Thought Crimes
Since
9-11 the question asked frequently is, "Why do they hate us?"
As the occupation of Iraq starts to gather its own momentum
and the search for weapons of mass destruction loses all sense
of direction, it also becomes an obvious example of why "they"
hate the United States or, more specifically, our foreign
policy.
We attacked because the Bush
administration sold us on the idea that the Iraqis had a
stockpile of weapons that presented an immediate threat to
national and world security. Not only have we failed to find
WMDs, but it appears that the Bush Administration knew all
along of the slim possibility of finding any in Iraq. The
administration withheld this information as it pressed its
case for war.
What does that mean to
the American people? At best, the administration obscured the
truth for its own convenience. At worst, it can be said that
the administration lied to Americans, the United Nations and
anyone else who was listening to justify an attack on a nation
that proved all but defenseless.
Can
you blame people for hating us? With such examples of
government and foreign policy, it's no wonder we have enemies.
But that's not the worst part of the deal. Deepening animosity
is one issue. However, the greater issue may be the Orwellian
abuse of power the administration showed by attacking a
country for building weapons without proof of actual
production; in other words, not for a crime but for a "thought
crime." Big brother is alive and listening after all.
George and Chris
Fraizer
Murray
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