare of Iraqi citizens was never given any consideration whatsoever, by either the American government or the American people. However, it turned out that a number of American corporations, particularly Halliburton, Blackwater Worldwide, and Bechtel, were given a shameful opportunity to make enormous amounts of money in Iraq, and therefore derived a great benefit from the war.

Most Americans were mute and passive during the war, cravenly choosing to look the other way while their leaders eagerly dropped bombs on Iraqi civilians and ruthlessly destroyed Iraqi cities. Most Americans continued to go about their mindless business as the bombs fell, always thinking only of themselves, coldly acting as if the relentless slaughter in Iraq was not happening. Most Americans displayed no concern and no remorse in regard to the deep suffering that was being visited upon the helpless inhabitants of Iraq.

The repugnant truth is that America killed tens of thousands of defenseless people in Iraq, including many thousands of women and children, in an ill-conceived war that has left a permanent stain on the character of every American who failed to raise a voice in protest. How can those craven Americans explain their lack of vocal opposition, in the face of such manifest evil being done in their collective name? How will they ever be able to cleanse themselves of their thoroughgoing guilt?