Seems there was a big peace march yesterday, calling for the removal of US Troops in Iraq, and to protest the war.
The problem is, the war is over. The policing of an unstable region has begun, so what these people are calling for is removal of the only thing stopping all-out anarchy in Iraq.
Yes, it’s pretty bad over there, with car bombs and attacks. But if the US Army pulls out, there is nothing to stop the differing factions from starting their own civil war, overthrowing the government the US has placed (which, while it was appointed by them at the time, is working towards democratic elections).
So, if someone in power actually listened to these protestors and said “Golly gee, we’d better pull our troops out!” the end result would be hundreds of thousands of dead.
I’m all for peace. War is bad (except, as some point out, for business) and it should be avoided. But arguing that it’s never right to go to war is hopeful at best and dangerously naive at worst.
These protests smack of narcississtic ego-masturbation by people living in a fantasy world where all problems are solved by being nice to each other. Granted, the world would be a great place if it worked that way, but it simply doesn’t. There are bad people in the world who do incredibly horrible things to other people and won’t stop without someone else forcing them to stop.
Addendum: And if anyone is wondering “Well, what should we have been protesting, then?” I came to a realization while talking with my wife about this.
Protest the Haliburton contract.
Haliburton, whose CEO three years ago was Dick Cheney, Vice President of the US got the SOLE contract to rebuild Iraq after the war.
If you want to protest something, protest the despecible reasons the US government went to Iraq, and the profit that GWBush and his cronies are making from it.
Protesting the overthrow of a ruthless genocidal dictator and his serial-rapist sons, and then protesting the peacekeeping occupation of the country afterwards gets no sympathy from me.
Protesting corporate corruption? I’ll come march with you.
Well said.