By VALDANA GUNNELL
Published by The Modern Tribune

April 4, 2003

There are several issues that concern me at this writing:

War on Iraq.  I do not support the use of deadly force without provocation to “keep peace.” It is an oxymoron. I do wish we had exhausted all diplomatic means before initiating the attack on Iraq. I protest this war. However, now that we are engaged, I fully support our deployed soldiers as they fill their assigned missions and pray for their quick and safe return. Something had to be gained by our Viet Nam experience. I hold the President and military leaders accountable for any and all casualties.

Our right to peacefully assemble and protest must continue to be upheld. The violent and destructive tactics being used by some "anarchist" protesters would make Gandhi roll over in his grave and does little to further the cause for peace. Intolerable behavior should meet legal consequences, but none that would limit our overall right to speak out and protest. Regrettably, the war is on. Protesters need to consolidate and find more effective ways to press for a quick end to war. Be visible, certainly. Write to editors and elected officials, vote at the booth. Educate and peacefully mobilize the public. We are not apathetic at heart, we are mostly caught on the hamster wheel of survival and overwhelmed by the flood of information and propaganda.

Decades of diplomacy lost. When our Ambassador to Greece resigned in February after 20 years of service because he could not conscionably uphold our Administration's agenda, it was a sure sign that foreign diplomacy is at great risk. We must keep a finger on the pulse of world views and perceptions. I am a proud American; I love my country and the freedom we enjoy. Like most Americans, I would fight to preserve that freedom, so gravely paid for by our forebears. Still, I am concerned about the world perception that we are arrogantly and imperialistically exploiting and forcing our ways onto other countries, not just protecting ourselves. I am concerned that we may be igniting a larger conflict than bargained for, that we may be inciting greater hatred for the United States that could further inflame terrorism. Maybe the United Nations is imperfect, but do we simply abandon diplomacy?

Terrorism-Oil-Profit. I was among those that thought our engagement in Middle Eastern wars (Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and now Iraq again) was more about oil than fighting terrorism. That perception is giving way to the profitability of war as the primary incentive. We've seen how war stimulates the economy in the defense sector. But when the highest level officials grant immense, inflated defense contracts to their friends - it is not the kind of stimulus we need. In fact, it is outright corruption. Richard Perle resigned as president of the Defense Policy Board over conflict of interest allegations on March 27, yet he still remains on the board and has access to his friend, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. He and 8 others on the board have ties to companies that have won over $76 billion in government contracts over the last 2 years. Doesn't it make you wonder if the war could have been initiated to materialize more of these lucrative contracts and pay for them out of public coffers in the name of Homeland Security? And what about our access to information? These defense contractors file their financial statements but they are all classified and no one monitors them! And now, even our VP has new powers to classify information.

Patriot Act II. If you've already felt the effects of diminished personal privacy rights or are concerned about preserving them, you'll want to keep your eyes out for the Patriot Act’s sequel being drafted now. It will grant even more power to increase surveillance, intelligence-gathering and law enforcement authority. At the same time, it will decrease judicial review and public access to information. Where do we draw the line?

Tax Cut.  Why push for a dividend tax cut that arguably favors the wealthy when we are facing war expenditures of over $90B in the first six months fighting Saddam? How are we to absorb higher federal deficits? Our children will surely bear the brunt of such absurd policies. Under the current tax cut proposal, Joe Blow might get $32 back whereas a known CEO would receive over $7M in dividend tax savings on his portfolio. Go figure. The corporations already utilize every tax loophole available and many actually receive humongous rebates in the millions. Corporate welfare imposes a far heavier tax burden on the shrinking middle class than do welfare programs.  Furthermore, the billions of dollars earmarked for war and the tax cut could do much to address our domestic crises - the closing of school and business doors, joblessness, homelessness and poverty.

Bush’s Budget. Did you even catch that one? Overshadowed by war events, the Republican controlled House of Representatives pushed through Bush’s budget last Friday, making absolutely NO allocations to pay for the war, cutting Veteran’s benefits while reserving $700 billion for proposed tax cuts. How patriotic is that? 

Whatever the answers may be, the time to keep our eyes wide open for our freedom is now.