The SOA / WHISC trains Latin American Soldiers to engage in Low Intensity Conflict; it teaches them to wage war against civilians. In other words, through the SOA / WHISC, we train terrorists.Now the United States, too, has become the victim of terrorist acts.
It is our hope that through the horror and tragedy of September 11, we as a nation may become more sensitized to the horror and misery caused by our own, exported brand of terrorism.
Honor the victims: Promote peace
A Opinion Piece by friend of the Dayton POR, Dan KovalikPittsburgh Post-Gazette
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
(http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/comm/20020911eddan11p6.asp)
To honor the victims of Sept. 11, we must not only mourn their tragic and senseless deaths, we must also act in constructive ways to create a world which is more peaceful, stable and humane -- a world in which the likelihood of future terrorist attacks is less likely. In the words of Mother Jones, we must "mourn for the dead and fight like hell for the living." And, just as it is true that charity begins at home, the fight against terrorism must begin with the struggle to end the terror which our own nation inflicts upon others.
This brings us to the current concern over the United States' involvement in Iraq. Since 1991, the United States has itself been engaged in a campaign of terror against Iraqi civilians to pressure them into trying to oust Saddam Hussein. This terror campaign has taken the form of harsh economic sanctions and periodic bombings.
Now, the United States is readying itself for a costly and potentially devastating war against Iraq which will take an even greater toll on that civilian population.
Yet, despite the attempts of the administration to link the planned war to Sept.11, there appear to be no such links. Thus, there is no evidence that Iraq had anything to do with the Sept. 11 attacks. Indeed, Iraq is conspicuously absent from the list of countries in the State Department's latest study, "Patterns of Global Terrorism, 2001," which reportedly engaged in international acts of terrorism. Moreover, there is no proof of Iraq's stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction.
On this score, the U.N. monitoring mission to Iraq reported that it destroyed at least 95 percent of Iraq's chemical weapons capability and virtually all of its medium-range missiles and other delivery systems. And, of course, Iraq has invited our Congress to verify this with its own inspection teams.
Of America's stated plans to wage war against Iraq, Nelson Mandela, speaking for many world leaders, including most of our allies, has stated that he is "appalled" by these plans and that the United States is "introducing chaos in international affairs" by planning an unprovoked and pre-emptive war against another nation. Such chaos can only bring about more suffering, violence and terror to both those abroad and to us here at home.
As a result, it can truthfully be said that those who, in the names of the victims of Sept. 11, are calling for this senseless and destructive war against Iraq, do dishonor to these victims. To properly mourn the victims of Sept. 11, we must speak out against these voices of war and resist the acts of terror which the administration has planned for the world.(back to Sept. 11 page) (back to Kovalik or Just Peace Cards)