I Was Wrong!

I have come to my senses. I have been wrong all along. It’s hard for me to say this but the war in Iraq and my support for Israel has been misguided.

I have seen the light. A wiser man than I am has shown me the way.

Here are the facts that changed my way of thinking:

The real aggressor toward the Palestinians is Israel.

Israelis are making life more and more difficult for the rightful owners of the land of Palestine. In broad day-light, in front of cameras and before the eyes of the world, they are bombarding innocent defenseless civilians, bulldozing houses, firing machine guns at students in the streets and alleys, and subjecting their families to endless grief.

The war in Iraq is another thing I was wrong on.

Consider these truths: Since the commencement of the US military presence in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed, maimed or displaced. Terrorism in Iraq has grown exponentially. With the presence of the US military in Iraq, nothing has been done to rebuild the ruins, to restore the infrastructure or to alleviate poverty. The US Government used the pretext of the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but later it became clear that that was just a lie and a deception.


What it has done to our country:

One hundred and fifty thousand American soldiers, separated from their families and loved ones, are operating under the command of the current US administration. A substantial number of them have been killed or wounded and their presence in Iraq has tarnished the image of the American people and government.


Even a beat of my heart goes out to Cindy Shehan:

Their mothers and relatives have, on numerous occasions, displayed their discontent with the presence of their sons and daughters in a land thousands of miles away from US shores. American soldiers often wonder why they have been sent to Iraq.

And the cost of war:

I no longer consent to the billions of dollars of annual expenditure from the treasury for this military misadventure.

Then there are the atrocities which continue to be uncovered being commited by our troops:

The US administration is kidnapping its presumed opponents from across the globe and arbitrarily holding them without trial or any international supervision in horrendous prisons that it has established in various parts of the world. God knows who these detainees actually are, and what terrible fate awaits them.

The worst are the Guantanamo and Abu-Ghraib prisons. The US administration attempts to justify them through its proclaimed "war on terror." But every one knows that such behavior, in fact, offends global public opinion, exacerbates resentment and thereby spreads terrorism, and tarnishes the US image and its credibility among nations.

Then there are the losses of civil liberties:

Under the pretext of "the war on terror," civil liberties in the United States are being increasingly curtailed. Even the privacy of individuals is fast losing its meaning. Judicial due process and fundamental rights are trampled upon. Private phones are tapped, suspects are arbitrarily arrested, sometimes beaten in the streets, or even shot to death.

It would be so much better if we spent the money we spend on the war on things at home:

Now that Iraq has a Constitution and an independent Assembly and Government, would it not be more beneficial to bring the US officers and soldiers home, and to spend the astronomical US military expenditures in Iraq for the welfare and prosperity of the American people? As we know very well, many victims of Katrina continue to suffer, and countless Americans continue to live in poverty and homelessness.

My hope is that the new leadership in congress will get a handle on this:

If the new US Government meets the current domestic and external challenges with an approach based on truth and Justice, it can remedy some of the past afflictions and alleviate some of the global resentment and hatred of America. But if the approach remains the same, it would not be unexpected that the American people would similarly reject the new electoral winners, although the recent elections, rather than reflecting a victory, in reality point to the failure of the current administration's policies.

And to be certain that these revelations come to you as well, these did not come from John Murtha, the New York Times, or Daily Kos. I didn’t trust them. You’ve heard all this from them. It took a Man of God to show me the error of my ways. You can read his letter to me that turned it all around.

It’s funny it all sounds so familiar. I can't remember where I've heard all this before.