[lit-ideas] Re: The Leftist Claim

LH:
"Of course, the claim was that most such people were neither pro-Saddam nor anti-American: all they wanted was to 'give peace a chance.'<<
No. Lawrence, opposition to this war is not a peacenik campaign, what the world and the Americans who oppose the war in Iraq want most is that our country not kill hundreds of thousands of people for Exxon (as Greenspan now confirms was the rationale behind all this slaughter), or to establish a puppet government that would allow military bases in support of our imperial ambitions (we tried that in Iran in the 50's, if you remember, when we brought down Mossadegh because he wanted to nationalize the oil industry). 
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Though hatred of America may not have been universal among opponents of American military action, it was obviously very widespread and very deep.<<
Nonsense. I have yet to meet an American opponent of this war or of the one we waged in Vietnam (and I've known very many) who hated America. In fact, it's been their love of the ideals of America that have brought them to oppose these wars. The only hostility I've ever heard in my 45 years of protesting was hostility towards policies of our government that contradicted those ideals. That rhetoric gets charged when you're speaking of killing people (and almost always innocent people) doesn't surprise me. I've said some very hateful things about Bush, but Bush is 'Bush Policy' to me, not the man of whom I have no way of personally assessing. His policies I have judged to be inimical to the ideals and best interest of the United States and dangerous to the World. Podhoretz obviously thinks differently as do almost all of the people you quote and they have every right to think as they do and to advocate their thoughts as broadly and vociferously as they can. They have their values, I have mine. I think mine are better for humanity and the United States than theirs. In fact, nothing I've ever read from the conservative camp has ever caused me to question my convictions. I wish there had been some quibble somewhere along the line so that I wouldn't wonder if I'm just a close-minded bigot -- naw, no way. 


Mike Geary
Memphis 

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