Being Told The Truth About American Wars, and Not Caring

MY SISTER, GOD LOVE HER, was a high ranking civil service employee at the Pentagon, with an office quite near the Secretary of Defense. He actually had an affectionate nickname for her, which I can't currently remember. Something like "muffin", I think. What would you expect from a man named "Rummy"? On that fateful tragic day, nine one one, the day Karma came to America, big sis got quite a jolt, and was actually thrown from her chair and across her office by the impact of the jet-bomb. Later she said to me: "I wish people would stop trying to kill me". Fair enough. Who wouldn't? Out of respect, I waited until the rubble had been cleaned up, the nation had quenched its excess hysteria, and my sweet sister had regained some sense of normalcy in her life, to the extent that one can, under those circumstances. Among my character flaws is a relentless need to speak the truth, what I believe to be the truth, insofar as I can ascertain the truth, if I ever can. Big sis was articulating what most Amricans at the time were: "those lousy bastards are just plain old jealous and resentful of Amrican success, prosperity, freedom, and yadda yadda." Finally, I could contain myslef no longer. Beloved sister, said I, (perhaps unwisely), nine one one did not occur because fanatical Islamic terrorists jealously and pettily resent American happiness. Nor did it have anything to do with any resentment of Christianity. They already know an infidel when they see one, and are for the most part willing to allow Allah to deal with blasphemy later on down the road, in His own time. Nor were the suicide killers insane. They were merely very, very motivated. Actually, their success in carrying out their dark mission is a testament to their intelligence, determination, organizational skills, and ingenuity, all the right stuff, all traits we Americans hold dear, unless some vicious enemy dares apply them to our detriment. No, the truth is, they did what they did because, strangley enough, they, along with many of their countrymen, tend to wax angry when a superpower sends its military halfway around the world, invades, attacks, conquers, and occupies an Islamic country, and pretty much destroys it, leaving it in ruins. The casualty list of as many as a hundred thousand Iraqi civilians didn't help matters either. I further reminded my sister that most people, given the same set of circumstances, would feel much the same way. I don't think I got through to her, and I don't think that concept has permeated the thinking of the American people as a whole. Amazing, what a potent combination patriotic propaganda and denial can be. Added to that is the undeniable fact that President George Bush 41, one week before Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, told the Iraqi dictator that invading Kuwait was just fine and dandy, as far as the U.S.A. was concerned. Yes, that's right. we the American people gave Saddam a blank check to launch a war that, after a sudden inexplicable American change of heart, has resulted in twenty five years of terrorism, death, misery, I.S.I.S., and heaven only knows what else. For verificataion of this, type "April Glaspie" into google, and scroll down to where it says something like "transcript of discussion with Saddam". You'll note that when the lady Ambassador, the first ever from the U.S.A. to an Arab nation, told Saddam this, Saddam, as the transcript says, "smiled". So would anyone, in his situation. Bear in mind that this is all a matter of offical record, on tape, a state department transcript. Alas, if only we had told Saddam that we DID care, and had no intention of putting up with it. Well, America wanted war, war for oil, and that's exactly what it got, and exactly what it still has. But try telling that to my big sister. She just doesn't care.